Overview (3)
| Date of Birth | 12 May 1981, Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Birth Name | Rami Said Malek |
| Height | 5' 9" (1.75 m) |
Mini Bio (1)
Rami Malek was born on May 12, 1981 in Los Angeles, California, USA as Rami Said Malek. He is an actor, known for Mr. Robot (2015), Short Term 12 (2013) and Need for Speed (2014).
Trade Mark (1)
Wide, expressive eyes
Trivia (13)
Received his BFA from the University of Evansville.
Raised in Los Angeles.
He has an identical twin brother named Sami.
Is good friends with Bassam Habib .
Graduated from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, in June 1999. Two of his classmates were Rachel Bilson and Taylor Fry. Kirsten Dunst graduated from the same school a year later, and Katharine McPhee graduated three years after Rami.
His parents are Egyptian. He has also said that he has "an eighth Greek" ancestry.
Went to high school with and once dated His Mr. Robot co-star Christian Slater's step-sister Emily.
Went to high school with Kirsten Dunst, where he was a year ahead. They had a musical theatre class together.
His late father was a tour guide in Cairo and later sold insurance. His mother is an accountant.
Received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2003 from the University of Evansville in Evansville, Indiana.
Raised in the Coptic Orthodox faith.
Has also an older sister, who is a medical doctor.
His identical twin brother Sami, who is younger by four minutes, is a teacher.
Personal Quotes (28)
I'm very fortunate to have the privilege of working with directors like Bill Condon and Paul Thomas Anderson, who I think is one of the greatest filmmakers of our time.
Being on a Paul Thomas Anderson film, the best decision an actor can make is to listen to Paul Thomas Anderson. Because he's probably not going to steer anyone in the wrong direction. I would always say go with your gut on any other movie set, but with Paul, I would say go with Paul's gut.
I would say 'The Master' was one of the most inspiring things I've ever got to work on.
All you 'Twilight' fans, can't thank you really enough for being so supportive. You're real cool people.
There's fears in everyone's job. Ours are in the limelight, and people think we're incredibly privileged or nuts to do what we do for a living.
Mara Casey gave me my first job. I saw something online, and it was for a part in a Gilmore Girls (2000) episode, and I thought I was right for it.
I used to spend a lot of time alone as a kid, creating characters and doing voices in my room, and I thought to myself, I'm either going to go absolutely nuts, or I'm going to find something to put that energy into.
Of course I would never compare myself to someone who actually went through a war, but I definitely matured shooting The Pacific (2010). I'm more calm and I have more patience.
My sister is an ER doctor, and my brother is a teacher.
I would say The Master (2012) was one of the most inspiring things I've ever got to work on.
'Twilight' fans are different. They're very civil with one another. It's a respect because they're all in this together and they all appreciate the same things.
I don't use emojis. I go vintage.
Not long after The Pacific (2010), I began shooting the comedy Larry Crowne (2011) which was also with Tom Hanks, who also directed and plays the title character.
Everything has become so easy. It's great that it's at your fingertips, but I miss those good old days. And we're connected, but it can be very alienating. There is this distance between all of us because we're speaking to each other through cameras and monitors and icons and Emojis.
It's funny to think that when you get done with an acting job, you're considered unemployed. There are definitely times when those checks don't last forever. I went to college at a private school, and I racked up quite a bit of debt. I was very slow to pay them back.
I'm drawn to projects where I play these really complicated characters, but also where I can have some type of influence on affecting what we see as societal norms.
I think people have a hard time thinking that I could've done a sitcom.
I'm constantly questioning the effects technology has had on our lives and the effect that monetary debt has had on all of us. We keep this as a dark little secret: 'This is how much interest I owe.'
I love film. I've always been enchanted by doing film. It's something I grew up watching - classics and directors I admire - so that's something I've always been passionate about.
People used to think of me as a comedy actor.
I'm just trying to play against ethnicity. I got to play a guy from Louisiana in The Pacific (2010) named Merriell Shelton, and now I'm playing Elliot Alderman.
I get to delve into some of the most creative experience I've had as an actor on Mr. Robot (2015). I think there's a wide opportunity for actors to do that now more so than ever on television.
I always loved Hanks (Tom Hanks) in Philadelphia (1993) and Forrest Gump (1994) and watching how versatile he was. That shaped my impression of what someone was able to do. Of course, everything De Niro (Robert De Niro) came up with was always something I was taken by.
I have to extend my admiration and respect for Sam Esmail, who is a visionary with what he's done with Mr. Robot (2015), and this brilliant resurgence of Christian Slater only helped us get where we are today - very talented individual.
I usually find myself hiking in a place that not a lot of people go hiking, just trying to find some solitude. I like being out in the middle of nowhere. Not always, but it's a good place to go to just reflect and think, and it's something I really enjoy.
On films, you have the liberty of working out the details, the psychology, taking maybe more risks and takes than you can in television just because you can't be figuring things out on the day.
Every guy should be the owner of a really nice pen. When you put your thoughts down, or whenever you're going to share something with someone, it means something if it bleeds out in a nice ink.
When I'm onscreen or acting, I swear, I can listen like nobody's business. I listen so well. Every word. Every action. Every physicality. I have a hard time doing that in real life.