Personal details
- Birth Date: 1981-05-12
- Height: 5′ 7½″ (1.71 m)
- Birth Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
- Parents: Nelly Malek
- Professions: Actor, Producer, Soundtrack
Rami Malek, born in sunny LA back in ‘81, has seriously made a mark as an actor. You probably know him as the twitchy, ultra-intense Elliot Alderson from Mr. Robot – yeah, the hacker show that got everyone obsessed with cybersecurity and hoodie fashion. The guy snagged himself an Emmy for that role, and racked up a heap of nominations, too. But he’s not a one-trick pony. Before all that, Malek was popping up everywhere—Night at the Museum (where he played a pharaoh, naturally), the war drama The Pacific, even a little Twilight cameo (don’t judge, we’ve all got bills to pay). He’s got some major range, bouncing from indie flicks like Short Term 12 to voice work in video games—he was Josh in Until Dawn, which is basically a playable horror movie. His roots? Egyptian Coptic Orthodox family, twin brother, and a mom who’s an accountant. Really, the guy’s got that “could be your cousin, could be a rockstar” energy. He hit the books at Notre Dame High with the likes of Rachel Bilson and Kirsten Dunst, then picked up a Fine Arts degree at the University of Evansville. Malek’s career kicked off with random TV gigs—Gilmore Girls, Medium, and a recurring role on The War at Home. He kept grinding, snagged his SAG card, and did the whole stage thing in LA. Then, bam, Mr. Robot happened and everything exploded. He’s stepped up to leading roles in movies, too—Buster’s Mal Heart, Papillon with Charlie Hunnam, and the big one: playing Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. Not bad for a guy who once played “additional characters” in Halo 2, right?
His folks are Egyptian, but he’s also mentioned he’s got a little splash of Greek in him—about an eighth, to be exact. Kinda cool, right? Makes you wonder about all the family stories floating around at his dinner table. Imagine the mix of cultures: a bit of Egypt’s deep history, a dash of Greek flair, maybe some wild stories about ancient gods and pharaohs, all tangled up in his family tree. It’s not every day you run into someone with that kind of background. Honestly, that blend probably shaped his whole vibe growing up—maybe even influenced his tastes in food, music, the works. There’s something about having roots in more than one place that just adds extra flavor to someone’s life. It’s like, you never really know which part’s gonna show up in his personality or his work, but you can bet it keeps things interesting.
You know, working with directors like Bill Condon and Paul Thomas Anderson? That’s not just a line on a resume, that’s the kind of thing you tell your grandkids about. Anderson in particular—man, the guy’s a legend. I honestly think he’s operating on a different plane than most filmmakers out there. There’s this weird magic in the way he crafts a film. You step onto one of his sets, and it’s like you’re suddenly inside this other world, totally immersive. It’s not just about hitting your marks or saying your lines; it’s about being part of something way bigger, something that actually means something. Bill Condon, too, just brings out these performances in people—like, he finds stuff you didn’t even know you had in you. It’s wild. I feel lucky, seriously, to have worked with both of them. Not everyone gets to say that, you know?
May 12, 1981
5′ 7½″ (1.71 m)
Konidela Ram Charan
Los Angeles, California, USA
Yes, No Children
Nelly Malek and Surekha
44 years old