Ving Rhames was born as Irving Rameses Rhames on May 12, 1959 in New York City. He is a Golden Globe-winning American actor who grew up in Harlem, Manhattan. He discovered his love of acting when he entered New York’s School of Performing Arts. He also studied drama at SUNY Purchase and later transferred to the Juilliard School of Drama, where his New York theater career began. After graduating from there, he went on to perform in many Shakespeare in the Park productions.
In 1984, Ving Rhames first appeared on Broadway, performing in the play The Winter Boys. He next appeared on a variety of television shows during the 1980s. He was in the series Miami Vice, and first appeared on TV in the film Go Tell It on the Mountain. He became a supporting actor in numerous movies, and was eventually cast in Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 hit Pulp Fiction. Rhames has also been getting attention for playing Walt Robbins on the series ER. In 1996, he was cast alongside Tom Cruise in the Brian DiPalma film Mission: Impossible. Two years later, he received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a TV Miniseries for his performance on HBO’s Don King: Only in America. He is also remembered for his portrayals in Striptease, Brinigng Out the Dead, and American Tragedy. He was also recognized for playing a gay drag queen in the TV movie Holiday Heart. In 2002, he lent his voice to the character Cobra Bubbles in the animated film Lilo & Stitch. He also played Kenneth, a cop, in Dawn of the Dead. He also reprised his role in Mission: Impossible II as well as 2006’s Mission: Impossible III.
Rhames is also known for playing the lead role in the television series Kojak in 2005. He lent his voice to the character Tobias Jones in the computer game DRIV3R. In 2006, he was given the role of McCaffery in the television movie Aquaman. He once again lent his voice to the Lilo & Stitch sequel, titled Leroy & Stitch, though he didn’t play his previous role. He has also appeared in other films like Idlewild and A Broken Life. Rhames is also known for playing Duncan, a homosexual and homicidal firefighter in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry in 2007.