Tatyana Marisol Ali (born January 24, 1979) is an American actress and singer. She's best known for her role as Ashley Banks on the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. At the age of four she started singing and got a taste of fame when she begged her mother to take her to an audition for Sesame Street. In 1985, as a 6-year-old, she began her acting career as a regular performer on the PBS children's educational program Sesame Street. She went on to perform in many productions in her native city, New York, including the Broadway show Fences--with James Earl Jones and, later, Billy Dee Williams--and the off-Broadway show Orfeo del Campo. When she was seven, she appeared on Star Search and won twice, receiving a four-star rating when she appeared for a second time. At age 11, she moved from New York to Los Angeles to establish her career and not long afterwords landed her breakthrough role as Ashley Banks, Will Smith's character's cousin, on the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990-1996). While filming The Fresh Prince, she also had side projects, including guest roles in television shows such as The Cosby Show (1984), The All New Mickey Mouse Club (1989) (aka The Mickey Mouse Club), Kyno's Storytime (1992), Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1990), and Foster's Field Trip (1994). Her vocal talent was featured on several episodes of Fresh Prince in later seasons, prompting the show's star Will Smith to ask her if she would seriously consider pursuing a musical career. She ultimately decided, for the time being, to continue to concentrate on her acting career. In the series' final season, however, she performed several songs, and she began to be cleaned for her musical debut, the culmination of which was her debut album Kiss The Sky in 1998. It was certified gold in early 1999, only months after its release. "Boy You Knock Me Out" featuring Will Smith—which peaked at No. 3 and is her biggest hit to date. She made an appearance on Smith's album Willennium on the track "Who Am I" with MC Lyte. In early 2008, she performed on the song "Yes We Can", a will.i.am project supporting Barack Obama's presidential campaign. She also appeared in the subsequent music video, which garnered coverage on the "What the Buzz" segment of ABC's World News Now. In January 2014, she released an EP titled Hello. Apart from her musical career, she continued to land roles in films such as The Brothers, Glory Road, and Nora's Hair Salon (and its sequel), among others. From 2009 to 2010 she produced and starred in the BET web series Buppies. She was on recurring status on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless as Roxanne from 2007 to 2013. She starred in the TV One original series Love That Girl! as Tyana (whose name was derived from Ali's given name). In 2013, she co-starred as Maya in the BET comedy Second Generation Wayans, alongside Craig Wayans and Damien Dante Wayans. In 2011, she received the Living Legacy Award from the Caribbean Heritage Organization in Los Angeles.
Brother
(Latifa)
A Picture Perfect Holiday
(Gaby)
The Brothers
(Cherie Smith)
Giving Hope: The Ni'cola Mitchell Story
(Ni'cola Mitchell)
Kiss the Girls
(Janell Cross)
Back in the Day
(Alicia)
Mother and Child
(Maria)
Eddie Murphy Raw
(Singing Child)
National Lampoon Presents Dorm Daze
(Claire)
Jawbreaker
(Brenda)
Vanished: Searching for My Sister
(Jada Stallworth/Kayla Davis)
Wow, You're A Cartoonist!
(Child Cartoonist)
Nora's Hair Salon II: A Cut Above
(Lilliana)
The Holiday Proposal Plan
(Sonny Kravitz)
Nora's Hair Salon
(Lilleana)
Dysfunctional Friends
(Alex)
Domino One
(Laeticia Richards)
Fall Into Darkness
(Sharon McKay)
24 Hour Love
(Simply)
Locker 13
(Lucy)
Dear Secret Santa
(Jennifer)
The List
(Cynthia)
Hotel California
(Jessie)
The Clown at Midnight
(Monica)
Light Girls
(Self)
Crocodile Dundee II
(Park Girl)
Home Again
(Marva Johnson)
Fatal Flip
(Roslyn)
November Rule
(Leah)
Fakin' Da Funk
(Karyn)
A Very Larry Christmas
(Nicole)
Second Sight
(Clara)
Supermodel
(Lauren)
The Good Nanny
(Monica Thorne)
Wrapped Up In Christmas
(Heather Nash)
Christmas Everlasting
(Lucy Toomey)
Jingle Belle
(Belle Williams)
Dancing Man the Documentary
(Self)
Deadly Match
(Professor Savoy)
23rd Psalm: Redemption
(Stacey Wayne)
Doe
(Rachel Hutton)
Christmas Hotel
(Erin)
Pete Smalls Is Dead
(Cocktail Waitress)
The Last Letter
(Jillian)
Comeback Dad
(Nima)
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion
(Self)
Glory Road
(Tina)
The Divorce
(Victoria)
The Reason
(Macey)
Scenes by the Sea: Takeshi Kitano
Kidz in the Wood
(Rita)
In the House
(Ashley Banks)
Half & Half
(Olivia)
Fastlane
(Shelly)
Living Single
Getting By
Love That Girl!
(Tyana Jones)
Are You Afraid of the Dark?
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
(Ashley Banks)
Name Your Adventure
(Host)
Brains & Brawn
(Host)
The Eric Andre Show
(Self)
Second Generation Wayans
(Maya)
Celebrity Wheel of Fortune
(Self - Contestant)
Fancy Nancy
(Bree’s Mom (voice))
Fancy Nancy (Duplicated)
(Bree's Mom (voice))
Teen Choice Awards
(Self - Presenter)
Perimeter
(Connie Dawn)
The Magic Hour
(Self)
Secret Celebrity RuPaul's Drag Race
(Self - Contestant / Chakra 7)
Abbott Elementary
(Crystal)
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
(Self - Guest)
My Big Fat Fabulous Life
(Self - Event Host)
The Cosby Show
(Girl)
Bel-Air
(Ms. Hughes)
Key & Peele
(Heresa)