Cast
Muhammad Ali
Acting
Cast
Muhammad Ali
Known for
Acting
Born
1942-01-17
From
Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Died
2016-06-03
Also known as Cassius Clay, Cassius Marcellus Clay
Biography
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.
American Made
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Da 5 Bloods
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
McEnroe
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Pelé
as Self (archive Footage)
Doin' Time
as Himself
WrestleMania
as Muhammad Ali (Enforcer)
Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration
as Self
Untold: Deal with the Devil
as Self - Professional Boxer (archive footage)
Beatles '64
as Self (archive footage)
Tyson
as Self (archive footage)
Night of 100 Stars III
as Self
James Bond: The First 21 Years
as Self
Behind the Shield: The Power and Politics of the NFL
as Self (archive footage)
Requiem for a Heavyweight
as Himself (as Cassius Clay)
WWE: Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology
as Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight
as Himself (archive footage)
The Greatest
as Cassius Clay / Muhammad Ali
The Real Rocky
as Self (archive footage)
O.J.: Made in America
as Self (archive footage)
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
as Self (archive footage)
Parkinson at 50
as Self (archive footage)
When We Were Kings
as Self
Stand
as Self (archive footage)
Best of Enemies
as Self (archival)
Black Is Beltza
as Self (voice) (archive footage)
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years
as Self (archive footage)
The Fighters
as Self
Untold: Jake Paul the Problem Child
as Self (archive footage)
Say Hey, Willie Mays!
as Self (archive footage)
Facing Ali
as Self
Andre the Giant
as Self (archive footage)
Monday Night Mayhem
as Self (archive footage)
Boulevard! A Hollywood Story
as Self (archive footage)
James Brown - The Night James Brown Saved Boston
as Self (archive footage)
WWE: Undertaker 20-0 - The Streak
as Self (archive footage)
Mike Tyson vs Larry Holmes
as Self
Muhammad Ali: Made in Miami
as Himself
Freedom Road
as Gideon Jackson
Body and Soul
as Himself
WCW Halloween Havoc 1994
as Himself (Ringside)
Pelé Forever
as Self (archive footage)
The Best of the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts
as Self - Roastee (archive footage)
Diana
as Self
Muhammad and Larry
Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali
as Self (archive footage)
Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street
as Self (archive footage)
Sticky: A (Self) Love Story
as Self
Malcolm X
as Self (archive footage)
Kings of the Square Ring
Norman Mailer: The American
as Self
Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme
as Himself
Goal!
as Self
Muhammad Ali - Through The Eyes Of The World
as Himself
The Journey of the African-American Athlete
as Self (archive footage)
In Search of Greatness
as Self (archive footage)
I Am Ali
as Self (archive footage)
Ali-Frazier I: One Nation... Divisible
as Self
Soul Power
as Self (archive footage)
Muhammad Ali: The Greatest
as Self (Archival Footage)
a.k.a. Cassius Clay
as Self
Mike Tyson vs Trevor Berbick
as Self
Pariah: The Lives and Deaths of Sonny Liston
as Self (archive footage)
Fight of the Century
as Self
Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am
as Self (archive footage)
Funny Girl to Funny Lady
as Self
Africa Rising
as Self - Boxer (archive footage)
Muhammad and Larry
as Himself
Naked Sport: Welcome to the Sewer
as Self
Black Power Salute
as Self (archive footage)
Thrilla in Manila
as Himself (archive footage)
Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier I
as Self
Legends of Mid-South Wrestling
as Himself
Muhammad Ali, the Greatest
as Self
Ron Lyle
as Self (archive footage)
The Rumble in the Jungle: George Foreman vs. Muhammad Ali
as Self
Ali's Dozen
as Self
Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes
as Self (archive footage)
The Fight
as Himself
Money Talks
as Self
Sugar Ray Robinson: The Bright Lights and Dark Shadows of a Champion
as Himself
United We Stand: The Ali Summit
as archival footage
Tribute to Chuck Wepner: The Legacy and Retirement of the Real Rocky Balboa
as Self (archive footage)
Jack Paar: Smart Television
as Self
Ali's Comeback: The Untold Story
as Self (archive footage)
Atlanta 1996: Games of the XXVI Olympiad - Opening Ceremony
as Self
Something's Happening
Thrilla in Manila
as Self
The Trials of Muhammad Ali
as Self (archive footage)
Champions Forever - World Heavyweight Champs!
as Himself
Muhammad Ali - The Greatest Collection
Mister Candid Camera
as Self (archive footage)
Legends Never Die
as Self (archive footage)
Out From Ali's Shadow: The Larry Holmes Story
as Self (Archival Footage)
Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier II
as Self
Kings of The Ring - History of Heavyweight Boxing 1919-1990
as Himself (Archival Footage)
Muhammad Ali vs. Trevor Berbick
as Self
The Making of 'Ali'
as Self
70 Jahre Annemarie Moser-Pröll – Ein Leben als Wintermärchen
as Self (archive footage)
Kings of the Ring: Four Legends of Heavyweight Boxing
as Himself
Muhammad Ali vs. Floyd Patterson II
as Self
Cassius Clay vs. Alonzo Johnson
as Self
Ali Rap
as Himself
Black Rodeo
as Self
Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston II
as Self
Cassius Clay vs. Doug Jones
as Self
WWE Hall of Fame 2024
as Muhammad Ali
The Best of ABC's Wide World of Sports: The 60's
as Self
Muhammad Ali - Rumble in the Jungle
as Self (archive footage)
B.B. King: Live In Africa '74
as Self
When Ali Met Cathal
as Muhammad Ali
Leon Spinks vs Muhammad Ali II
Les vendredis d'Apostrophes
as Self (archive footage)
The Summer of Love
Boxing's Greatest Champions
as Self
Muhammad Ali The Whole Story
as Self
Champions Forever
as Self
Darts Tarts – Welcome to my World
as Self (archive footage)
When Boxing Ruled The World
as Self
Ali: The Mission
as Self (archive footage)
The Documented Life and Times of Muhammad Ali - The Greatest
Rumble in the Jungle
as Self
Black Soul
as Self
Boxing's Greatest Knockouts
Franz Klammer - The Ski "Kaiser" Will Be 70
as Self (archive footage)
Boxing Crazy
Muhammad Ali: The Greatest
Muhammad Ali vs. Floyd Patterson I
as Self
Cassius X: Becoming Ali
as Self (archive footage)
Robbed
as Self
Earnie Shavers
The Last Round: Chuvalo vs. Ali
as Himself
Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier III
as Self
Boxing Barmy
The Super Fight
as Himself
Mike Tyson Presents: The Heavyweights
City of Ali
When Ali Came to Britain
Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston I
as Self
The King of Miami Beach
My Father Muhammad Ali
as Self (archive footage)
Cassius le grand
The Champ and the King
as Self (archive footage)
Muhammad Ali, the Greatest
as Self (archive footage)
Muhammad Ali: Fighting Spirit
as himself
Wake Up and Apologise
as Self