Ali 2001
Ali (2001) has 20 Black credited characters out of 120.
20of120
The Van Lathan Ratio · 17%
17% of the credited cast.
On The Rewatchables
- Jul 7, 2026 Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Van Lathan
Credited cast
Every credited role on TMDB, in billing order. Uncredited roles are left out. marks actors who publicly identify as Black. How actors are tagged.
| # | Actor | Character | Black |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Will Smith | Muhammad Ali / Cassius Clay | ●Counted as Black |
| 2 | Jamie Foxx | Drew 'Bundini' Brown | ●Counted as Black |
| 3 | Jon Voight | Howard Cosell | |
| 4 | Mario Van Peebles | Malcolm X | ●Counted as Black |
| 5 | Ron Silver | Angelo Dundee | |
| 6 | Jeffrey Wright | Howard Bingham | ●Counted as Black |
| 7 | Mykelti Williamson | Don King | ●Counted as Black |
| 8 | Jada Pinkett Smith | Sonji Roi | ●Counted as Black |
| 9 | Nona Gaye | Belinda Ali | ●Counted as Black |
| 10 | Michael Michele | Veronica Porche | ●Counted as Black |
| 11 | Joe Morton | Chauncey Eskridge | ●Counted as Black |
| 12 | Paul Rodríguez | Dr. Ferdie Pacheco | |
| 13 | Bruce McGill | Bradley | |
| 14 | Barry Shabaka Henley | Herbert Muhammad | ●Counted as Black |
| 15 | Giancarlo Esposito | Cassius Clay, Sr. | ●Counted as Black |
| 16 | Laurence Mason | Luis Sarria | |
| 17 | LeVar Burton | Martin Luther King, Jr. | ●Counted as Black |
| 18 | Albert Hall | Elijah Muhammad | ●Counted as Black |
| 19 | David Cubitt | Robert Lipsyte | |
| 20 | Ted Levine | Joe Smiley | |
| 21 | Candy Ann Brown | Odessa | ●Counted as Black |
| 22 | David Elliott | Sam Cooke | |
| 23 | Shari Watson | Woman Singer | |
| 24 | Malick Bowens | Joseph Mobutu | |
| 25 | Michael Bentt | Sonny Liston | ●Counted as Black |
| 26 | James Toney | 'Smokin' Joe Frazier | |
| 27 | Alfred Cole | Ernie Terrell | |
| 28 | Charles Shufford | George Foreman | |
| 29 | Rufus Dorsey | Floyd Paterson | |
| 30 | Robert Sale | Jerry Quarry | |
| 31 | Vince Cooke | Jimmy Ellis | |
| 32 | Damien 'Bolo' Wills | Ken Norton | |
| 33 | David Haines | Rudy Clay / Rahaman Ali | |
| 34 | Victoria Dillard | Betty Shabazz | ●Counted as Black |
| 35 | Brad Greenquist | Marlin Thomas | |
| 36 | Morgana Van Peebles | Malcolm X's Daughter | |
| 37 | Maya Van Peebles | Malcolm X's Daughter | |
| 38 | Maestro Harrell | Young Cassius Clay | ●Counted as Black |
| 39 | William Utay | The Doctor | |
| 40 | Kim Robillard | Jimmy Cannon | |
| 41 | David Purdham | Madison Square Garden Announcer | |
| 42 | Gailard Sartain | Gordon Davidson | |
| 43 | Wade Williams | Lieutenant Jerome Claridge | |
| 44 | Guy Van Swearingen | Induction FBI Man | |
| 45 | Doug Hale | Judge Ingraham | |
| 46 | LaDonna Tittle | Bundini's Landlady | |
| 47 | Marc Grapey | Bob Arum | |
| 48 | Herb Mitchell | Boxing Commissioner | |
| 49 | Eddie Bo Smith Jr. | Malcolm's Bodyguard | |
| 50 | Bobby Stuart | Thomas 15X Johnson | |
| 51 | Patrick New | Room Service Guy | |
| 52 | Ron O.J. Parson | Death Newsman | |
| 53 | Ellis Williams | Family Photo Man | ●Counted as Black |
