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Tabyana Ali

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Not to be confused with Tatyana Ali.
Tabyana Ali
Born (2002-01-28) January 28, 2002 (age 22)
San Antonio, Texas, US
Occupation(s)Actress
Writer
Years active2010–
AgentCESD Talent Agency
TelevisionGeneral Hospital

Tabyana Ali (born January 28, 2002) is an American actress and author. She was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, but later moved to California with her mother to begin a career in the entertainment industry. She appeared in guest roles in various television shows, including New Girl (2015), Shimmer and Shine (2019) and The Big Show Show (2020), in addition to the Black horror film Horror Noire (2021). Ali released her first children's book, My Flower Child, in 2020. In 2022, she took over the role of Trina Robinson in the soap opera General Hospital. She became popular with fans partly as a result of Trina's Supercouple romance with Spencer Cassadine (Nicholas Chavez), with the two appearing on the cover of People and the characters being compared to the original General Hospital supercouple Luke and Laura. Ali's second children's book, My Super B was published in 2023. In January 2024, San Antonio declared January 13 as "Tabyana Ali Day" in honor of her achievements.

Early life

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Tabyana Ali was born on January 28, 2002, in San Antonio, Texas.[1][2] She attended Hidden Forest Elementary and later Trinity Christian Academy.[3] As a child, she enjoyed singing, dancing and performing.[4] She has revealed she was a creative child and often used her imagination to write short films and scripts.[4] She had a MacBook where she recorded herself dancing and made videos with her dog.[4] Ali's mother, grandmothers and aunts exposed her to soap operas when she was growing up, with Ali joking that they went "insane" when they found out that she had been cast on General Hospital.[5] Her family helped her catch up on the storylines when they found out that she would be joining the soap.[6] Ali and her mother later moved to California in order to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.[3]

Career

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Ali's first acting role came when as an eight-year-old she acted in a commercial.[7] She attended acting classes and had auditions, and in 2013 was associated with her first agent.[4] Ali used the name "Tabyana Ford" when she first began her career.[6] One of Ali's first onscreen appearances was as a contestant in the game show Win, Lose, or Draw.[6] In 2015, she appeared in an episode of the fourth series of the sitcom New Girl.[8] In 2017, Ali appeared in A Kid Called Mayonnaise.[7] In 2019, she voiced the character of Leelee in the Children's animated television series Shimmer and Shine, and she guest-starred in an episode of The Big Show Show the following year.[7]

In August 2020, Ali published her first Children's book, My Flower Child.[9] She revealed the book was about the bond and shared experiences of a mother and her daughter, explaining that it was intended for "mothers and daughters everywhere of all ages".[9] A kindle version was published in August 2022, followed by a revised paperback version the following October.[9] In 2021, Ali appeared in the first episode of Stuck Together.[10] That same year, she appeared as Regina in the Black horror film Horror Noire.[11]

Ali screen-tested with Donnell Turner (pictured), who portray's Ali's character's father.

In March 2022, it was announced that Ali would become the third actress to portray Trina Robinson in the ABC soap opera General Hospital.[8] She took over the role from Sydney Mikayla, who chose to leave the soap in order to focus on her studies.[8] The role had also previously been portrayed by Tiana Le.[8] Frank Valentini, the executive producer of General Hospital, said that he was "excited to welcome Tabyana Ali and see what she'll do with the role of Trina".[12] Following news of the recast, fans of the soap opera sent Ali messages of support on Twitter and welcomed her to the soap, as did Mikayla, who Tweeted "You got this" to Ali.[13] In response, Ali wrote "I'm so grateful to have this opportunity! Thank y'all for the warm welcoming. I'm so happy to be in this position".[13] Ali's agents, A3 Artists Agency, and fans of Trina sent her flowers when she joined the cast.[6]

