Rami Malek

Biography

Rami Malek is an American actor who was born in Torrance, California, and studied theater at the University of Evansville before moving to New York and then Los Angeles. After early television work, he made his feature debut as Pharaoh Ahkmenrah in Night at the Museum (2006) and returned for two sequels. He received critical acclaim for the miniseries The Pacific and had supporting roles in films including The Master (2012). He then played hacker Elliot Alderson in Mr. Robot from 2015 to 2019, winning a Primetime Emmy Award. His portrayal of Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) brought him the Academy Award for Best Actor, along with Golden Globe, SAG, and BAFTA awards. Later credits include The Little Things (2021), the James Bond villain Lyutsifer Safin in No Time to Die (2021), and David L. Hill in Oppenheimer (2023).

45years old

Turns 46 on May 12in 209 days

Born May 12, 1981Los Angeles
Star sign: TaurusThe sign runs April 20 to May 20
Rami Said Malek (birth name)

Movie Career

Films: 21
Career span: 19 years2006 to 2025

Genres

Drama52%, 11 films
Adventure29%, 6 films
Comedy29%, 6 films
Action24%, 5 films
Thriller24%, 5 films

First and latest

Photos

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Behind the award
Malek played Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of Queen, in the biographical film Bohemian Rhapsody, released in 2018. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2019, the first actor of Egyptian heritage to take that prize.
Behind the award
Malek won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Mr. Robot and was the first non-white actor to take that category since 1998.
First role
Malek landed his first acting role, on Gilmore Girls, after casting director Mara Casey called him, learned he had no agent, and agreed to meet him anyway; the episode aired in January 2004.
Early training
Rami Malek interned at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut, during the summer before his senior year, and there he became acquainted with playwright August Wilson.
A role that slipped away
Malek was among 3,000 actors considered to play Han Solo in Solo: A Star Wars Story, a part he did not get.
Big break
Malek's breakout came as hacker Elliot Alderson on Mr. Robot, a part Sam Esmail had auditioned over 100 actors for before Malek's audition changed his idea of the character.

Rami Malek movies on Netflix

Nuremberg2025IMDb rating 7.3as Douglas Kelley
The Amateur2025IMDb rating 6.5as Heller
Oppenheimer2023IMDb rating 8.2as David Hill
Amsterdam2022IMDb rating 6.2as Tom Voze
The Sound of 0072022IMDb rating 7.4as Himself
No Time to Die2021IMDb rating 7.3as Lyutsifer Safin
The Little Things2021IMDb rating 6.3as Jim Baxter
Dolittle2020IMDb rating 5.6as Chee-Chee (voice)
The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story2019IMDb rating 7.8as Himself
Bohemian Rhapsody2018IMDb rating 7.9as Freddie Mercury
Papillon2017IMDb rating 7.2as Louis Dega
Buster's Mal Heart2016IMDb rating 6.1as Buster
Da Sweet Blood of Jesus2014IMDb rating 4.5as Seneschal Higginbottom
Need for Speed2014IMDb rating 6.4as Finn
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb2014IMDb rating 6.2as Ahkmenrah
Ain't Them Bodies Saints2013IMDb rating 6.4as Will
Oldboy2013IMDb rating 5.8as Browning
Short Term 122013IMDb rating 7.9as Nate
The Master2012IMDb rating 7.1as Clark
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian2009IMDb rating 6.0as Ahkmenrah
Night at the Museum2006IMDb rating 6.5as Ahkmenrah

Best known for

The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.

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Bohemian Rhapsody2018 Biography, Drama, Musicas Freddie Mercury
IMDb rating 7.9655K votes
No Time to Die2021 Action, Adventure, Thrilleras Lyutsifer Safin
IMDb rating 7.3495K votes
Oppenheimer2023as David Hill
IMDb rating 8.21.1M votes
Nuremberg2025as Douglas Kelley
IMDb rating 7.3119K votes
The Little Things2021as Jim Baxter
IMDb rating 6.3146K votes
The Amateur2025as Heller
IMDb rating 6.5103K votes
The Master2012as Clark
IMDb rating 7.1204K votes
Papillon2017as Louis Dega
IMDb rating 7.297K votes

Most often with

Shawn Levy directed three of these films, Spike Lee two. Six actors appear in three of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.

