Rami Malek facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rami Malek
رامي مالك
Malek in 2015
Born	Rami Said Malek (1981-05-12) May 12, 1981 (age 44) Torrance, California, U.S.
Education	University of Evansville (BFA)
Occupation	Actor producer
Years active	2004–present
Awards	Full list

Rami Said Malek (born May 12, 1981) is an American actor. He is famous for playing Elliot Alderson, a computer hacker, in the TV show Mr. Robot (2015–2019). For this role, he won an Emmy Award.

He also played Queen's lead singer, Freddie Mercury, in the movie Bohemian Rhapsody (2018). This role earned him many honors, including the Academy Award for Best Actor. He was the first actor of Egyptian background to win in that category.

Rami Malek was born in Torrance, California. His parents were immigrants from Egypt. He studied theater before acting in plays in New York City. He had smaller roles in movies and TV shows. These included the show The War at Home (2005–2007) and the Night at the Museum movies (2006–2014). After becoming well-known, Malek starred in the crime film The Little Things (2021). He also played the main villain, Lyutsifer Safin, in the James Bond film No Time to Die (2021). In 2023, he was in Christopher Nolan's movie Oppenheimer.

Rami Malek's Early Life and Education

Rami Said Malek was born on May 12, 1981, in Torrance, California. His parents, Nelly Abdel-Malek and Said Malek, came from Egypt. He also mentioned being "an eighth Greek". His parents and older sister moved from Cairo in 1978. His father, a travel agent, was interested in Western visitors. They settled in Sherman Oaks.

Rami was raised in his family's Coptic Orthodox Christian faith. He spoke Egyptian Arabic at home until he was four. He has an identical twin brother named Sami. Sami is four minutes younger and became an English teacher. His older sister, Yasmine, is an emergency room doctor. His parents taught their children to keep their Egyptian roots. His father would often call their family in Samalut in the middle of the night.

As a first-generation American, Rami found it hard to fit in as a child. This was because of cultural differences. People often mispronounced his name. He said, "It only took me 'til high school where I found the confidence to tell everybody, 'No, my name is Rami.'" He found it hard to know who he was as a child. So, he started "creating characters and doing voices" to express himself.

Rami went to Notre Dame High School. Actress Rachel Bilson was in his class. Actress Kirsten Dunst also went there and was in his musical theater class. His parents hoped he would become a lawyer. He joined the debate team in his first year. He struggled with arguments, but his debate teacher saw his talent in acting. The teacher encouraged him to perform a play called Zooman and The Sign. Rami said, "On stage I'm having this moment with my dad... but then I thought, 'Wow, something really special is happening here.'" His parents liked his performance, which made him feel free to become an actor.

After high school in 1999, Rami studied theater at the University of Evansville in Evansville, Indiana. He also studied in England for a semester at Harlaxton College. He interned at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Connecticut. He finished his degree in 2003. The college later gave him an award for his success and contributions.

Rami Malek's Acting Career

Early Roles (2004–2009)

Malek in 2007

After college, Rami wanted to go to grad school for theater. But with college debt, he moved to New York. He shared an apartment with friends who were also interested in theater. They formed a group called the Slant Theatre Project. They performed their own plays around the city.

While visiting his family in Los Angeles, Rami met a casting director. She told him to stay and find work in Hollywood. He moved back with his parents. He worked delivering pizzas and making food at a restaurant. It was hard to get acting jobs. He felt sad and lost confidence. He even thought about becoming a real estate agent.

After a year and a half, Rami got a call from a casting director. She asked to speak to his agent. He said he didn't have one. She told him to get one first. But after a nice chat, Rami suggested they meet anyway. She agreed. This meeting led to his first TV role in Gilmore Girls in 2004. That same year, he acted in plays in California and New York. He also voiced characters for the video game Halo 2.

In 2005, he got his Screen Actors Guild card. This was for his work in the TV show Over There. Later that year, he was in Medium. He also got a big role as Kenny in the show The War at Home. In 2006, Rami made his first movie appearance as Pharaoh Ahkmenrah in Night at the Museum. He played this role again in the sequels in 2009 and 2014.

Supporting Roles (2010–2015)

Malek at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con

In 2010, Rami returned to TV in 24. He played a bomber named Marcos Al-Zacar. He was tired of playing characters that made Arabs look bad. So, he told his agent to turn down such roles. Later that year, he was praised for playing Corporal Merriell "Snafu" Shelton in the HBO mini-series The Pacific.

After filming The Pacific, he left Hollywood for a short time. He lived in Argentina. During The Pacific filming, Rami got a letter from producer Tom Hanks. Hanks praised his acting. Hanks then cast him in the movie Larry Crowne (2011).

These chances led Rami to get supporting roles in big movies. In 2010, he was cast as Benjamin, an "Egyptian coven" vampire, in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2. In 2013, he played Nate in the indie film Short Term 12. He also appeared in two Spike Lee films: Oldboy (2012) and Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (2014). He had small roles in Battleship and The Master. He also played Josh in Until Dawn, a horror game for PlayStation 4, released in 2015. He provided his voice and movements for the character.

Becoming a Star (2015–Present)

Malek and Christian Slater (left) speaking as part of the Mr. Robot panel during the 2015 PaleyFest

Screenwriter Sam Esmail looked at over 100 actors for the lead role of Elliot Alderson in his new show. Elliot was a computer hacker with mental health issues. Esmail almost gave up, but then he saw Rami's audition in 2014. Esmail said Rami's audition "opened my eyes to who Elliot really was".

