
Irving Rameses "Ving" Rhames (born May 12, 1959) is an American actor best known for his work in Bringing Out the Dead, Pulp Fiction, Baby Boy, Don King: Only in America, and the Mission: Impossible film series. Rhames was born in New York City, New York, he entered New York's School of Performing Arts, where he discovered his love of acting. After high school, he studied drama at SUNY Purchase where he met fellow actor Stanley Tucci, who gave him his nickname "Ving". He later transferred to Juilliard, where he began his career in New York theater. Rhames first appeared on Broadway in the play The Winter Boys in 1984. Ving continued his rise to fame through his work in soap operas. He found work as a supporting actor, and came to the attention of the general public by playing the role of Marsellus Wallace in Pulp Fiction (1994). Rhames was also getting public exposure on television as Peter Benton's brother-in-law on the medical drama ER, a recurring role he filled for 3 seasons. Not long after, Rhames was cast with Tom Cruise as the ace computer hacker Luther Stickell in Brian De Palma's Mission: Impossible (1996). With solid performances in two of these highly popular productions, his face was now known to moviegoers; the work offers began rolling in more frequently and he can been seen in several popular films such as Con Air and Dawn of the Dead. Rhames won a Golden Globe in 1998 for best actor in a TV miniseries for his performance in HBO's Don King: Only in America. At the ceremony Rhames gave his award to fellow nominee Jack Lemmon (who is White), saying "I feel that being an artist is about giving, and I'd like to give this to you." Lemmon was clearly touched by the gesture as was the celebrity audience who gave Lemmon a standing ovation. Lemmon, who tried unsuccessfully to give the award back to Rhames said it was "one of the sweetest moments I've ever known in my life." The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced later that they would have a duplicate award prepared for Rhames.
Movie | Mission: Impossible - Fallout | Luther Stickell | 2018-07-13 |
Movie | Extortion | 2017-01-02 | |
Movie | The Star | Thaddeus (voice) | 2017-11-15 |
Movie | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 | Charlie-27 | 2017-04-19 |
Movie | A Sunday Horse | Mr. Valentine | 2016-02-15 |
Movie | Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation | Luther Stickell | 2015-07-23 |
Movie | Jamesy Boy | Conrad | 2014-01-03 |
Movie | A Day Late and a Dollar Short | Cecil | 2014-04-19 |
Movie | In Security | Officer Hall | 2014-04-28 |
Series | Monday Mornings | Dr. Jorge Villanueva | 2013-02-04 |
Movie | Death Race: Inferno | Weyland | 2013-01-04 |
Movie | Percentage | Porter | 2013-04-24 |
Movie | Force of Execution | Ice Man | 2013-12-31 |
Movie | 7 Below | Jack | 2012-04-16 |
Movie | Piranha 3DD | Deputy Fallon (uncredited) | 2012-05-11 |
Movie | Won't Back Down | Principal Thompson | 2012-09-28 |
Movie | Soldiers of Fortune | Grimaud | 2012-06-07 |
Movie | Pimp Bullies | Miguel | 2011-06-30 |
Movie | Mafia | Renzo Wes | 2011-01-01 |
Movie | The River Murders | Captain Langley | 2011-06-30 |
Movie | Zombie Apocalypse | Henry | 2011-10-29 |
Movie | Julia X | The Man | 2011-09-24 |
Movie | Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol | Luther Stickell | 2011-12-07 |
Series | Gravity | Dogg McFee | 2010-04-23 |
Movie | Love Chronicles: Secrets Revealed | 2010-07-12 | |
Movie | Master Harold... and the Boys | Sam | 2010-03-17 |
Movie | Operation: Endgame | Judgement | 2010-07-20 |
Movie | The Wrath of Cain | Cain | 2010-11-16 |
Movie | King of the Avenue | Norman / De'Sha | 2010-09-17 |
Movie | Death Race 2 | Weyland | 2010-11-12 |
Movie | Piranha 3D | Deputy Fallon | 2010-08-20 |
Movie | Art of Submission | Gene | 2009-01-15 |
Movie | Phantom Punch | Sonny Liston | 2009-01-01 |
Movie | Give 'em Hell, Malone | Boulder | 2009-01-01 |
Movie | Evil Angel | Carruthers | 2009-02-05 |
Movie | The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard | Jibby Newsome | 2009-05-29 |
Movie | The Bridge to Nowhere | Drug Dealer | 2009-08-17 |