Ali was called by General Hospital to audition for the role; it was the second time she had been contacted by the soap.[5] When she auditioned, she had been under the impression that she was trying for the role of "Natalie" and did not realize that the audition was for Trina, believing that the role was for Trina's sister or friend.[5][14] She called the audition process "exciting" and "full circle" as she had previously auditioned and had been shortlisted for Trina when she was 16 but lost to Mikayla.[14][5] Ali screen tested with Donnell Turner, who portrays Trina's father Curtis Ashford, which she appreciated as he encouraged her "so much".[5] When Ali finally discovered she would be playing Trina, she was "speechless" and explained that she was happy that she and Mikayla had shared the role, as the two had previously met at a party.[5] Her agent later called Ali and told her that she had been give the role.[5] Ali watched previous scenes of Trina on the soap to "get a good feel of the presence" of the character.[5] Ali was nervous on her first day but the other cast members helped her, with Ali calling them "supportive and encouraging".[5] Ali has revealed that she sometimes receives three or four 60-page scripts that need to be learnt by the following week, which was initially more time-consuming but became easier as she became more familiar with her character.[14]

"It's hard to wrap my head around that. Anywhere you go, you say 'General Hospital' and people say 'Luke and Laura.' Generations of people still think and talk about Luke and Laura. For it to be Nick [Chavez] and I, where people are telling us, 'I'm watching the show because of you.' Or that, 'I left the show but now I've come back [because of you],' I'm like, 'What … what?' It's a lot, it's a lot. But I'm grateful. I'm very thankful."[15]

–Ali on Trina and Spencer's popularity (2023)

Ali made her first appearance as Trina in the episode that originally aired on March 25, 2022.[16][17] Ali joined the soap at a "critical moment" due to Trina being framed for sharing a sex tape of her two friends.[6][5][18] Since Ali has taken over the role, Trina's other storylines have included her relationships with Rory Cabrera (Michael Blake Kruse) and Spencer Cassadine (Nicholas Chavez) and having the people close targeted by a serial killer, as well as the Greenland Ice Princess storyline where Spencer and Trina thwart a deadly plan to wipe out much of the Earth's population via a deadly pathogen.[15][19] Ali became popular with fans and received fan art of herself, which she created a dedicated email for.[19] Spencer and Trina achieved Supercouple status, being compared to original General Hospital supercouple Luke and Laura (Anthony Geary and Genie Francis).[15] Ali has said that she and Chavez have stronger ties due to their connection outside work, explaining, "Our dynamic is really special because we understand each other on a very deep level".[15] Ali and Chavez featured on the cover of People as Trina and Spencer, alongside Luke and Laura.[14]

Ali's second Children's book, My Super B, was released on July 28, 2023, having been independently published.[20][21] My Super B was published in paperback and revolves around a young superhero with a "supportive" mother.[9] A few days after the book's release, it had reached the Number 1 Bestseller in the Nursery Rhymes subcategory of children's books on Amazon.[9]

In 2024, Ali revealed that she is planning to write more books and some scripts, and would like to go into comedy, including stand-up.[22] She explained that she would like to be involved in the business world, including having a restaurant and a dog daycare, in addition to organizations to help animals and young women.[22] She will be portraying the supporting lead role in the upcoming film Empire Waist.[7] Ali has also sold a short film, which is also in post-production.[6]

Personal life

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Ali has a close friendship to her General Hospital co-star, Eden McCoy.[1] She supports the Cinderella Program of The Saving Our Daughters, an organization set up by Keke Palmer which aims to empower girls and women through the arts.[7] Ali also sings, dances and bakes.[7] She loves animals and cooking and enjoys gardening and crafting with her grandmother.[22] In January 2024, Ali's hometown, San Antonio, declared January 13 as "Tabyana Ali Day" (also known as "Love Without Walls Day") in honor of her achievements.[3] Ali has said that she loves food and enjoys going out to restaurants to eat the local cuisine when she visits her family in San Antonio.[3]

Filmography

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List of acting roles
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
Un­known Win, Lose, or Draw Contestant Game show guest role [6]
2015 New Girl Jo 1 episode (season 4) [8]
2017 A Kid Called Mayonnaise Malone Television series [7]
2019 Shimmer and Shine Leelee Voice role (2 episodes) [8]
2020 The Big Show Show Becca 1 episode [7]
2021 Horror Noire Regina Black horror film [11]
2021 Stuck Together Alana Kirby 1 episode [10]
2022– General Hospital Trina Robinson Regular role [5]

