He was the second of the eight children, and eldest son to Latifunnisa and film and stage actor/dancer Mumtaz Ali, who was a huge star of the 1940s and 1950s cinema in Mumbai.

His youngest brother, Anwar Ali, is also an actor as well as a producer of such movies as Khud-daar and Kaash.

He later had a number of odd jobs, selling poultry products and working as a driver for director P. L. Santoshi.

After having a son, Masood, he decided to act to earn a better living and started off by doing small, unnoticed roles in films like the peanut seller in Do Bigha Zameen, a killer in C.I.D.

[3] In the 1980s, Mehmood's popularity began to decline as other comedy actors like Jagdeep, Asrani, Paintal, Deven Verma and Kader Khan shot to prominence.

On 23 July 2004, Mehmood died in his sleep in Pennsylvania, where he had gone for treatment of cardiovascular heart disease after suffering from poor health over several years.

Just like Martin and Lewis, Mehmood formed a comical partnership with another Bollywood legend I. S. Johar.