American R&B singer and actress Tatyana Ali was born on January 24, 1979 in Atlanta, Georgia. Raised by a family of Caribbean heritage, she is a fluent speaker of both Spanish and English. She attended Marymount High School and The Buckley School, and later earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Harvard University. She began her singing career at the age of four, appearing and performing alongside Grammy Award-winning jazz legend Herbie Hancock on an episode of Sesame Street. By the time she was seven years old, she had already won the Star Search television contest twice. She was encouraged and supported by her TV co-star Will Smith to continue pursuing her singing career.
Ashley Banks is played by Tatyana Ali in the classic NBC television comedy series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Will’s youngest female cousin, she was given a strict upbringing by her father, though she’s enthralled and much more excited by Will’s thrill-seeking approach to life. She’s more understanding and sympathetic to him than the rest of the family, slowly growing up with her own rebellious attitude as she emulates Will’s behavior. She also plans to become a fashion model and has moderate success with a brief singing career, before choosing to attend a performing arts school in New York.
(Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.)