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 8 | Luther Stickell | 2025-05-21 |
Movie | The Instigators | Frank Toomey | 2024-08-02 |
Movie | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 | Charlie-27 | 2023-05-03 |
Movie | QT8: The First Eight | Self (archive footage) | 2019-10-21 |
Movie | Mission: Impossible - Fallout | Luther Stickell | 2018-07-13 |
Movie | Con Man | Peanut | 2018-03-02 |
Movie | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 | Charlie-27 | 2017-04-19 |
Movie | Father Figures | Rod Hamilton | 2017-12-21 |
Movie | The Star | Thaddeus (voice) | 2017-11-15 |
Movie | A Sunday Horse | Mr. Valentine | 2016-02-15 |
Movie | Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation | Luther Stickell | 2015-07-23 |
Movie | Operator | Richard | 2015-08-21 |
Movie | Jamesy Boy | Conrad | 2014-01-03 |
Movie | In Security | Officer Hall | 2014-04-28 |
Movie | Force of Execution | Ice Man | 2014-02-03 |
Movie | Death Race: Inferno | Weyland | 2013-01-04 |
Series | Monday Mornings | Dr. Jorge Villanueva | 2013-02-04 |
Movie | Percentage | Porter | 2013-04-24 |
Movie | 7 Below | Jack | 2012-04-16 |
Movie | Piranha 3DD | Deputy Fallon (uncredited) | 2012-05-11 |
Movie | Art of Submission | Gene | 2012-09-21 |
Movie | Soldiers of Fortune | Grimaud | 2012-06-07 |
Movie | Won't Back Down | Principal Thompson | 2012-09-28 |
Movie | Mafia | Renzo Wes | 2011-01-01 |
Movie | Julia X | The Man | 2011-09-24 |
Movie | The River Murders | Captain Langley | 2011-06-30 |
Movie | Zombie Apocalypse | Henry | 2011-10-29 |
Movie | Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol | Luther Stickell (uncredited) | 2011-12-07 |
Series | Gravity | Dogg McFee | 2010-04-23 |
Movie | Master Harold... and the Boys | Sam | 2010-03-17 |
Movie | Love Chronicles: Secrets Revealed | Mike | 2010-07-12 |
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 | Evil Angel | Carruthers | 2009-02-05 |
Movie | Give 'em Hell, Malone | Boulder | 2009-01-04 |
Movie | Echelon Conspiracy | Agent Dave Grant | 2009-02-27 |
Movie | The Tournament | Joshua Harlow | 2009-05-01 |
Movie | Surrogates | Prophet | 2009-09-24 |
Movie | The Bridge to Nowhere | Drug Dealer | 2009-08-17 |
Movie | The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard | Jibby Newsome | 2009-05-29 |
Movie | Day of the Dead | Captain Rhodes | 2008-04-08 |
Movie | Saving God | Armstrong Cane | 2008-10-14 |
Movie | Phantom Punch | Sonny Liston | 2008-09-01 |
Movie | Ascension Day | 2007-02-02 | |
Movie | I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry | Fred G. Duncan | 2007-07-12 |
Movie | A Broken Life | The Vet | 2007-09-23 |
Movie | Animal 2 | James 'Animal' Allen | 2007-09-04 |
Movie | Mission: Impossible III | Luther | 2006-04-25 |
Movie | Leroy & Stitch | Cobra Bubbles (voice) | 2006-06-23 |
Movie | Tarantino's Mind | Marsellus Wallace (archive footage) | 2006-01-04 |
Series | American Gangster | 2006-11-28 | |
Series | Aquaman | McCaffery | 2006-07-24 |
Movie | Idlewild | Spats | 2006-08-25 |
Movie | Back in the Day | J-Bone | 2005-05-24 |
Movie | Animal | Animal | 2005-05-01 |
Movie | The Story Room: The Making of 'Lilo & Stitch' | Himself | 2005-08-22 |
Movie | Shooting Gallery | Cue Ball Carl Bridgers | 2005-12-26 |
Movie | Dawn of the Dead | Kenneth | 2004-03-19 |
Movie | Sin | Eddie Burns | 2003-01-01 |
Movie | Stitch! The Movie | Cobra Bubbles (voice) | 2003-08-26 |
Movie | Beef | Narrator (voice) | 2003-08-03 |
Movie | Little John | John Morgan | 2002-05-05 |
Movie | Lilo & Stitch | Cobra Bubbles (voice) | 2002-06-21 |
Movie | RFK | Judge Jones | 2002-08-25 |
Movie | Pulp Fiction: The Facts | Self (archive footage) | 2002-08-20 |
Movie | Dark Blue | Arthur Holland | 2002-12-14 |
Movie | Baby Boy | Melvin 'Mel' | 2001-06-27 |
Movie | American Tragedy | Johnnie Cochran | 2000-11-12 |
Movie | Mission: Impossible II | Luther Stickell | 2000-05-24 |
Movie | Holiday Heart | Holiday Heart | 2000-12-10 |
Movie | Entrapment | Aaron Thibadeaux | 1999-04-29 |
Movie | Bringing Out the Dead | Marcus | 1999-10-22 |
Movie | Body Count | Pike | 1998-04-28 |
Movie | Rosewood | Mann | 1997-02-21 |
Movie | Dangerous Ground | Muki | 1997-02-12 |
Movie | Con Air | Nathan "Diamond Dog" Jones | 1997-06-05 |
Movie | Don King: Only in America | Don King | 1997-11-15 |
Movie | Mission: Impossible | Luther | 1996-05-22 |
Movie | Striptease | Shad | 1996-06-28 |
Movie | Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Lightning | Detective Artie Brown | 1995-03-19 |
Movie | Kiss of Death | Omar | 1995-04-21 |
Movie | Deadly Whispers | Det. Jackson | 1995-05-10 |
Movie | Pulp Fiction | Marsellus Wallace | 1994-09-10 |
Movie | Drop Squad | Garvey | 1994-10-28 |
Movie | Dave | Duane Stevenson | 1993-05-07 |
Movie | Bound by Honor | Ivan | 1993-02-05 |
Movie | The Saint of Fort Washington | Little Leroy | 1993-11-03 |
Movie | Flight of the Intruder | McRae | 1991-01-18 |
Movie | Homicide | Robert Randolph | 1991-05-28 |
Movie | Iran: Days of Crisis | Charles Jones | 1991-09-30 |
Movie | The People Under the Stairs | Leroy | 1991-11-01 |
Movie | Rising Son | Ed | 1990-07-23 |
Movie | The Long Walk Home | Herbert Cotter | 1990-12-21 |
Movie | When You Remember Me | Leon | 1990-10-07 |
Movie | Casualties of War | Lt. Reilly | 1989-08-18 |
Movie | Patty Hearst | Cinque | 1988-09-23 |
Movie | Native Son | Jack | 1986-12-24 |
Movie | Go Tell It on the Mountain | Young Gabriel | 1985-01-14 |
Are you sure you want to hide this?