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 | 2025-05-22 |
Movie | The Instigators | 2025 | |
Movie | The Garfield Movie | Otto (voice) | 2024-05-01 |
Movie | The Locksmith | Frank | 2023-02-03 |
Series | Legacy | Guy Simmons | 2023-03-01 |
Movie | Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One | Luther Stickell | 2023-07-08 |
Movie | Wendell & Wild | Buffalo Belzer (voice) | 2022-10-21 |
Movie | QT8: The First Eight | Self (archive footage) | 2019-10-21 |
Movie | Con Man | Peanut | 2018-01-30 |
Movie | Mission: Impossible - Fallout | Luther Stickell | 2018-07-13 |
Movie | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 | Charlie-27 | 2017-04-19 |
Movie | The Star | Thaddeus (voice) | 2017-11-15 |
Movie | Father Figures | Rod Hamilton | 2017-12-21 |
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 | In Security | Officer Hall | 2014-04-28 |
Movie | Jamesy Boy | Conrad | 2014-01-03 |
Movie | A Day Late and a Dollar Short | Cecil | 2014-04-19 |
Movie | Death Race: Inferno | Weyland | 2013-01-04 |
Movie | Percentage | Porter | 2013-04-24 |
Movie | Force of Execution | Ice Man | 2013-12-31 |
Series | Monday Mornings | Dr. Jorge Villanueva | 2013-02-04 |
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 | Art of Submission | Gene | 2012-09-21 |
Movie | The River Murders | Captain Langley | 2011-06-30 |
Movie | Mafia | Renzo Wes | 2011-01-01 |
Movie | Pimp Bullies | Miguel | 2011-06-30 |
Movie | Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol | Luther Stickell (uncredited) | 2011-12-07 |
Movie | Julia X 3D | The Man | 2011-09-24 |
Movie | Zombie Apocalypse | Henry | 2011-10-29 |
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 | Death Race 2 | Weyland | 2010-11-12 |
Movie | King of the Avenue | Norman / De'Sha | 2010-09-17 |
Movie | Piranha 3D | Deputy Fallon | 2010-08-20 |
Movie | Evil Angel | Carruthers | 2009-02-05 |
Movie | Echelon Conspiracy | Agent Dave Grant | 2009-02-27 |
Movie | Give 'em Hell, Malone | Boulder | 2009-01-04 |
Movie | Surrogates | Prophet | 2009-09-24 |
Movie | The Tournament | Joshua Harlow | 2009-05-01 |
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 | I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry | Fred G. Duncan | 2007-07-12 |
Movie | Ascension Day | 2007-02-02 | |
Movie | Animal 2 | James 'Animal' Allen | 2007-09-04 |
Movie | A Broken Life | The Vet | 2007-09-23 |
Movie | Mission: Impossible III | Luther Stickell | 2006-04-25 |
Movie | Tarantino's Mind | Marsellus Wallace (archive footage) | 2006-01-04 |
Movie | Leroy & Stitch | Cobra Bubbles (voice) | 2006-06-23 |
Series | Aquaman | McCaffery | 2006-07-24 |
Series | American Gangster | 2006-11-28 | |
Movie | Idlewild | Spats | 2006-08-25 |
Movie | Aquaman | McCaffery | 2006-07-24 |
Series | Kojak | Theo Kojak | 2005-03-25 |
Movie | Animal | Animal | 2005-05-01 |
Movie | Shooting Gallery | Cue Ball Carl Bridgers | 2005-12-26 |
Movie | Back in the Day | J-Bone | 2005-05-24 |
Movie | The Story Room: The Making of 'Lilo & Stitch' | Himself | 2005-08-22 |
Series | On Air with Ryan Seacrest | Unknown | 2004-01-01 |
Movie | Dawn of the Dead | Kenneth | 2004-03-19 |
Series | The Tony Danza Show | 2004-09-13 | |
Movie | Sin | Eddie Burns | 2003-01-01 |
Movie | Stitch! The Movie | Cobra Bubbles (voice) | 2003-08-26 |
Movie | Beef | Narrator (voice) | 2003-08-03 |
Series | Lilo & Stitch: The Series | Unknown | 2003-09-20 |
Movie | Lilo & Stitch | Cobra Bubbles (voice) | 2002-06-21 |
Series | Icons | Unknown | 2002-05-01 |
Movie | Undisputed | George 'Iceman' Chambers | 2002-07-17 |
Movie | Little John | John Morgan | 2002-05-05 |
Movie | RFK | Judge Jones | 2002-08-25 |
Series | The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius | Unknown | 2002-07-20 |
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 |
Series | The Proud Family | Unknown | 2001-09-15 |
Movie | Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within | Sgt. Ryan Whitaker (voice) | 2001-07-02 |
Series | UC: Undercover | Unknown | 2001-09-30 |
Movie | Mission: Impossible II | Luther Stickell | 2000-05-24 |
Movie | American Tragedy | Johnnie Cochran | 2000-11-12 |
Movie | Holiday Heart | Holiday Heart | 2000-12-10 |
Series | The District | Unknown | 2000-10-07 |
Movie | Bringing Out the Dead | Marcus | 1999-10-22 |
Movie | Entrapment | Aaron Thibadeaux | 1999-04-29 |
Movie | Out of Sight | Buddy Bragg | 1998-06-26 |
Movie | Body Count | Pike | 1998-04-28 |
Movie | Con Air | Nathan "Diamond Dog" Jones | 1997-06-05 |
Movie | Dangerous Ground | Muki | 1997-02-12 |
Movie | Rosewood | Mann | 1997-02-21 |
Series | The View | Unknown | 1997-08-11 |
Series | The Wonderful World of Disney | Unknown | 1997-09-28 |
Movie | Don King: Only in America | Don King | 1997-11-15 |
Movie | Striptease | Shad | 1996-06-28 |
Movie | Mission: Impossible | Luther Stickell | 1996-05-22 |
Movie | Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Lightning | Detective Artie Brown | 1995-03-19 |
Movie | Deadly Whispers | Det. Jackson | 1995-05-10 |
Movie | Kiss of Death | Omar | 1995-04-21 |
Movie | Pulp Fiction | Marsellus Wallace | 1994-09-10 |
Series | ER | Walter Robbins | 1994-09-19 |
Movie | Drop Squad | Garvey | 1994-10-28 |
Movie | The Saint of Fort Washington | Little Leroy | 1993-11-03 |
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 | Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot | Mr. Stereo | 1992-02-21 |
Movie | Flight of the Intruder | McRae | 1991-01-18 |
Movie | Homicide | Robert Randolph | 1991-05-28 |
Movie | The People Under the Stairs | Leroy | 1991-11-01 |
Movie | The Long Walk Home | Herbert Cotter | 1990-12-21 |
Movie | Rising Son | Ed | 1990-07-23 |
Movie | Jacob's Ladder | George | 1990-11-02 |
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 |
Series | Tour of Duty | Unknown | 1987-09-24 |
Movie | Native Son | Jack | 1986-12-24 |
Series | Crime Story | Unknown | 1986-09-19 |
Series | Spenser: For Hire | Unknown | 1985-09-20 |
Series | The Equalizer | Unknown | 1985-09-18 |
Movie | Go Tell It on the Mountain | Young Gabriel | 1985-01-14 |
Series | Miami Vice | Unknown | 1984-09-16 |
Series | Another World | 1964-05-04 | |
Series | Hallmark Hall of Fame | Unknown | 1951-12-24 |