Tatyana Marisol Ali (born January 24, 1979, Brooklyn, New York) is an African-American actress and R&B singer. She is known for her role as Ashley Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Early Life\Career[]
Tatyana was born to an Afro-Panamanian mother who was a nurse and an Indo-Trindadian father. She has two younger sisters Anastasia and Kimberly.
Tatyana started her career when she was 6 years old, starring on "Sesame Street" as a regular child performer in 1985. She has also appeared on "Star Search" two times. Tatyana starred in the 1987 movie, "Eddie Murphy Raw" as Eddie's sister in a segment. A year later, she starred in "Crocodile Dundee II" as a girl at the park and on the video "Wow, You're a Cartoonist."
Tatyana also starred in a television special called "Wally and the Valentines." She guest-starred on shows such as "The Cosby Show," "A Man Called Hawk," "Getting By," and "Are You Afraid of the Dark?"
After "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"[]
Tatyana finished up school and attended Harvard University. She graduated in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in political science and African-American studies.
Music Career[]
Filmography[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Eddie Murphy Raw | Eddie's Sister | Sketch Segment | |
| 1988 | Crocodile Dundee II | Park Girl | ||
| 1988 | Wow, You're a Cartoonist! | Child Cartoonist | Short film Direct-to-Video release | |
| 1997 | Fakin' da Funk | Karyn | ||
| 1997 | Kiss the Girls | Janell Cross | ||
| 1998 | The Clown at Midnight | Monica | ||
| 1999 | Jawbreaker | Brenda | ||
| 2000 | Brother | Latifa | ||
| 2001 | The Brothers | Cherie Smith | ||
| 2003 | National Lampoon Presents Dorm Daze | Claire | ||
| 2004 | Nora's Hair Salon | Lilleana | ||
| 2005 | Back in the Day | Alicia Packer | ||
| 2005 | Domino One | Laeticia Richards | ||
| 2006 | Glory Road | Tina Malichi | ||
| 2006 | A Warm Place | Clair Andrews | Short film | |
| 2007 | The List | Cynthia | ||
| 2008 | Nora's Hair Salon 2: A Cut Above | Lilleana | ||
| 2008 | Hotel California | Jessie | ||
| 2009 | Mother and Child | Maria | ||
| 2010 | Privileged | Talia |
awaiting release | |
| 2010 | Locker 13 | Lucy | awaiting release | |
| 2010 | The Misguided Adventures of Dating in Hollywood | Troi | pre-production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985, 1990 |
Sesame Street | Tatyana | 4 episodes |
| 1989 | Wally and the Valentines | Jamaica Valentine | TV Special |
| 1989 | A Man Called Hawk | Michelle | Episode: Life After Death |
| 1989 | The Cosby Show | Girl | Episode: "Shall We Dance?" |
| 1990– 1996 |
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Ashley Banks | 146 episodes |
| 1993 | Getting By | Nicole Alexander | Episode: "Turnabout Dance" |
| 1994 | Are You Afraid of the Dark? | Laura Turner/Connie Turner |
Episode: "The Tale of the Quicksilver" |
| 1994 | TV's Funniest Families | Host | TV-Special |
| 1995 | In the House | Ashley Banks | Episode: "Dog Catchers" |
| 1996 | Living Single | Stephanie James | Episode: "Whatever Happened to Baby Sister?" |
| 1996 | Kidz in the Wood | Rita | TV-Movie |
| 1996 | Fall Into Darkness | Sharon McKay | TV-Movie |
| 1997 | 413 Hope St. | Kai | Episode: "Heartbeat" |
| 2002 | Fastlane | Shelly | Episode: "Girls Own Juice" |
| 2003 | Half & Half | Olivia | Episode: "The Big Condom-nation Episode" |
| 2007 | On the Lot | Girl | Episode: 11 Cut to 10 & 10 Directors Compete (Segment: "First Sight") |
| 2007–2010 | The Young and the Restless | Roxanne | |
| 2010–2014 | Love That Girl! | Tyana Jones | Lead role |