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Tatyana Ali JPI LARGE

Tatyana Ali

Role Roxanne, Y&R

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The 411

BIRTHDATE: January 24

BIRTHPLACE: North Bellmore, NY

YEARS ON SHOW: 2007-present

MARITAL STATUS: Single


Tatyana Ali began her acting career at age 6, doing what many kids dream of: she was a regular on the iconic children’s series SESAME STREET. At 11, the pre-teen ended her run on the STREET and landed another plum role, playing Will Smith’s little cousin, Ashley, in THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR. The show became a hit and stayed on the air for six seasons. Meantime, Smith encouraged his talented younger co-star to also pursue a singing career.

After PRINCE ended in 1996, Ali continued to make a name for herself in both the acting and music worlds. She’s worked steadily for the past 15 years, appearing in numerous movies, including Jawbreaker, Kiss The Girls and Hotel California. She has also guest-starred on many prime-time series, such as LIVING SINGLE and FASTLANE.

In 2007, she joined Y&R in the recurring role of Devon’s girlfriend, Roxanne. Though she hasn’t had much screen time, Ali showed off her acting chops when Devon cheated on Roxanne with his “aunt” Tyra. Meanwhile, Ali participated in Barack Obama‘s Presidential campaign in 2008 and performed on the song, “Yes We Can.” In 2009, she created and starred in the Web soap BUPPIES. This year, her performance on Y&R earned her the NAACP Image Award for Lead Actress In A Daytime Drama Series.

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Random facts

  • Graduated from Harvard University with a degree in government in 2002.
  • Appeared on STAR SEARCH in 1987 and was Junior Vocalist Champion.
  • Speaks Spanish and Hindi.
  • Her middle name is Marisol.
  • Her album Kiss The Sky went gold in 1999.

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