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 | |
Series | Sinking Spring | Bart | 2025 |
Movie | The Garfield Movie | (voice) | 2024-05-01 |
Movie | The Wild Robot | (voice) | 2024-09-12 |
Movie | The Locksmith | Frank | 2023-02-03 |
Movie | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 | Charlie-27 | 2023-05-03 |
Movie | Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One | Luther Stickell | 2023-07-08 |
Series | Legacy | Guy Simmons | 2023-03-01 |
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 | Father Figures | Rod Hamilton | 2017-12-21 |
Movie | Extortion | 2017-01-02 | |
Movie | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 | Charlie-27 | 2017-04-19 |
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 | A Day Late and a Dollar Short | Cecil | 2014-04-19 |
Movie | In Security | Officer Hall | 2014-04-28 |
Movie | Jamesy Boy | Conrad | 2014-01-03 |
Movie | Death Race: Inferno | Weyland | 2013-01-04 |
Series | Monday Mornings | Dr. Jorge Villanueva | 2013-02-04 |
Movie | Force of Execution | Ice Man | 2013-12-31 |
Movie | Percentage | Porter | 2013-04-24 |
Movie | 7 Below | Jack | 2012-04-16 |
Movie | Art of Submission | Gene | 2012-09-21 |
Movie | Piranha 3DD | Deputy Fallon (uncredited) | 2012-05-11 |
Movie | Soldiers of Fortune | Grimaud | 2012-06-07 |
Movie | Won't Back Down | Principal Thompson | 2012-09-28 |
Movie | Pimp Bullies | Miguel | 2011-06-30 |
Movie | Mafia | Renzo Wes | 2011-01-01 |
Movie | The River Murders | Captain Langley | 2011-06-30 |
Movie | Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol | Luther Stickell (uncredited) | 2011-12-07 |
Movie | Zombie Apocalypse | Henry | 2011-10-29 |
Movie | Julia X 3D | The Man | 2011-09-24 |
Movie | Master Harold... and the Boys | Sam | 2010-03-17 |
Series | Gravity | Dogg McFee | 2010-04-23 |
Movie | Love Chronicles: Secrets Revealed | Mike | 2010-07-12 |
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 | Operation: Endgame | Judgement | 2010-07-20 |
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 | 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 | Surrogates | Prophet | 2009-09-24 |
Movie | Phantom Punch | Sonny Liston | 2008-09-01 |
Movie | Saving God | Armstrong Cane | 2008-10-14 |
Movie | Day of the Dead | Captain Rhodes | 2008-04-08 |
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 | A Broken Life | The Vet | 2007-09-23 |
Movie | Mission: Impossible III | Luther Stickell | 2006-04-25 |
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 | The Story Room: The Making of 'Lilo & Stitch' | Himself | 2005-08-22 |
Movie | Back in the Day | J-Bone | 2005-05-24 |
Movie | Shooting Gallery | Cue Ball Carl Bridgers | 2005-12-26 |
Series | On Air with Ryan Seacrest | Unknown | 2004-01-01 |
Series | The Tony Danza Show | 2004-09-13 | |
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 |
Series | Lilo & Stitch: The Series | Unknown | 2003-09-20 |
Movie | Beef | Narrator (voice) | 2003-08-03 |
Movie | Little John | John Morgan | 2002-05-05 |
Movie | Lilo & Stitch | Cobra Bubbles (voice) | 2002-06-21 |
Series | Icons | Unknown | 2002-05-01 |
Movie | Undisputed | George 'Iceman' Chambers | 2002-07-17 |
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 |
Series | The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius | Unknown | 2002-07-20 |
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 | Body Count | Pike | 1998-04-28 |
Movie | Out of Sight | Buddy Bragg | 1998-06-26 |
Movie | Rosewood | Mann | 1997-02-21 |
Movie | Dangerous Ground | Muki | 1997-02-12 |
Movie | Con Air | Nathan "Diamond Dog" Jones | 1997-06-05 |
Series | The Wonderful World of Disney | Unknown | 1997-09-28 |
Series | The View | Unknown | 1997-08-11 |
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 | Deadly Whispers | Det. Jackson | 1995-05-10 |
Movie | Kiss of Death | Omar | 1995-04-21 |
Movie | Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Lightning | Detective Artie Brown | 1995-03-19 |
Series | ER | Unknown | 1994-09-19 |
Movie | Pulp Fiction | Marsellus Wallace | 1994-09-10 |
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 |
Series | Late Night with Conan O'Brien | Unknown | 1993-09-13 |
Movie | Dave | Duane Stevenson | 1993-05-07 |
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 | When You Remember Me | Leon | 1990-10-07 |
Movie | Jacob's Ladder | George | 1990-11-02 |
Movie | Rising Son | Ed | 1990-07-23 |
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 | The Equalizer | Unknown | 1985-09-18 |
Movie | Go Tell It on the Mountain | Young Gabriel | 1985-01-14 |
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 |