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 Garfield Movie | Otto (voice) | 2024-04-30 |
Movie | The Instigators | Frank Toomey | 2024-08-02 |
Movie | The Locksmith | Frank | 2023-02-03 |
Movie | Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One | Luther Stickell | 2023-07-08 |
Series | Legacy | Guy Simmons | 2023-03-01 |
Movie | Wendell & Wild | Buffalo Belzer (voice) | 2022-10-21 |
Movie | QT8: The First Eight | Self (archive footage) | 2019-10-21 |
Movie | Mission: Impossible - Fallout | Luther Stickell | 2018-07-13 |
Movie | Con Man | Peanut | 2018-01-30 |
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 |
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 | Piranha 3DD | Deputy Fallon (uncredited) | 2012-05-11 |
Movie | 7 Below | Jack | 2012-04-16 |
Movie | Soldiers of Fortune | Grimaud | 2012-06-07 |
Movie | Art of Submission | Gene | 2012-09-21 |
Movie | Won't Back Down | Principal Thompson | 2012-09-28 |
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 |
Movie | Love Chronicles: Secrets Revealed | Mike | 2010-07-12 |
Series | Gravity | Dogg McFee | 2010-04-23 |
Movie | Master Harold... and the Boys | Sam | 2010-03-17 |
Movie | Operation: Endgame | Judgement | 2010-07-20 |
Movie | Piranha 3D | Deputy Fallon | 2010-08-20 |
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 | Echelon Conspiracy | Agent Dave Grant | 2009-02-27 |
Movie | Give 'em Hell, Malone | Boulder | 2009-01-04 |
Movie | The Tournament | Joshua Harlow | 2009-05-01 |
Movie | Evil Angel | Carruthers | 2009-02-05 |
Movie | The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard | Jibby Newsome | 2009-05-29 |
Movie | Surrogates | Prophet | 2009-09-24 |
Movie | The Bridge to Nowhere | Drug Dealer | 2009-08-17 |
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 | Leroy & Stitch | Cobra Bubbles (voice) | 2006-06-23 |
Movie | Tarantino's Mind | Marsellus Wallace (archive footage) | 2006-01-04 |
Movie | Mission: Impossible III | Luther Stickell | 2006-04-25 |
Series | Aquaman | McCaffery | 2006-07-24 |
Movie | Aquaman | McCaffery | 2006-07-24 |
Series | American Gangster | 2006-11-28 | |
Movie | Idlewild | Spats | 2006-08-25 |
Movie | Animal | Animal | 2005-05-01 |
Series | Kojak | Theo Kojak | 2005-03-25 |
Movie | Back in the Day | J-Bone | 2005-05-24 |
Movie | The Story Room: The Making of 'Lilo & Stitch' | Himself | 2005-08-22 |
Movie | Shooting Gallery | Cue Ball Carl Bridgers | 2005-12-26 |
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 | Beef | Narrator (voice) | 2003-08-03 |
Series | Lilo & Stitch: The Series | Unknown | 2003-09-20 |
Movie | Stitch! The Movie | Cobra Bubbles (voice) | 2003-08-26 |
Movie | Lilo & Stitch | Cobra Bubbles (voice) | 2002-06-21 |
Movie | Undisputed | George 'Iceman' Chambers | 2002-07-17 |
Series | Icons | Unknown | 2002-05-01 |
Movie | Little John | John Morgan | 2002-05-05 |
Series | The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius | Unknown | 2002-07-20 |
Movie | RFK | Judge Jones | 2002-08-25 |
Movie | Dark Blue | Arthur Holland | 2002-12-14 |
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 | 1999-04-29 |
Movie | Bringing Out the Dead | Marcus | 1999-10-22 |
Movie | Body Count | Pike | 1998-04-28 |
Movie | Out of Sight | Buddy Bragg | 1998-06-26 |
Movie | Con Air | Nathan "Diamond Dog" Jones | 1997-06-05 |
Movie | Dangerous Ground | Muki | 1997-02-12 |
Movie | Rosewood | Mann | 1997-02-21 |
Movie | Don King: Only in America | Don King | 1997-11-15 |
Series | The Wonderful World of Disney | Unknown | 1997-09-28 |
Series | The View | Unknown | 1997-08-11 |
Movie | Mission: Impossible | Luther Stickell | 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 |
Series | ER | Walter Robbins | 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 | Rising Son | Ed | 1990-07-23 |
Movie | When You Remember Me | Leon | 1990-10-07 |
Movie | Jacob's Ladder | George | 1990-11-02 |
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 |
Movie | Native Son | Jack | 1986-12-24 |
Series | Crime Story | Unknown | 1986-09-19 |
Movie | Go Tell It on the Mountain | Young Gabriel | 1985-01-14 |
Series | The Equalizer | Unknown | 1985-09-18 |
Series | Spenser: For Hire | Unknown | 1985-09-20 |
Series | Miami Vice | Unknown | 1984-09-16 |
Series | Another World | 1964-05-04 | |
Series | Hallmark Hall of Fame | Unknown | 1951-12-24 |