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.
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Biography from TMDB.
- January 17, 1942
- June 3, 2016 (aged 74)
- Louisville, Kentucky, USA
- Actor, also writer
- 6 on MovieCove · 30 credits in all
What are Muhammad Ali's films like?
Across their 23 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Self.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 23
Light 8 · Serious 10 · Dark 5
Grounded 21 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 1
Gentle 7 · Charged 13 · Intense 3
Steady 13 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 21 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0
Slow burn 17 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 0
Casual 11 · Engaged 12 · Full focus 0
A split, not a type: Easy watch 13 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 5
Resolved 22 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
Usually the Hero: 2 of 3 analyzed roles.
- Heroas Cassius Clay / Muhammad Ali in The Greatest (1977)
- Heroas Gideon Jackson in Freedom Road (1979)
- Mentoras Muhammad Ali in Body and Soul (1981)
Moods and endings
- Happy5
- Bittersweet11
- Tragic2
- Ambiguous4
- Cyclical1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Muhammad Ali's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 6 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).
Subscription and free streaming for Muhammad Ali's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
30 credits, 6 with a MovieCove page; 146 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
WWE Hall of Fame 2024 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
The King of Miami Beach (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
City of Ali(2021)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Earnie Shavers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
United We Stand: The Ali Summit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
Europa: The Last Battle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
The Summer of Love(2017)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
When Ali Came to Britain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Epic Rap Battles of History (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
When Ali Met Cathal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
American Gangster(2007)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all filmsAli's 65 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
WWE: Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
The Documented Life and Times of Muhammad Ali - The Greatest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Muhammad Ali - The Greatest Collection (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Boxing Crazy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Boxing Barmy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Die Muhammad Ali Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Muhammad Ali: The Greatest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
Boxing's Greatest Knockouts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
WrestleMania (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Mid-South Wrestling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Muhammad and Larry (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Freedom Road(1979)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
Kings of the Square Ring (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
Leon Spinks vs Muhammad Ali II (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
The Greatest(1977)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
Something's Happening (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Cassius le grand (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Career shape
Star power in the 10th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 30 titles from 1964 to 2024.
Biggest box office
When We Were Kings (1996)
Highest rated
When We Were Kings (1996)
Most popular right now
Tyson (2008)
Film career
- 1985Screen debut· WrestleMania
How do Muhammad Ali's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 64th percentile, the median of the 5 of 6 with a score; across their 22 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 77th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up2
- 50th to 74th1
- 25th to 49th2
Shape of the crowd
2 of their 5 titles are Cult Classics.
- Universally Loved1
- Loved with Detractors1
- Cult Classic2
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the acting 53/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles; fans 72, detractors 42. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Muhammad Ali work with?
People who share at least 2 of Muhammad Ali's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; George Foreman shares the most, 5.
Actors
- George ForemanShared titles: Facing Ali (2009), Ali-Frazier I: One Nation... Divisible (2000), When We Were Kings (1996), Champions Forever (1989), Mike Tyson Presents: The Heavyweights (1988)See all 5 shared titles with George Foreman
- Joe FrazierShared titles: Facing Ali (2009), Ali-Frazier I: One Nation... Divisible (2000), Champions Forever (1989), Mike Tyson Presents: The Heavyweights (1988), Fight of the Century (1971)See all 5 shared titles with Joe Frazier
- Rahman AliShared titles: My Father Muhammad Ali (2023), City of Ali (2021), The Trials of Muhammad Ali (2013), Facing Ali (2009)See all 4 shared titles with Rahman Ali
- Sonny ListonShared titles: The Trials of Muhammad Ali (2013), Mike Tyson Presents: The Heavyweights (1988), a.k.a. Cassius Clay (1970)See all 3 shared titles with Sonny Liston
Producers
- Leon GastShared titles: The Trials of Muhammad Ali (2013), When We Were Kings (1996)See all 2 shared titles with Leon Gast
Mixed roles
- David SusskindShared titles: The Trials of Muhammad Ali (2013), Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962)See all 2 shared titles with David Susskind
