User:ChrisWilliam1995/sandbox/sandbox
Ali Momen | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater | Sheridan College |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 2008–present |
Ali Momen is an Iranian-Canadian actor and singer. He starred in the 2015 film Beeba Boys, and has appeared in several television shows including recurring roles on Star Trek: Discovery, Workin' Moms, and Transplant. Momen also originated the role of Kevin J./Ali and others in the Canadian production of Come from Away.
Early life
Momen was born in Iran, but moved to Canada with his family when he was three years old.[1] He grew up in Thornhill, Ontario, where he attended Thornlea Secondary School.[2] Momen originally enrolled at and attended York University to pursue law, but dropped out after two years. He enrolled in the musical theatre program at Sheridan College, where he graduated in 2006.[2]
Career
Television and film
In 2008, Momen had his first film role when he portrayed a suicide bomber in the film Traitor, which starred Don Cheadle. In a later interview, Momen appreciated the opportunity but admitted that he regrets taking the role because of how it contributes to the over-representation of Muslims as violent and as perpetrators of terrorism.[3]
Theatre
In 2014, Momen starred as Prakash in a production of Sultans of the Street presented by Young People's Theatre in Toronto. For his performance, Momen was nominated for a Dora Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in the Theatre for Young Audiences division.[4]
Momen starred as Abe in the Canadian premiere production of Disgraced, which played at the Panasonic Theatre between April 3 and 24, 2016. The drama set a box office record for the theatre, having been seen by over 10,000 patrons during its' run.[5] Momen then transferred with the play to the Citadel Theatre, where it played between January 21 and February 12, 2017.[6] Momen later reprised his role when Disgraced returned to the Pansaonic Theatre in November 2017 due to popular demand.[6]
In 2017, Momen appeared in the world premiere production of Monsoon Wedding.[7] The musical, produced by Berkeley Repertory Theatre, was performed between May 5 and June 25, 2017.[7]
Beginning in 2018, Momen portrayed the role of Kevin J., Ali and others in the Canadian production of Come from Away.[8] The musical opened at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in February 2018, and he remained with the production until performances were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He returned to the show when performances resumed in December 2021, until Mirvish Productions announced they were forced to permanently close the show because of the lack of government support for the arts industry following the lockdowns.[9] After this, Momen reprised his role of Kevin J., Ali, and others during the North American tour of Come from Away in 2022, as well as at a special concert staging of the musical in Gander.
Business
Momen co-founded the dating app Bokay, which was officially launched in March 2024.[10] Loosely inspired by the premise of Love Is Blind, Bokay users are instead required to get to know each other through a series of personality-revealing prompts before finally seeing photos of each other.[10]
Activism
In 2020, Momen began advocating for an "Arts New Deal", an initiative aimed at revitalizing the arts sector in Canada that has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.[11] Inspired by how President Franklin D. Roosevelt supported arts and culture workers during the Great Depression, Momen
In 2021, Momen announced that he would be seeking the Liberal nomination in the provincial riding of Toronto-St. Paul's. However, he lost the nomination race to Dr. Nathan Stall.[12]
Credits
Television
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | The Border | Ahmed | Episode S1.E8: "Enemy Contact" |
| 2010 | How to Be Indie | Baldev | Episode S1.E16: "How to Make the Most Out of Being a Host" |
| 2011 | Combat Hospital | Khan Saour | Episode S1.E5: "Hells Bells" |
| 2012 | The L.A. Complex | Navid | 4 episodes |
| 2012 | Mayday | Saudi Air Traffic Controller | Episode S11.E9: "Under Pressure" |
| 2013 | Cracked | Rick Carga | Episode S1.E9: "Cherry Blossoms" |
| 2013 | Satisfaction | Douchebag #1 | Episode S1.E7: "Janet" |
| 2014 | Space Riders: Division Earth | Pardeep | Recurring role: 3 episodes |
| 2014 | The Strain | Dr. William Lester | 2 episodes: S1.E2: "The Box"; S1.E3: "Gone Smooth" |
| 2016 | Houdini & Doyle | Rustom Avari | Episode S1.E9: "Necromanteion" |
| 2016 | Kim's Convenience | Handsome Customer | Episode S1.E13: "Family Singing Contest" |
| 2017 | Incorporated | Mr. Tahan | Episode S1.E8: "Operational Realignment" |
| 2017 | Save Me | Plaid Shirt #2 | Episode S1.E7: "Injuries Due to Distracted Walking" |
