Usman Ally is an Obie Award winning actor. He originated the role of Bagheera in Disney's World Premiere of The Jungle Book (Goodman Theatre, Huntington Theatre) for which he received the award for Best Actor in a Musical at the IRNE Awards, as well as the role of Amir in the 2013 Pulitzer Prize winning play Disgraced (American Theater Company) for which he received a Joseph Jefferson Award Nomination for Actor in a Principal Role. He originated the role of VP in the multi award winning Pulitzer Finalist The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity (Victory Gardens Theater) which he then reprized for the New York and Los Angeles Premieres (Second Stage & Geffen Playhouse). On stage, Mr Ally was most recently seen as the lead character, Bashir in the critically acclaimed New York premiere of The Invisible Hand by Ayad Akhtar, for which Usman won an Obie Award for performance, a Lucille Lortel nomination for Best Actor, and a Drama League nomination for Performance.
Usman was born in Swaziland and grew up in Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania and Pakistan. After spending the first 18 years of his life in Africa, he moved to the United States to attend college at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, OR. He majored in Theatre and Cultural Anthropology and received his BA in 2004. He then received his MFA in Acting (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Florida in 2007.
Usman is a recipient of the Fox Foundatio/TCG Grant 2010. He has worked with some of the most reputable names in American Theatre including Mary Zimmerman, Anna Shapiro, Tracy Letts, David Cromer and more. Usman lives in Los Angeles, CA.
