Ali Momen

Ali Momen is an Iranian-Canadian actor and singer. He starred in the 2015 film Beeba Boys, and has appeared in several television shows including recurring roles on Star Trek: Discovery, Workin' Moms, and  Transplant. Momen also originated the role of Kevin J./Ali and others in the Canadian production of Come from Away.

Early life
Momen was born in Iran, but moved to Canada with his family when he was three years old. He grew up in Thornhill, Ontario, where he attended Thornlea Secondary School. Momen originally enrolled at and attended York University to pursue law, but dropped out after two years. He enrolled in the musical theatre program at Sheridan College, where he graduated in 2006.

Television and film
In 2008, Momen had his first film role when he portrayed a suicide bomber in the film  Traitor, which starred Don Cheadle. In a later interview, Momen appreciated the opportunity but admitted that he regrets taking the role because of how it contributes to the over-representation of Muslims as violent and as perpetrators of terrorism. Since then, Momen has starred in various television and film roles, including recurring roles on Star Trek: Discovery, the CBC comedy Workin' Moms, and the  CTV drama  Transplant.

In 2020, Momen stated that he was writing a film based on the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art.

Theatre
In 2014, Momen starred as Prakash in a production of Sultans of the Street presented by Young People's Theatre in Toronto. For his performance, Momen was nominated for a Dora Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in the Theatre for Young Audiences division.

Momen starred as Abe in the Canadian premiere production of Disgraced, which played at the Panasonic Theatre between April 3 and 24, 2016. The drama set a box office record for the theatre, having been seen by over 10,000 patrons during its' run. Momen then transferred with the play to the Citadel Theatre, where it played between January 21 and February 12, 2017. Momen later reprised his role when Disgraced returned to the Pansaonic Theatre in November 2017 due to popular demand.

In 2017, Momen appeared in the world premiere production of Monsoon Wedding. The musical, produced by Berkeley Repertory Theatre, was performed between May 5 and June 25, 2017.

Beginning in 2018, Momen portrayed the role of Kevin J., Ali and others in the Canadian production of Come from Away. The musical opened at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in February 2018, and he remained with the production until performances were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He returned to the show when performances resumed in December 2021, until Mirvish Productions announced they were forced to permanently close the show because of the lack of government support for the arts industry following the lockdowns. After this, Momen reprised his role of Kevin J., Ali, and others during the North American tour of Come from Away in 2022, as well as at a special concert staging of the musical in Gander.

Momen will reprise his role of Kevin J., Ali and others in the Canadian revival production of Come from Away. The musical will play at the Babs Asper Theatre in Ottawa between August 14 and September 1, 2024, before transferring to the Royal Alexandra Theatre where it will begin performances on September 22, 2024.

Business
Momen co-founded the dating app Bokay, which was officially launched in March 2024. Loosely inspired by the premise of  Love Is Blind, Bokay users are instead required to get to know each other through a series of personality-revealing prompts before finally seeing photos of each other. In June 2024, "Juno" was launched as part of the app, which is an AI relationship coach that supports users on Bokay.

Activism
In 2020, Momen began advocating for an "Arts New Deal", an initiative aimed at revitalizing the arts sector in Canada that has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Inspired by how President Franklin D. Roosevelt supported arts and culture workers during the  Great Depression, Momen advocates for the Canadian government to pay artists to produce various types of work. Momen advocates for embedding art into all aspects of Canadian society, with a goal of promoting cultural growth and economic recovery through a more integrated and supported arts community.

In 2021, Momen announced that he would be seeking the Liberal nomination in the provincial riding of  Toronto-St. Paul's. However, he lost the nomination race to Dr. Nathan Stall.