| 2017 | Played | Matthew | Episode S1.E7: "Ghosts" |
| 2017–2019 | Star Trek: Discovery | Specialist Kamran Gant | Recurring role: 5 episodes |
| 2021 | Coroner | Yash | Episode S3.E5: "Back to the Future" |
| 2021 | Nurses | Raja Khanna | Episode S2.E8: "Best Day Ever" |
| 2021–2024 | Hudson & Rex | David Aziz | 2 episodes: S4.E5: "Rex to Riches"; S6.E8: "Doghouse" |
| 2022–2023 | Workin' Moms | Walker | Recurring role: 8 episodes |
| 2022–2024 | Transplant | Dr. Karim Esfahani | Recurring role: 9 episodes |
| 2023 | Accused | Principal Sam Canosa | Episode S1.E1: "Scott's Story" |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Traitor | Suicide Bomber #3 | |
| 2013 | The Animal Project | Shaun | Uncredited |
| 2015 | Drift | Nadim | Short film |
| 2015 | Beeba Boys | Nep | |
| 2021 | PAW Patrol: The Movie | Additional voices | Voice role |
| 2022 | This Place | Behrooz |
Theater credits
| Year | Production | Role | Location | Category | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Wonderful Town | Greenwich Villager / Cadet | Festival Theatre | Regional / Shaw Festival | |
| 2010 | An Ideal Husband | Viscount de Nanjac | Festival Theatre | Regional / Shaw Festival | |
| 2010 | Serious Money | Zackerman | Studio Theatre | Regional / Shaw Festival | |
| 2012 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Demetrius | High Park Amphitheatre | Regional / Canadian Stage Company | |
| 2014 | Sultans of the Street | Prakash | Susan Rubes Theatre | Regional / Young People's Theatre | |
| 2016 | Disgraced | Abe | Citadel Theatre | Regional / Hope and Hell Theatre Company | |
| 2017 | CAA Theatre | Mirvish Productions | |||
| 2017 | Monsoon Wedding | Vikram | Berkeley Repertory Theatre | World premiere | [7] |
| 2018 | Come from Away | Kevin Jung, Ali, and others | Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre | Pre-Toronto engagement | [13] |
| 2018-2020, 2021 | Royal Alexandra Theatre | Canadian production / Mirvish Productions | [14][15] | ||
| 2022 | First National Tour | [16] | |||
| 2022 | Steele Community Centre | Concert staging: Gander | [17] | ||
References
- ^ Levy, Joel (25 March 2021). "Come From Away's Ali Momen is getting into politics". Toronto Guardian. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ a b Fisher, Steve (15 October 2015). "Thornhill's Ali Momen stars in Beeba Boys, opening this weekend". Streets of Toronto. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ Weaver, Jackson (19 June 2021). "The fight for Muslim representation in Hollywood — and the danger of falling behind". CBC. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ Rostas, Daniel (2 June 2014). "Announcement: 2014 Dora Mavor Moore Awards Nominees". Mooney on Theatre. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
- ^ "Disgraced Sets Box Office Record at Toronto's Panasonic Theatre". Broadway World. 21 April 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Disgraced (Mirvish Productions)". Mooney on Theatre. 18 November 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ a b c Cristi, A..A. (25 January 2017). "Berkeley Rep Announces Casting of Monsoon Wedding". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (4 January 2018). "Canadian Production of Come From Away Begins in Winnipeg January 4". Playbill. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ Rocca, Ryan (27 December 2021). "'Come From Away' permanently closes in Toronto". Global News. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ a b Knight, Phoebe (18 March 2024). "Someone in Toronto has created a dating app that's basically Love Is Blind". BlogTO. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ "'Come From Away's Ali Momen pushing for funding to get Canadian artists back to work". CTV. 30 July 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ Nanji, Sabrina (3 August 2021). "Scoop: Paging Dr. Stall to St. Paul's". Queen's Park Observer. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ Nestruck, J. Kelly (12 July 2017). "Come From Away lands its cast for Toronto and Winnipeg". CBC. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ Nestruck, J. Kelly (12 July 2017). "Come From Away lands its cast for Toronto and Winnipeg". CBC. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ Szekeres, Joe (2 November 2021). "Toronto Company of 'Come From Away' returns to the Royal Alexandra Theatre". OnStage Blog. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ Chai, Daniel (12 August 2022). ""Come From Away" is balm for the soul for Canadian actors". Daily Hive. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ Hall, Margaret (2 September 2022). "Petrina Bromley, Clint Butler, Kate Etienne, and More Cast in Come From Away: The Concert". Playbill. Retrieved 18 March 2024.