The show, Mr. Robot, started on June 24, 2015. Rami played the main character. To play Elliot well, he met with a psychologist. Critics immediately loved his performance. USA Today called it his "breakout performance". Entertainment Weekly said Rami's "magnetic performance" was the "best reason" to watch the show. He won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series and an Emmy Award. He was the first non-white actor to win an Emmy in that category since 1998. The show ended in 2019.

Rami's first main movie role was in Buster's Mal Heart. It came out in September 2016. In this movie, Rami plays a man who lives two lives. The director, Sarah Adina Smith, cast him before Mr. Robot became a hit. She said, "I had no idea how huge and adored he would become". Rami then starred as Louis Dega in Papillon (2017), with Charlie Hunnam. In 2017, Rami joined the voice cast of the Netflix animated show BoJack Horseman. He voiced Flip McVicker.

Joe Mazzello (left), Malek, and Gwilym Lee (right) promoting Bohemian Rhapsody in 2018

In 2018, Rami played Freddie Mercury in the Queen movie, Bohemian Rhapsody. The movie was a huge success. It made over $900 million worldwide. It became the highest-grossing musical movie ever. Critics loved Rami's performance. He won the Golden Globe, the Screen Actors Guild Award, the BAFTA Award, and the Academy Award for his role.

To get ready for the role, Rami moved to London. He worked with coaches for his voice and movements. He also took piano and singing lessons. He watched videos of Freddie Mercury for four hours every day. He watched the 1985 Live Aid concert video over 1,500 times. He also wore fake teeth to look like Mercury. Brian May, Queen's guitarist, said Rami's acting was so good that they "sometimes forgot he was Rami". Rami believes playing Mercury is the most important role of his career.

In December 2018, Rami announced he would produce and star in a podcast called Blackout. It's a thriller about a radio DJ who fights to protect his town after a power outage. The podcast started in March 2019. It won a Webby Award in 2020. Rami also voiced Chee-Chee the gorilla in the movie Dolittle (2020). In May 2019, Rami joined the movie The Little Things, with Denzel Washington. It came out in 2021. On April 25, 2019, Rami was cast as the main villain, Lyutsifer Safin, in the James Bond film No Time to Die. The movie was released in October 2021. Rami also hosted Saturday Night Live in October 2021.

Rami was part of the cast in David O. Russell's movie Amsterdam (2022). In December 2021, it was announced Rami would join Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer. He played physicist David L. Hill. This movie was released on July 21, 2023.

Rami will next star in the thriller film The Amateur. He will also play Douglas Kelley in the historical drama Nuremberg.

Rami Malek's Acting Style

Rami Malek's early roles showed him to be a "character actor." This means he often played unique or unusual characters. He enjoys auditions, seeing them as a chance to try new things. He prepares for auditions as if it's a real performance. After his success with Mr. Robot, he started to be seen as a "leading man." But he is considered an "unconventional" one, meaning he doesn't fit the usual mold. In 2017, Rami was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This group gives out the Oscars.

To get ready for a role, Rami first feels a bit of panic. Then, he researches the character deeply. He tries to create a whole world for that person. This includes finding music the character might like. He also imagines memories for the character. He works best in the mornings and evenings. Rami likes to try different ways of acting a scene until he finds the best one. Director Sam Esmail said Rami is often not happy with his work, even when the director thinks it's perfect. Because they both want the scene to be the best, Esmail sees Rami as a "co-creator."

Rami is also known for changing his body for roles. He lost a lot of weight to play Elliot Alderson, Freddie Mercury, and Snafu Shelton. For The Pacific, Tom Hanks required him to be very lean. During filming The Pacific, Rami found it hard to stop thinking like his character. This caused him a lot of stress. He learned that he needed to separate himself from his characters. This helped him take on complex roles later, like Elliot Alderson.

Rami Malek's Personal Life

Rami Malek is a private person in interviews. He has said he wants to stay "anonymous" when he travels. He does not use social media. The New York Times called him "extremely reluctant to dish about himself". He says he is very different from the shy character Elliot in Mr. Robot. He said, "I'm an exuberant person. I thrive on affection. I like chit chat ... I love meeting people and hearing their stories".

In 2009, Rami moved into a house in Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles. His brother lived with him. In 2021, he bought a house next door.

Awards and Nominations

Malek at the 2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards red carpet

Rami Malek has won and been nominated for many important awards. For his work on Mr. Robot, he was nominated for three Golden Globes. He also received an Emmy and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. He won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2016.

He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. He also won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama for this role. Additionally, he won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role. He also received the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

He is the first actor of Egyptian heritage to win the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Acting Credits

Film

Key

Denotes works that have not yet been released

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2006	Night at the Museum	Pharaoh Ahkmenrah
2009	Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
2011	Larry Crowne	Steve Dibiasi
2012	Battleship	U.S. Navy Lieutenant Hill
	The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2	Benjamin
	The Master	Clark Massey
2013	Ain't Them Bodies Saints	Will
	Short Term 12	Nate
	Oldboy	Matt Browning
2014	Need for Speed	Finn
	Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb	Pharaoh Ahkmenrah
	Da Sweet Blood of Jesus	Seneschal Higginbottom
2016	Buster's Mal Heart	Buster
2017	Papillon	Louis Dega
2018	Bohemian Rhapsody	Freddie Mercury
2020	Dolittle	Chee-Chee (voice)
2021	The Little Things	Jim Baxter
	No Time to Die	Lyutsifer Safin
2022	Amsterdam	Tom Voze
2023	Oppenheimer	David Hill
2025	The Amateur	Charles Heller	Also executive producer; post-production
TBA	Nuremberg	Douglas Kelley	Post-production

Television

Theater

Video Games

Podcasts

See also

In Spanish: Rami Malek para niños