Rami Malek

After landing his first on-screen role with his very first audition, Rami Malek went onto play the first openly gay teenager in a network family sitcom, receive critical acclaim for his performances in "The Pacific" (HBO 2010) and "Short Term 12" (2013) and appear in several of the biggest film franchises of the 21st century. Born in Los Angeles in 1981, Malek graduated from the University of Evansville, IN, with a bachelor of fine arts degree in 2003 and initially focused on theatre work before making his television debut as Andy in "Gilmore Girls" (The WB 2000-07). Malek then guested on supernatural crime drama "Medium" (NBC 2005-2011) and appeared as Iraqi insurgent Hassan in controversial war drama "Over There" (FX 2005) before taking on the more notable role of Kenny, the gay best friend of the Gold family's oldest son Larry in the much-maligned sitcom "The War At Home" (Fox 2005-07). Malek then adopted an English accent to play pharaoh Ahkmenrah in the family adventure hit "Night At The Museum" (2006), a character he would also reprise in the sequel "Battle Of The Smithsonian" (2009), before returning to the stage in Keith Bunin's "The Credeaux Canvas." Following a three-episode stint as Egyptian-American suicide bomber Marcos Al-Zacar in the eighth series of "24" (Fox 2001-2010), Malek was praised for his performance as morally ambiguous corporal Merriell Shelton in the Emmy Award-winning miniseries "The Pacific" (HBO 2010), where he caught the eye of executive producer Tom Hanks, who then cast him as pot-stirring college student Steve Dibiasi in his second directorial effort, "Larry Crowne" (2011). After guesting as serial killer Webb Porter in an episode of "Alcatraz" (Fox 2012), Malek added to his filmography by playing a watch officer in "Battleship" (2012) and cult leader Lancaster Dodd's son-in-law Clark in "The Master" (2011). Malek then gained a new fan base after he was cast as alpha vampire Benjamin in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2" (2012) and played newly-recruited foster care worker Nate in critically-acclaimed indie drama "Short Term 12" (2013). Malek next appeared as Joe Douchett's abductor Doo Doo Brown in Spike Lee's remake of Korean hit "Oldboy" (2013). In 2015, he took on what would prove to be a starmaking role for him when he was cast in the lead of the USA show "Mr. Robot" as paranoid hacker Elliot. The twisty drama brought him the acclaim he had long deserved, as well as multiple award nominations. After appearing in the little-seen surreal mystery "Buster's Mal Heart" (2016) and a remake of prison drama "Papillon" (2017), Malek broke through to big screen stardom through his portrayal of Freddie Mercury in the Queen biopic "Bohemian Rhapsody" (2018). Though the production was troubled, with director Bryan Singer being fired during the shoot and Malek taking some online mockery for the prominent false teeth he wore to mimic Mercury's distinctive orthodontia, the film was a massive box office success around the world. Malek won the Golden Globe for his portrayal as well as Best Actor in the 2019 Oscars.