Bibliography

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  • My Flower Child (2020)[9]
  • My Super B (2023)[20]

References

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  1. ^ a b Mistretta, Amy (January 30, 2023). "As General Hospital's Tabyana Ali Reaches a Big Milestone, Eden McCoy Opens Her Heart About the 'Most Beautiful Girl Inside and Out'". Soaps She Knows. SHE Media. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  2. ^ Eades, Chris (January 31, 2023). "GH's Tabyana Ali Celebrates Her 21st Birthday — See the Party Pics!". Soaps In Depth. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Eades, Chris (February 22, 2024). "January 13 Is Tabyana Ali Day!". Soaps In Depth. Archived from the original on May 4, 2024. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d "GH's Tabyana Ali guests on Digest's Podcast". Soap Opera Digest. April 28, 2023. Archived from the original on August 30, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Levinsky, Mara (April 4, 2022). "Meet GH's Tabyana Ali". Soap Opera Digest. Archived from the original on August 30, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Campbell, Hope (April 13, 2022). "Here's Everything We Know About Tabyana Ali, General Hospital's New Trina". The List. Static Media. Archived from the original on August 30, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h "Tabyana Ali". ABC Entertainment. Disney. Archived from the original on May 5, 2024. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Cushman, Dustin (March 4, 2022). "General Hospital Casting Shocker — Sydney Mikayla Out as Trina". Soaps She Knows. SHE Media. Archived from the original on May 6, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Parkerton, Michelle (July 31, 2023). "GH's Tabyana Ali Releases Her New Children's Book!". Soaps In Depth. Archived from the original on August 1, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Stuck Together". Vision Films. Vison Films, Inc. Archived from the original on May 5, 2024. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Horror Noire". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  12. ^ "Exclusive! Sydney Mikayla on GH exit". Soap Opera Digest. March 4, 2022. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  13. ^ a b Mistretta, Amy (March 9, 2022). "Exiting General Hospital Actress Sends a Message to Her Replacement — and So Do Fans". Soaps She Knows. SHE Media. Archived from the original on May 6, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  14. ^ a b c d Wilmore, Brittaney (April 25, 2023). "'General Hospital' actress and Texas native Tabyana Ali dishes on starring in legendary soap opera". ABC 13. American Broadcasting Company. Archived from the original on August 30, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  15. ^ a b c d Idowu-Reeves, Ronke (June 27, 2023). "General Hospital's Nicholas Chavez and Tabyana Ali on Being a Soap Power Couple: 'Our Dynamic' Is 'Special'". People.com. Dotdash Meredith. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  16. ^ Fairman, Michael (March 26, 2022). "Tabyana Ali Makes Her Debut As General Hospital's New Trina". Michael Fairman TV. The Michael Fairman Company. Archived from the original on May 4, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  17. ^ Jubinville, Mike (March 25, 2022). "First Impressions: Tabyana Ali as Trina Robinson on General Hospital". Daytime Confidential. Confidential Media, Inc. Archived from the original on May 4, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  18. ^ Cushman, Dustin (March 25, 2022). "Jordan Is Forced to Bring Trina In for Questioning — Plus, Esme Turns to [Spoiler] for Help and Makes a Surprising Request". Soaps She Knows. SHE Media. Archived from the original on August 30, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  19. ^ a b Froilan, Roger (January 31, 2023). "General Hospital Favorite Tabyana Ali Celebrates Her 21st Birthday In Style". The List. Static Media. Archived from the original on May 4, 2024. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  20. ^ a b Fairman, Michael (July 29, 2023). "General Hospital's Tabyana Ali Releases New Children's Book 'My Super B' Available Now". Michael Fairman TV. The Michael Fairman Company. Archived from the original on September 23, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  21. ^ Kolikapudi, Pranathi (August 1, 2023). "General Hospital: Tabyana Ali Adds Another Jewel To Her Crown". TV Seasons & Spoilers. Winacle News. Archived from the original on December 9, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  22. ^ a b c Price, Robert (February 21, 2024). "Making a Difference: Soap star and San Antonio native Tabyana Ali". WOAI-TV. Sinclair Broadcast Group. Archived from the original on February 22, 2024. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
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