Biography
Yasiin Bey, also known by his former stage name Mos Def and other aliases including Black Star, is an American actor and musician. Born Dante Terrell Smith on 11 December 1973 in Brooklyn, New York, he began acting as a child in television films and sitcoms before pursuing music and returning to acting as an adult.
His film credits include Monster's Ball (2001), Brown Sugar (2002), The Italian Job (2003), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), 16 Blocks (2006), Be Kind Rewind (2008) and Begin Again (2014). He appeared as himself in the documentary Amy (2015). Bey made his Broadway debut in Topdog/Underdog (2002) and hosted Def Poetry Jam from 2002 to 2007. He received an NAACP Image Award nomination for Brown Sugar.