| 54 | Alexandra Bokyun Chun | Asian Cosmetologist | |
| 55 | John Gleeson Connolly | Assistant Director | |
| 56 | Warner Saunders | Customer | |
| 57 | Jack Reiss | Referee Arthur Mercante | |
| 58 | Marty Denkin | Frazier Fight II Announcer | |
| 59 | Tamara Lynch | Flight Attendant | |
| 60 | Chico Benymon | Hampton House Announcer | ●Counted as Black |
| 61 | Bill Plaschke | Miami Weigh-In Reporter | |
| 62 | Steve Springer | Miami Weigh-In Reporter | |
| 63 | Patrick M. Connolly | Announcer | |
| 64 | Patrick C. Russell | Referee | |
| 65 | Robert Byrd | Willie Reddick | |
| 66 | Cedric Wills | Jersey Joe Walcott, Referee | |
| 67 | Ronald A. DiNicola | Prosecutor | |
| 68 | Moses Hollins | Man on Train | |
| 69 | Daniel E. Gurevitz | Boxing Commission Reporter | |
| 70 | Steven Randazzo | Reporter | |
| 71 | Ray Bokhour | Reporter | |
| 72 | Leonard Termo | Madison Square Garden Reporter | |
| 73 | Johnny Ortiz | Madison Square Garden Reporter | |
| 74 | Mark Salem | New York Reporter | |
| 75 | Sheldon Fogel | New York Reporter | |
| 76 | Jim Gray | New York Reporter | |
| 77 | Melvin Thomas | Harlem Neighbor | |
| 78 | Natalie Carter | Harlem Neighbor | |
| 79 | Reginald Footman | Harlem Neighbor | |
| 80 | Poe Poe | Harlem Reporter | |
| 81 | Mel Dick | Louisville Sponsoring Group | |
| 82 | Kim Taylor-Coleman | Lana Shabazz | |
| 83 | Christian Stolte | Miami Cop | |
| 84 | Vic Manni | Dressing Room Weigh-In Guy | |
| 85 | Will Gill Jr. | Dick Sadler | |
| 86 | Sylvaine Strike | ORTF Interviewer | |
| 87 | Denis Luposo | Kinshasa Reporter | |
| 88 | Sharon Wilkinson | Rose Jennings | |
| 89 | Carol Hatchett | Pointer Sister | |
| 90 | Judith Mwale | Pointer Sister | |
| 91 | Keabetswe Motsilanyane | Pointer Sister | |
| 92 | Richard Katanga | Mobutu Aide / Military Aide | |
| 93 | Thomas Kariuki Matheri | Lieutenant Nsakala | |
| 94 | Larry Hazzard Sr. | Zack Clayton | |
| 95 | Derrick Brown | Larry Holmes | |
| 96 | Rommel Hyacinth | The Pilot | |
| 97 | Graham Hopkins | London Banker | |
| 98 | Daniel Janks | CIA Man | |
| 99 | Bradford E. Lang | Black Pilot | |
| 100 | Michael Dorn | Black Pilot | ●Counted as Black |
| 101 | Dan Robbertse | Reporter in Zaire | |
| 102 | Graham Clarke | Reporter in Zaire | |
| 103 | Dimitri Cassar | Reporter in Zaire | |
| 104 | Frank Notaro | Reporter in Zaire | |
| 105 | Mark Mulder | Reporter in Zaire | |
| 106 | David W. Hess | Reporter in Zaire | |
| 107 | Henrikennyo Mukenyi | Bula | |
| 108 | Nathaniel Malekane | Archie Moore | |
| 109 | Millard Arnold | Doc Broadus | |
| 110 | Edda Collier | Blonde French Reporter | |
| 111 | Yi Lu Wei | Chinese Delegate | |
| 112 | Lee Cummings | Hunter Thompson | |
| 113 | Zaa Nkweta | Foreman Fight Announcer | |
| 114 | Themba Gasa | Idi Amin | |
| 115 | Andrew P. Jones | Don King's Aide | |
| 116 | Marc Kulazite Mboli | Additional Aide to Mobutu | |
| 117 | Cimanga Kalambay | Additional Aide to Mobutu | |
| 118 | Jean Bikoi | Additional Aide to Mobutu | |
| 119 | James Gilbert | Sparring Partner in Africa | |
| 120 | Ron Madoff | Cameraman |