Ving Rhames

Irving Rameses "Ving" Rhames is an American actor widely recognized for his prominent roles across film, television, and theater. He achieved widespread fame portraying mob boss Marsellus Wallace in the 1994 crime film Pulp Fiction and computer hacker Luther Stickell in the long-running Mission: Impossible motion picture franchise. His acclaimed portrayal of boxing promoter Don King in the television film Don King: Only in America earned him a Golden Globe Award.

Born on May 12, 1959, in Harlem, New York City, Rhames was raised by his mother, Reather, a homemaker, and his father, Ernest Rhames, an auto mechanic. His parents named him after journalist Irving R. Levine. Growing up in Harlem, he avoided drugs and street life, engaging instead in youth athletics through his local church. After a teacher praised his reading ability, he auditioned for the High School of Performing Arts. He pursued higher education in drama at SUNY Purchase, where classmate Stanley Tucci bestowed him with the nickname "Ving," before transferring to the Juilliard School, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1983.

Rhames launched his professional acting career on the stage shortly after graduating, performing classical theater with Shakespeare in the Park. His early theatrical credits include roles in plays such as Richard III, Ajax, Short Eyes, and a 1985 Broadway appearance in The Boys of Winter. He made his television screen debut in 1985 in Go Tell It on the Mountain and entered feature films with Native Son in 1986. Throughout the late 1980s, he built his resume with television guest spots on shows like Miami Vice and minor film roles in Patty Hearst and Casualties of War.

The 1990s marked a major turning point in Rhames's screen career. Following appearances in Jacob's Ladder and The People Under the Stairs, he earned high-profile recognition for Pulp Fiction. In 1996, he originated the role of Luther Stickell in Mission: Impossible, becoming a core cast member throughout the action franchise. His subsequent 1990s feature film credits include Con Air, Rosewood, Out of Sight, and Bringing Out the Dead, alongside a recurring television role on the medical drama ER.

For his performance in the 1997 television film Don King: Only in America, Rhames received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film. During the live ceremony, he famously presented his trophy to fellow nominee Jack Lemmon. Over the following decades, he continued to expand his cinematic work, voicing Cobra Bubbles in the animated movie Lilo & Stitch and starring in films such as Baby Boy, the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead, Saving God, and the biopic Phantom Punch. He also remained a constant fixture in the Mission: Impossible series, standing as the only performer besides Tom Cruise to appear in all eight installments.

Beyond feature films, Rhames has led television projects including the 2005 revival of Kojak and served as a voice artist for various media. He provided narration for the series American Gangster, voiced a character in the video game Driver 3, and became the recognizable voice behind Arby's commercial campaigns. He has additionally lent his voice to ADT, RadioShack, UFC broadcasts, and Super Bowl LI team introductions. A Christian, Rhames was previously married to movie publicist Valerie Scott and married Deborah Reed in 2000.