Acting
Muhammad Ali
EN, DE, PT, FR cinema · 150 credits
Born
17 January 1942
Died
3 June 2016 (aged 74)
Birthplace
Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Also known as Cassius Clay · Cassius Marcellus Clay
Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer, activist, entertainer and philanthropist. Nicknamed The Greatest, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated figures of the 20th century and as one of the greatest boxers of all time. Ali was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. He began training as an amateur boxer at age 12. At 18, he won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics and turned professional later that year. He became a Muslim after 1961. He won the world heavyweight championship from Sonny Liston in a major upset on February 25, 1964, at age 22. On March 6, 1964, he announced that he no longer would be known as Cassius Clay but as Muhammad Ali. In 1966, Ali refused to be drafted into the military, citing his religious beliefs and ethical opposition to the Vietnam War. He was found guilty of draft evasion so he faced 5 years in prison and was stripped of his boxing titles. He stayed out of prison as he appealed the decision to the Supreme Court, which overturned his conviction in 1971, but he had not fought for nearly four years and lost a period of peak performance as an athlete. Ali's actions as a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War made him an icon for the larger counterculture generation, and he was a very high-profile figure of racial pride for African Americans during the civil rights movement and throughout his career. As a Muslim, Ali was initially affiliated with Elijah Muhammad's Nation of Islam (NOI). He later disavowed the NOI, adhering to Sunni Islam, and supporting racial integration like his former mentor Malcolm X. Ali was a leading heavyweight boxer of the 20th century, and he remains the only three-time lineal champion of that division. His joint records of beating 21 boxers for the world heavyweight title and winning 14 unified title bouts stood for 35 years. He is the only fighter to have been ranked as the world's best heavyweight by BoxRec twelve times. He has been ranked among BoxRec's ten best heavyweights seventeen times, the third most in history. He won 8 fights that were rated by BoxRec as 5-Star, the third most in the history of the heavyweight division. Ali is the only boxer to be named The Ring magazine Fighter of the Year six times. He has been ranked the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time, and as the greatest athlete of the 20th century by Sports Illustrated, the Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC, and the third greatest athlete of the 20th century by ESPN SportsCentury. He was involved in several historic boxing matches and feuds, most notably his fights with Joe Frazier, such as the Fight of the Century and the Thrilla in Manila, and his fight with George Foreman, known as The Rumble in the Jungle, which has been called "arguably the greatest sporting event of the 20th century" and was watched by a record estimated television audience of 1 billion viewers worldwide, becoming the world's most-watched live television broadcast at the time. Ali thrived in the spotlight at a time when many fighters let their managers do the talking, and he was often provocative and outlandish. He was known for trash-talking, and often free-styled with rhyme schemes and spoken word poetry, anticipating elements of hip hop.
Known for
Filmography
Jerry West: The Logo
as Self (Archive Footage)
Untold Mr. T: I Pity the Fool
as Self (archive footage)
9/11: United We Stand -- 25 Years Later
as Self (archive footage)
WWE Hall of Fame 2024
as Muhammad Ali
Beatles '64
as Self (archive footage)
Stand
as Self (archive footage)
Cassius X: Becoming Ali
as Self (archive footage)
Untold: Jake Paul the Problem Child
as Self (archive footage)
Franz Klammer – Der Skikaiser wird 70
2023
Franz Klammer - The Ski "Kaiser" Will Be 70
as Self (archive footage)
70 Jahre Annemarie Moser-Pröll – Ein Leben als Wintermärchen
2023
70 Jahre Annemarie Moser-Pröll – Ein Leben als Wintermärchen
as Self (archive footage)
My Father Muhammad Ali
as Self (archive footage)
Behind the Shield: The Power and Politics of the NFL
as Self (archive footage)
Say Hey, Willie Mays!
as Self (archive footage)
McEnroe
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Ron Lyle
as Self (archive footage)
Untold: Deal with the Devil
as Self - Professional Boxer (archive footage)
Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street
as Self (archive footage)
Parkinson at 50
as Self (archive footage)
Pelé
as Self (archive Footage)
Mister Candid Camera
as Self (archive footage)
Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali
as Self (archive footage)
Boulevard! A Hollywood Story
as Self (archive footage)
Ali's Comeback: The Untold Story
as Self (archive footage)
Da 5 Bloods
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Pariah: The Lives and Deaths of Sonny Liston
as Self (archive footage)
Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am
as Self (archive footage)
Africa Rising
as Self - Boxer (archive footage)
In Search of Greatness
as Self (archive footage)
Andre the Giant
as Self (archive footage)
Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes
as Self (archive footage)
The Champ and the King
as Self (archive footage)
Black Is Beltza
as Self (voice) (archive footage)
United We Stand: The Ali Summit
as archival footage
American Made
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
O.J.: Made in America
as Self (archive footage)
Muhammad Ali - Rumble in the Jungle
as Self (archive footage)
Les vendredis d'Apostrophes
as Self (archive footage)
Best of Enemies
as Self (archival)
I Am Ali
as Self (archive footage)
Muhammad Ali: The Greatest
as Self (Archival Footage)
Robbed
as Self
Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight
as Himself (archive footage)
The Trials of Muhammad Ali
as Self (archive footage)
Ali: The Mission
as Self (archive footage)
WWE: Undertaker 20-0 - The Streak
as Self (archive footage)
The Real Rocky
as Self (archive footage)
Soul Power
as Self (archive footage)
Muhammad and Larry
as Himself
When Ali Met Cathal
as Muhammad Ali
Facing Ali
as Self
The Damned United
as archival footage
Black Power Salute
as Self (archive footage)
Thrilla in Manila
as Himself (archive footage)
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
as Self (archive footage)
Tyson
as Self (archive footage)
Muhammad Ali: Made in Miami
as Himself
James Brown - The Night James Brown Saved Boston
as Self (archive footage)
Ali Rap
2006
Ali Rap
as Himself
Out From Ali's Shadow: The Larry Holmes Story
2006
Out From Ali's Shadow: The Larry Holmes Story
as Self (Archival Footage)
Darts Tarts – Welcome to my World
2006
Darts Tarts – Welcome to my World
as Self (archive footage)
WWE: Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology
as Muhammad Ali
Legends Never Die
2006
Legends Never Die
as Self (archive footage)
Ali's Dozen
as Self
If You Can Dream
as Himself (Archival Footage)
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years
as Self (archive footage)
Pelé Forever
as Self (archive footage)
Monday Night Mayhem
as Self (archive footage)
Muhammad Ali, the Greatest
as Self (archive footage)
Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme
as Himself
Muhammad Ali - The Greatest Collection
1999
Muhammad Ali - The Greatest Collection
Actor
The Best of the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts
as Self - Roastee (archive footage)
The Journey of the African-American Athlete
as Self (archive footage)
Kings of The Ring - History of Heavyweight Boxing 1919-1990
as Himself (Archival Footage)
WCW Halloween Havoc 1994
as Himself (Ringside)
Mike Tyson Presents: The Heavyweights
1988
Mike Tyson Presents: The Heavyweights
Actor
Doin' Time
as Muhammad Ali
WrestleMania
as Muhammad Ali (Enforcer)
Body and Soul
as Himself
Diana
as Self
Freedom Road
as Gideon Jackson
The Greatest
as Cassius Clay / Muhammad Ali, Novel
Black Soul
as Self
The Fighters
as Self
The Fight
as Himself
Malcolm X
as Self (archive footage)
Black Rodeo
as Self
Money Talks
as Self
The Super Fight
as Himself
Goal!
as Self
Requiem for a Heavyweight
as Himself (as Cassius Clay)