Movie | Echelon Conspiracy | Agent Dave Grant | 2009-02-27 |
Movie | The Tournament | Joshua Harlow | 2009-05-01 |
Movie | Surrogates | Prophet | 2009-09-24 |
Movie | Day of the Dead | Captain Rhodes | 2008-04-08 |
Movie | A Broken Life | The Vet | 2008-09-23 |
Movie | Saving God | Pastor Armstrong Cane | 2008-10-14 |
Movie | Ascension Day | 2007-02-02 | |
Movie | I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry | Fred G. Duncan | 2007-07-12 |
Movie | Animal 2 | James 'Animal' Allen | 2007-09-04 |
Movie | Mission: Impossible III | Luther Stickell | 2006-05-03 |
Movie | Aquaman | McCaffery | 2006-07-24 |
Series | Aquaman | McCaffery | 2006-07-24 |
Series | American Gangster | 2006-11-28 | |
Movie | Idlewild | Spats | 2006-08-25 |
Series | Kojak | 2005-03-25 | |
Movie | Animal | Animal | 2005-05-01 |
Movie | Back in the Day | J-Bone | 2005-05-24 |
Movie | Shooting Gallery | Cue Ball Carl Bridgers | 2005-12-26 |
Movie | Dawn of the Dead | Kenneth | 2004-03-19 |
Series | On Air with Ryan Seacrest | Unknown | 2004-01-01 |
Series | The Tony Danza Show | Unknown | 2004-09-13 |
Movie | Beef | Narrator | 2003-08-03 |
Movie | Sin | Eddie Burns | 2003-01-01 |
Series | Lilo & Stitch: The Series | Unknown | 2003-09-20 |
Series | Icons | Unknown | 2002-05-01 |
Movie | RFK | Judge Jones | 2002-01-01 |
Movie | Little John | John Morgan | 2002-05-05 |
Series | The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius | Unknown | 2002-07-20 |
Movie | Dark Blue | Arthur Holland | 2002-12-14 |
Movie | Lilo & Stitch | Cobra Bubbles (voice) | 2002-06-21 |
Movie | Undisputed | George 'Iceman' Chambers | 2002-08-23 |
Movie | Baby Boy | Melvin 'Mel' | 2001-06-27 |
Movie | Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within | Sgt. Ryan Whitaker (voice) | 2001-07-02 |
Series | The Proud Family | Unknown | 2001-09-15 |
Series | UC: Undercover | Unknown | 2001-09-30 |
Movie | Mission: Impossible II | Luther Stickell | 2000-05-24 |
Series | The District | Unknown | 2000-10-07 |
Movie | American Tragedy | Johnnie Cochran | 2000-11-12 |
Movie | Holiday Heart | Holiday Heart | 2000-12-10 |
Movie | Entrapment | Aaron Thibadeaux | 1999-04-30 |
Movie | Bringing Out the Dead | Marcus | 1999-10-22 |
Movie | Out of Sight | Buddy Bragg | 1998-06-26 |
Movie | Body Count | Pike | 1998-04-28 |
Movie | Rosewood | Mann | 1997-02-21 |
Movie | Con Air | Nathan Jones | 1997-06-01 |
Movie | Dangerous Ground | Muki | 1997-02-12 |
Series | The View | Unknown | 1997-08-11 |
Movie | Don King: Only in America | Don King | 1997-11-15 |
Series | The Wonderful World of Disney | Unknown | 1997-09-28 |
Movie | Mission: Impossible | Luther Stickell | 1996-05-22 |
Movie | Striptease | Shad | 1996-06-28 |
Movie | Kiss of Death | Omar | 1995-04-21 |
Movie | Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Lightning | Detective Artie Brown | 1995-03-19 |
Movie | Pulp Fiction | Marsellus Wallace | 1994-09-10 |
Movie | Drop Squad | Garvey | 1994-10-28 |
Series | ER | Unknown | 1994-09-19 |
Movie | Bound by Honor | Ivan | 1993-02-05 |
Movie | Dave | Duane Stevenson | 1993-05-07 |
Series | Late Night with Conan O'Brien | Unknown | 1993-09-13 |
Movie | The Saint of Fort Washington | Little Leroy | 1993-11-03 |
Movie | Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot | Mr. Stereo | 1992-02-21 |
Movie | Flight of the Intruder | McRae | 1991-01-18 |
Movie | The People Under the Stairs | Leroy | 1991-11-01 |
Movie | Homicide | Robert Randolph | 1991-05-28 |
Movie | Jacob's Ladder | George | 1990-11-02 |
Movie | Rising Son | Ed | 1990-07-23 |
Movie | The Long Walk Home | Herbert Cotter | 1990-12-21 |
Movie | Casualties of War | Lt. Reilly | 1989-08-18 |
Movie | Patty Hearst | Cinque | 1988-09-23 |
Series | Tour of Duty | Unknown | 1987-09-24 |
Series | Crime Story | Unknown | 1986-09-19 |
Movie | Native Son | Jack | 1986-12-24 |
Series | Spenser: For Hire | Unknown | 1985-09-20 |
Series | The Equalizer | Unknown | 1985-09-18 |
Movie | Go Tell It On The Mountain | Young Gabriel | 1984-01-01 |
Series | Miami Vice | Unknown | 1984-09-16 |
Series | Another World | 1964-05-04 | |
Series | Hallmark Hall of Fame | Unknown | 1951-12-24 |