Usman Ally

Usman Ally
Born (1982-08-27) August 27, 1982 (age 42)
Alma materLewis & Clark College (BA)
University of Florida (MFA)
OccupationActor
SpouseMalena Mai

Usman Ally (born August 27, 1982) is a Pakistani-American film, stage and television actor. Marking his acting debut in 2008, Ally won an Obie Award in 2015 for his role in The Invisible Hand.[1]

He has appeared in several stage productions including The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, The Jungle Book and a production of Around the World in 80 Days. He is known for his on-screen roles such as Fernald the Hook-Handed Man in Netflix's adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events, which premiered in 2017 and Andy Malik in Suits.[2]

Background

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Ally was born in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) to Pakistani parents.[3][4][5] He grew up in Kenya, Botswana, Tanzania, and Pakistan.[6][7][8] According to Ally, his family regularly moved because his father was involved in international trade.[9][4]

At age 18, Ally moved to the United States and attended Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, majoring in theater and cultural anthropology.[10] While there, he was introduced to a group called Prisoners of Politics, and participated in slam poetry and hip hop performances. Soon after graduating from Lewis and Clark, he attended the University of Florida, where he graduated magna cum laude with a Master of Fine Arts in acting. He has lived in Portland, Chicago, and Los Angeles.[3]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2008 The Group Sunil Short film
2009 Chicago Overcoat Pawnshop Owner
2011 Our Fathers Ahmed Short film
2012 Just Like a Woman Ousman
2013 Star Trek Into Darkness U.S.S. Vengeance Officer
2015 Misled Waseem
2016 Love Meet Hope Andrew
2020 The Hunt Crisis Mike
2020 Superintelligence Sergei
2022 Grimcutty Amir Chaudhry [11]

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2011 The Chicago Code Abrahm Episode: "St. Valentine's Day Massacre"
Damages Nasim Marwat 4 episodes
2012 Boss Joe Young 2 episodes
2013 Blue Bloods Vendor Episode: "No Regrets"
2014 Mind Games Charles Episode: "Pilot"
Person of Interest Jamal Risha Episode: "Allegiance"
2014–2015 Madam Secretary Zahed Javani 3 episodes
2015 Castle Bilal Jafari Episode: "Sleeper"
The Player Hamid Episode: "Pilot"
Brooklyn Animal Control Lawyer Episode 1.1
2016 Blindspot Hakim Episode: "Cease Forcing Enemy"
Helen & Grace Coach 2 episodes
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Vincent 3 episodes
The Librarians Security Lt. Becker Episode: "And the Fangs of Death"
2016–2017 Veep Ambassador Al Jaffar 6 episodes
2017–2019 A Series of Unfortunate Events Fernald the Hook-Handed Man Recurring role
2017 Just Add Magic Mr. Morris 8 episodes
2017–2018 Nobodies Gavin Recurring role
Mike Tyson Mysteries Raji, Mahmoud, Price Abdul Al Farooq Voice, 2 episodes[12]
2017–2019 Suits Andrew Malik 4 episodes
2017 Lifeline Nathan Main role
Curb Your Enthusiasm Morsi Driver Episode: "Never Wait for Seconds!"
2019 Better Things Dr. Babu Episode: "No Limits"
On Becoming a God in Central Florida Stan Van Grundegaard Recurring role
2019-2020 NCIS Victor Mir 2 episodes
2020 68 Whiskey Captain Hazara Recurring role
2021 Call Me Kat Dr. Kevin Khan Episode: "Therapy"
2021 Young Justice Khalid Nassour, Muhammad Nassour Voice, recurring role (5 episodes)[12]
2022 God's Favorite Idiot Mohsin Raza 16 episodes[13]

Video games

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Year Title Role Notes
2016 Uncharted 4: A Thief's End Asav Multiplayer only
2017 Uncharted: The Lost Legacy Also motion capture[12]
2017 Middle-earth: Shadow of War Serka "Desolation of Mordor" DLC
2019 The Elder Scrolls Online Zamarak
2020 Fast & Furious Crossroads Kai
2020 Avengers George Tarleton / M.O.D.O.K. [12]
2022 God of War Ragnarök Durlin [12]

References

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  1. ^ "2015 Obie Awards". Obie Awards. 2015. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  2. ^ Sean Fitz-Gerald (January 13, 2017). "Every 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' Actor You Need to Know About". Thrillist. Archived from the original on January 10, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Angry Reader of the Week: Usman Ally". Angry Asian Man. 1 June 2017. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  4. ^ a b Metz, Nina (14 June 2017). "Like so many others, Usman Ally goes from Chicago to 'Veep'". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  5. ^ "Usman Ally On His 'Veep' Role As a Turning Point for Muslims on TV". Awards Daily. 23 June 2017. Archived from the original on 27 June 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  6. ^ "Usman Ally: The Pakistani American Actor Who Seems to Be Everywhere". India West. 12 October 2017. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  7. ^ "Five Questions with Usman Ally, Star of 'Nobodies', 'Veep' and 'Series Of Unfortunate Events'". Huffington Post. 24 May 2017. Archived from the original on 23 January 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  8. ^ Soloski, Alexis (27 December 2014). "Usman Ally Discusses his Roles". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  9. ^ "Usman Ally on identity politics in ATC's 'Disgraced'". WBEZ. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  10. ^ Waterhouse, Ben (28 September 2015). "Character Builder". Lewis & Clark. Archived from the original on 18 March 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  11. ^ Ganguly, Shrija (October 10, 2022). "Grimcutty review: The John Ross horror film on Hulu works despite a freakish monster and some loose strings". Sportskeeda. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c d e "Usman Ally (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved August 9, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  13. ^ Wiseman, Andreas; Petski, Denise (February 12, 2021). "Melissa McCarthy Netflix Comedy God's Favorite Idiot Adds Yanic Truesdale, Steve Mallory, Usman Ally, More". Deadline. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
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