MARRIAGE STATS
Married: 6.5 years
Kids: 2
Notable: Alimi is in his fifth season playing Special Agent David Sinclair on the CBS crime series Numb3rs. He has also appeared on Dark Angel, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, CSI, NYPD Blue, Boomtown and American Dreams. He lives in LA with his wife, Dawn, daughter, Naya, 3, and son, Cairo, 1.
[1] How did you and your wife meet?
We met through a mutual friend on kind of a blind date. I was actually dating someone else at the time, but we went for lunch and started talking more and more, and the rest is history.
[2] In the five years you’ve been on Numb3rs, your life has changed a lot—you now have two young children. How do you balance work with spending time with your family?
With an amazing amount of time management. With work, two babies and keeping your relationship together, your schedule is packed from the moment you wake up till you get to bed. I wake up and work out at 5:00, the kids wake up at 6:00, then I go out and do my work. When I get home, sometimes they’re asleep. If they’re not, after they go to bed I finally have time to hang out with my wife.
Also, I don’t take work home at all. When I’m home I’m just home and it’s all family time.
[3] You just had your birthday on October 17. How did you celebrate with your family?
We had a party in Hollywood. My brother came in to town and we partied at the Standard hotel. For the family celebration, we just hung out at the house. My wife and kids made me lovely paintings with their handprints and footprints. I have them hanging in my trailer now—they’re just beautiful. My daughter is really big on birthdays right now, and she was really excited to make me something special.
[4] Do you ever get to bring your family to the set?
I brought the kids down on my birthday and also a couple of weeks before that. I actually got my son on camera. My daughter really doesn’t know what I do yet, but she likes to come to Daddy’s work.
[5] I hear you like doing your own stunts on the show. What’s the coolest one you’ve gotten to do?
The coolest one was hanging off of a 60-foot bridge and having bombs explode around me. My second favorite was last year on my birthday—I jumped off the side of a building onto a giant mat like firemen would land on.
[6] You’re originally from New York City, but you’re now living in LA. Do you miss home, and do you get to visit often?
I was just back in New York for my son’s birthday and a friend’s birthday. I get back often since my mom is still there. I love New York, but I really love California, especially the winters. You do one East Coast winter and you’re done with it—the wet snow and slush aren’t sexy or attractive or whimsical. And you get cold outside, but while you’re on the train it gets hot. I do like the spring and fall in New York, though.
[7] With your hectic schedule, what’s your secret for keeping a strong relationship with your wife?
We have a babysitter, and no matter what we go out once a week. Every week we have a dinner date, just the two of us, where we wear nice clothes, drink wine and talk about non-baby-related things.
Steve Cooper is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Hitched. You can follow him on Twitter at @hitchedmedia.
