Mahershala Ali’s grandmother is his "guru and greatest role model".
The ‘Green Book’ actor – who has two-year-old daughter Bari with wife Amatus Sami-Karim – credits his grandma with instilling in him a strong sense of self-belief and a dedication to his work.
Speaking to the new issue of Heat magazine, he said: "My grandmother was really mu guru and my greatest role model to this day. From an early age, as a little kid sitting in the shopping cart, she kept telling me in very strong terms that I could do everything in life and achieve whatever I wanted, as long as I worked hard and dedicated myself. I quickly learned that realising your goals doesn’t happen overnight. But my grandmother taught me patience and perseverance and gave me the self-confidence that I never gave myself. And she was right!"
The 45-year-old star’s late father, Broadway actor Phillip Gilmore, was also a big influence on his chosen career path as he wanted to to be an even more successful actor than his dad.
Mahershala – who grew up in California – said: "One day I found an old postcard that my dad had sent to his mother, where he was photographed doing one of those muscular poses without a shirt. On the back he’d wrote, ‘Hey Mom, I’m still looking for a starring role.’ At that moment, I knew I could not give up – I owed it to him.
"He and my mother split up when I was three and then he passed away when I was 20. It’s sad when I think I only got to see him a few weeks each summer, when I would go to New York and spend time with him there. I still think of him as someone who had a big influence on my life, even in his absence. I really started to appreciate the artistry of movies and acting and creating characters when he would take me to the theatre and t see as many good films as possible.
"He served as my cultural window to a whole new world and those visits are really what gave me the inspiration and love of acting."
Mahershala Ali praises his ‘role model’ grandmother
