Muhammad Ali

Overview

Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
Jan 17, 1942 (83 years old)

Muhammad Ali

Known For

Beatles '64
1h 48m
Movie 2024

Beatles '64

Featuring never-before-seen footage of the band and the legions of young fans who helped fuel their ascendance, follow McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Starr as they land in New York City in February 1964 and solidify their status as the biggest band in the world.

Franz Klammer - The Ski
1h 5m
Movie 2023

Franz Klammer - The Ski "Kaiser" Will Be 70

ORF chief director Michael Kögler met the legend again 30 years after his multi-award-winning documentary “Die Franz Klammer Story”. Never-before-broadcast material from the ORF archives provides deep insights into the career and life of the most successful downhill skier in alpine skiing history.

70 Jahre Annemarie Moser-Pröll – Ein Leben als Wintermärchen
0h 31m
Movie 2023

70 Jahre Annemarie Moser-Pröll – Ein Leben als Wintermärchen

In this documentary, the ski legend and her companions look back on their career as a glittering winter fairy tale.

Cassius X: Becoming Ali
1h 31m
Movie 2023

Cassius X: Becoming Ali

Cassius X puts a period of often-overlooked history into the spotlight – the period when Cassius Clay fought his way to achieving his lifelong dream of becoming World Heavyweight Champion while embarking on a secret spiritual journey.

Untold: Jake Paul the Problem Child
1h 10m
Movie 2023

Untold: Jake Paul the Problem Child

Pro boxing sensation — and perennial troublemaker — Jake Paul shares his unlikely journey from online prankster to power puncher in this documentary.

Stand
1h 47m
Movie 2023

Stand

Raw and unflinching examination of the courageous life of basketball star and social justice activist Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. Born Chris Jackson, he overcame tremendous adversity to reach the NBA and found his true calling when he converted to Islam. His decision not to stand for the national anthem, however, turned him from prodigy to pariah. Told candidly by Abdul-Rauf himself more than 20 years later it’s the remarkable story of one man who kept the faith and paved the way for a social justice movement.

My Father Muhammad Ali
1h 26m
Movie 2023

My Father Muhammad Ali

The story of champion boxer Muhammad Ali through the eyes of his only biological son, Muhammad Ali Jr., who struggled with bullying, abandonment, addiction, family and heartbreak to ultimately find peace.

Say Hey, Willie Mays!
1h 38m
Movie 2022

Say Hey, Willie Mays!

Follow Willie Mays’ life both on and off the field over five decades as he navigated the American sports landscape and the country’s ever-evolving cultural backdrop, all while helping to define what it means to be one of America’s first Black sports superstars. He left an indelible mark in New York City and San Francisco, building a love affair with both cities’ fans.

Behind the Shield: The Power and Politics of the NFL
1h 34m
Movie 2022

Behind the Shield: The Power and Politics of the NFL

Celebrated author and Nation magazine sports editor Dave Zirin tackles the myth that the NFL was somehow free of politics before Colin Kaepernick and other Black NFL players took a knee.

McEnroe
1h 44m
Movie 2022

McEnroe

Legendary "bad boy of tennis" John McEnroe finally tells his side of his storied career and famously hot-tempered performances on the court in this engrossing documentary revisiting the record-setting career of one of the all-time greats.

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.