Ving Rhames facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ving Rhames
|
|
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg)
Rhames in 2010
|
|
| Born |
Irving Rameses Rhames
May 12, 1959 New York City, U.S.
|
| Education | State University of New York, Purchase Juilliard School (BFA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Height | 6'2" |
| Spouse(s) |
|
| Children | 3 |
| Parents |
|
Irving Rameses Rhames (born May 12, 1959), known as Ving Rhames, is an American actor. He is famous for playing IMF Agent Luther Stickell in the Mission: Impossible movies. He also played the crime boss Marsellus Wallace in the movie Pulp Fiction (1994).
Contents
Early Life and School
Ving Rhames grew up in Harlem, New York City. His mother, Reather, stayed at home, and his father, Ernest, was a car mechanic. Ving was named "Irving" after a journalist named Irving R. Levine.
Unlike many kids he knew, Ving focused on playing football and school. A teacher once praised his poetry reading. He decided to try out for New York's High School of Performing Arts, where he discovered his passion for acting.
After high school, he studied acting at SUNY Purchase. There, a fellow student, Stanley Tucci, gave him the nickname "Ving." Later, Ving went to the Juilliard School, a very famous arts school. He graduated in 1983 and started acting in plays right away.
Acting Career
On Stage
Ving Rhames began his acting career in theater. He performed in classic plays like Richard III and Richard II in New York City. He also appeared in other plays both in New York and in different regions.
He once said that he doesn't let Hollywood limit him. He always knows he can go back to the stage and perform in famous plays by writers like Henrik Ibsen or Molière.
On Screen
Early Roles (1985–1989)
Ving Rhames first appeared on screen in a TV movie called Go Tell It on the Mountain in 1985. His first movie role was in Native Son in 1986.
In the late 1980s, he had small roles in movies like Patty Hearst (1988) and Casualties of War (1989). He also appeared in TV shows such as Miami Vice and Crime Story.
Becoming Famous (1990–1999)
The 1990s were a big decade for Ving Rhames. He appeared in movies like Jacob's Ladder (1990) and The People Under the Stairs (1991).
One of his most well-known roles was Marsellus Wallace in Quentin Tarantino's crime film Pulp Fiction (1994). Another very important role came in 1996 when he played Luther Stickell, a skilled computer hacker, alongside Tom Cruise in the first Mission: Impossible movie. This role became a recurring one, and he has been in every Mission: Impossible film since.
In 1997, he played Nathan "Diamond Dog" Jones in the popular movie Con Air. He also starred as Mann in the historical drama Rosewood, which was based on a true story from 1923.
On television, Ving Rhames had a recurring role on the medical drama ER from 1994 to 1996. In 1998, he won a Golden Globe Award for his role in the TV movie Don King: Only in America (1997). In a memorable moment at the awards ceremony, he gave his award to fellow nominee Jack Lemmon, showing great generosity. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association later made a duplicate award for Ving.
From 2000 to Today
Ving Rhames has continued to play Luther Stickell in all the Mission: Impossible movies, including Mission: Impossible 2 (2000), Mission: Impossible III (2006), Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011), Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015), Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018), and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023). He is the only actor besides Tom Cruise to appear in all eight films in the series. The next film, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, is expected in 2025.
He has also lent his voice to animated characters, like Cobra Bubbles in the Walt Disney movie Lilo & Stitch (2002) and its TV series. He played a police sergeant in the zombie movie Dawn of the Dead (2004). In 2007, he appeared in the comedy I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry.
On TV, Ving Rhames starred in a new Kojak series in 2005, playing the main character, Lieutenant Theo Kojak. He also narrated the BET television series American Gangster from 2006 to 2009.
Other Work
Ving Rhames has also done voice work for video games, like Tobias Jones in Driver 3 (2004). Since 2014, he has been the voice for many Arby's fast-food commercials, known for the slogan "Arby's: We have the meats!" He has also appeared in commercials for The ADT Corporation and RadioShack.
He is also one of the narrators for the UFC, a mixed martial arts organization. In 2017, he narrated the team introductions for the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons at Super Bowl LI.
Personal Life
Ving Rhames is a Christian. He was married to Valerie Scott from 1994 to 1999. He later married Deborah Reed in 2000. He has three children.
See also
In Spanish: Ving Rhames para niños
