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.
Ali Momen | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater | Sheridan College |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 2008–present |
Early life
editMomen 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
editTelevision and film
editIn 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] Since then, Momen has starred in various television and film roles, including recurring roles on Star Trek: Discovery, the CBC comedy Workin' Moms, and the CTV drama Transplant.
In 2020, Momen stated that he was writing a film based on the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art.[4]
Theatre
editIn 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.[5]
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.[6] Momen then transferred with the play to the Citadel Theatre, where it played between January 21 and February 12, 2017.[7] Momen later reprised his role when Disgraced returned to the Pansaonic Theatre in November 2017 due to popular demand.[7]
In 2017, Momen appeared in the world premiere production of Monsoon Wedding.[8] The musical, produced by Berkeley Repertory Theatre, was performed between May 5 and June 25, 2017.[8]
Beginning in 2018, Momen portrayed the role of Kevin J., Ali and others in the Canadian production of Come from Away.[9] 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.[10] 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.[11]
Momen will reprise his role of Kevin J., Ali and others in the Canadian revival production of Come from Away.[12] The musical will play at the Babs Asper Theatre in Ottawa between August 14 and September 1, 2024, before transferring to the Royal Alexandra Theatre where it will begin performances on September 22, 2024.[12]
Business
editMomen co-founded the dating app Bokay, which was officially launched in March 2024.[13] 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.[13] In June 2024, "Juno" was launched as part of the app, which is an AI relationship coach that supports users on Bokay.[14]
Activism
editIn 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.[15] Inspired by how President Franklin D. Roosevelt supported arts and culture workers during the Great Depression, Momen advocates for the Canadian government to pay artists to produce various types of work.[4][16] Momen advocates for embedding art into all aspects of Canadian society, with a goal of promoting cultural growth and economic recovery through a more integrated and supported arts community.[4][17]
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.[18]
Credits
editTelevision
edit| 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
edit| 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
edit| 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 | Panasonic Theatre | Mirvish Productions | |
| 2017 | Citadel Theatre | Regional / Hope and Hell Theatre Company | |||
| CAA Theatre | Mirvish Productions | ||||
| 2017 | Monsoon Wedding | Vikram | Berkeley Repertory Theatre | World premiere | [8] |
| 2018 | Come from Away | Kevin Jung, Ali, and others | Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre | Pre-Toronto engagement | [19] |
| 2018-2020, 2021 | Royal Alexandra Theatre | Canadian production / Mirvish Productions | [20][21] | ||
| 2022 | First National Tour | [22] | |||
| Steele Community Centre | Concert staging: Gander | [11] | |||
| 2024 | Babs Asper Theatre | Pre-Toronto engagement: Ottawa | [12] | ||
| 2024–2025 | Royal Alexandra Theatre | Canadian production / Mirvish Productions | |||
References
edit- ^ Levy, Joel (March 25, 2021). "Come From Away's Ali Momen is getting into politics". Toronto Guardian. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ a b Fisher, Steve (October 15, 2015). "Thornhill's Ali Momen stars in Beeba Boys, opening this weekend". Streets of Toronto. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
- ^ Weaver, Jackson (June 19, 2021). "The fight for Muslim representation in Hollywood — and the danger of falling behind". CBC. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ a b c Szekeres, Joe (August 26, 2020). "'The Self Isolated Artist Series': Ali Momen". OnStage Blog. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
- ^ Rostas, Daniel (June 2, 2014). "Announcement: 2014 Dora Mavor Moore Awards Nominees". Mooney on Theatre. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
- ^ "Disgraced Sets Box Office Record at Toronto's Panasonic Theatre". Broadway World. April 21, 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
- ^ a b "Disgraced (Mirvish Productions)". Mooney on Theatre. November 18, 2017. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
- ^ a b c Cristi, A..A. (January 25, 2017). "Berkeley Rep Announces Casting of Monsoon Wedding". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (January 4, 2018). "Canadian Production of Come From Away Begins in Winnipeg January 4". Playbill. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ Rocca, Ryan (December 27, 2021). "'Come From Away' permanently closes in Toronto". Global News. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
- ^ a b Hall, Margaret (September 2, 2022). "Petrina Bromley, Clint Butler, Kate Etienne, and More Cast in Come From Away: The Concert". Playbill. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
- ^ a b c Chong, Joshua (June 4, 2024). "'Come From Away' announces casting for Toronto run at Royal Alexandra Theatre". Toronto Star. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
- ^ a b Knight, Phoebe (March 18, 2024). "Someone in Toronto has created a dating app that's basically Love Is Blind". BlogTO. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
- ^ "Dating App Bokay Launches First Ever Built-In Relationship Coach 'Juno'". Yahoo Finance. June 5, 2024. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
- ^ "'Come From Away's Ali Momen pushing for funding to get Canadian artists back to work". CTV. July 30, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
- ^ Fricker, Karen; Maga, Carly (August 12, 2020). "After Come From Away's cast and crew left the stage, they found new roles in a pandemic". Toronto Star. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
- ^ "'Come from Away' star Ali Momen's new project". Global News. July 30, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
- ^ Nanji, Sabrina (August 3, 2021). "Scoop: Paging Dr. Stall to St. Paul's". Queen's Park Observer. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ Nestruck, J. Kelly (July 12, 2017). "Come From Away lands its cast for Toronto and Winnipeg". CBC. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
- ^ Nestruck, J. Kelly (July 12, 2017). "Come From Away lands its cast for Toronto and Winnipeg". CBC. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
- ^ Szekeres, Joe (November 2, 2021). "Toronto Company of 'Come From Away' returns to the Royal Alexandra Theatre". OnStage Blog. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
- ^ Chai, Daniel (August 12, 2022). ""Come From Away" is balm for the soul for Canadian actors". Daily Hive. Retrieved March 18, 2024.