Rami Malek

Rami Said Malek is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury in the biographical film Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) and computer hacker Elliot Alderson in the television drama series Mr. Robot (2015–2019). His performance in Bohemian Rhapsody earned him widespread acclaim and major accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Actor, making him the first actor of Egyptian heritage to win in that category. For Mr. Robot, he received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

Malek was born on May 12, 1981, in Torrance, California, to Egyptian immigrant parents of Coptic background. Raised in the San Fernando Valley, he spoke Egyptian Arabic at home alongside his identical twin brother and older sister. He attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, where he engaged in debate and theater. He went on to study theater at the University of Evansville in Indiana, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2003.

Following graduation, Malek moved to New York City to perform in plays before returning to Los Angeles, working odd jobs while auditioning. He made his television debut in an episode of Gilmore Girls in 2004 and appeared in theatrical productions in Burbank and New York. He gained broader visibility with a recurring role on the sitcom The War at Home (2005–2007) and made his feature film debut as Pharaoh Ahkmenrah in Night at the Museum (2006), a role he reprised in its 2009 and 2014 sequels.

In 2010, Malek earned critical praise for playing Corporal Merrill "Snafu" Shelton in the HBO miniseries The Pacific. Seeking to avoid roles that portrayed Middle Easterners negatively, he chose diverse projects, appearing in films such as Larry Crowne (2011), The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012), The Master (2012), Short Term 12 (2013), and the video game Until Dawn (2015).

Malek achieved major success when he was cast as the lead in Mr. Robot in 2015. His performance drew critical acclaim and earned him an Emmy Award as well as a Critics' Choice Television Award. During this period, he also expanded into lead film roles, starring in Buster's Mal Heart (2016) and the remake of Papillon (2018), while also voicing a character in the animated series BoJack Horseman.

His role in Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) marked a career milestone. Malek undertook rigorous preparation, studying movement, dialect, piano, and singing to portray Freddie Mercury. The film grossed over $900 million globally, and Malek won the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, BAFTA, and Academy Awards for Best Actor.

Following his Oscar win, Malek appeared in the crime drama The Little Things (2021) and portrayed main antagonist Lyutsifer Safin in the James Bond film No Time to Die (2021). He later played David L. Hill in Christopher Nolan's biographical drama Oppenheimer (2023). His subsequent projects include starring roles in the spy film The Amateur (2025) and the film Nuremberg (2025).