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Robin Williams

Ben Stiller

Steve Coogan

Ricky Gervais

Patrick Gallagher

Mizuo Peck

Shawn LevyDirector, 3 films

Spike LeeDirector, 2 films

Films together

Robin Williams3 films together, 2006 to 2014
Robin Williams's page
- Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb2014IMDb rating 6.2Malek as AhkmenrahWilliams as Teddy Roosevelt / Voice of Garuda
- Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian2009IMDb rating 6.0Malek as AhkmenrahWilliams as Teddy Roosevelt
- Night at the Museum2006IMDb rating 6.5Malek as AhkmenrahWilliams as Teddy Roosevelt
Ben Stiller3 films together, 2006 to 2014
Ben Stiller's page
- Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb2014IMDb rating 6.2Malek as AhkmenrahStiller as Larry Daley / Laaa
- Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian2009IMDb rating 6.0Malek as AhkmenrahStiller as Larry Daley
- Night at the Museum2006IMDb rating 6.5Malek as AhkmenrahStiller as Larry Daley
Steve Coogan3 films together, 2006 to 2014
Steve Coogan's page
- Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb2014IMDb rating 6.2Malek as AhkmenrahCoogan as Octavius
- Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian2009IMDb rating 6.0Malek as AhkmenrahCoogan as Octavius
- Night at the Museum2006IMDb rating 6.5Malek as AhkmenrahCoogan as Octavius
Ricky Gervais3 films together, 2006 to 2014
Ricky Gervais's page
- Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb2014IMDb rating 6.2Malek as AhkmenrahGervais as Dr. McPhee
- Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian2009IMDb rating 6.0Malek as AhkmenrahGervais as Dr. McPhee
- Night at the Museum2006IMDb rating 6.5Malek as AhkmenrahGervais as Dr. McPhee
Patrick Gallagher3 films together, 2006 to 2014
Patrick Gallagher's page
- Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb2014IMDb rating 6.2Malek as AhkmenrahGallagher as Attila
- Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian2009IMDb rating 6.0Malek as AhkmenrahGallagher as Attila the Hun
- Night at the Museum2006IMDb rating 6.5Malek as AhkmenrahGallagher as Attila The Hun
Mizuo Peck3 films together, 2006 to 2014
Mizuo Peck's page
- Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb2014IMDb rating 6.2Malek as AhkmenrahPeck as Sacajawea
- Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian2009IMDb rating 6.0Malek as AhkmenrahPeck as Sacajawea
- Night at the Museum2006IMDb rating 6.5Malek as AhkmenrahPeck as Sacajawea
Shawn LevyDirector, 3 films, 2006 to 2014
All films by Shawn Levy
- Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb2014IMDb rating 6.2Malek as Ahkmenrah
- Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian2009IMDb rating 6.0Malek as Ahkmenrah
- Night at the Museum2006IMDb rating 6.5Malek as Ahkmenrah
Spike LeeDirector, 2 films, 2013 to 2014
All films by Spike Lee
- Da Sweet Blood of Jesus2014IMDb rating 4.5Malek as Seneschal Higginbottom
- Oldboy2013IMDb rating 5.8Malek as Browning

Box office

What Rami Malek's films earned in cinemas worldwide.

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Combined worldwide box office

$4.7 billion

18 of the 21 films have a worldwide figure.

18Worldwide figure
2Never in cinemas
1Figure not found

Top grosser

Oppenheimer2023David Hill$952 million

Highest grossing

The eight biggest films earned 95% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.

1
Oppenheimer2023as David Hill
$952M20.3% of the total
2
Bohemian Rhapsody2018as Freddie Mercury
$911M19.4% of the total
3
No Time to Die2021as Lyutsifer Safin
$774M16.5% of the total
4
Night at the Museum2006as Ahkmenrah
$574M12.3% of the total
5
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian2009as Ahkmenrah
$413M8.8% of the total
6
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb2014as Ahkmenrah
$363M7.8% of the total
7
Dolittle2020as Chee-Chee (voice)
$251M5.4% of the total
8
Need for Speed2014as Finn
$203M4.3% of the total

Ain't Them Bodies Saints (2013), $1.0 million

$240 millionfrom the other 10 films with a worldwide figure, 5% of the total

Awards

Seven awards and honors from 2016 to 2019, five of them major.

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Rami Malek's awards and nominations, grouped by award
Year	Award	Film	Result
Academy Awards
2019	Best Actor	Bohemian Rhapsody	Won
Golden Globes
2019	Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama	Bohemian Rhapsody	Won
BAFTA
2019	Best Actor in a Leading Role	Bohemian Rhapsody	Won
Emmy Awards
2016	Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series	Mr. Robot	Won
SAG Awards
2019	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role	Bohemian Rhapsody	Won
Other honors
2019	Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture	Bohemian Rhapsody	Won
2016	Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series	Mr. Robot	Won

Online

Official profiles and reference pages.

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