An Iconic Rise to Success and the First Best Actor Winner of Egyptian Heritage at the Academy Awards – Embassy of Egypt, Washington DC (2024)

Rami Malek: An Iconic Rise to Success and the First Best Actor Winner of Egyptian Heritage at the Academy Awards

Actor Rami Malek made history in 2019, at the Academy Awards when he became the first actor of Egyptian and Arab heritage to win the best actor Oscar, for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury and performance in Bohemian Rhapsody.

Before Bohemian Rhapsody, Malek was best known for the lead role of the hit TV series Mr. Robot and won an Emmy for best actor in a drama series in 2016.

Born in Los Angeles in 1981, his family immigrated to the United States from Cairo, Egypt. Malek spoke Arabic in his childhood and notes that his Egyptian background was both helpful, as well as a hindrance, when it came to starting out as an actor. However, it was after being casted to portray the role of a terrorist in 2010, that prompted the actor to refuse any negative portrayals of Arabs and became firm on rejecting typecasting roles such as “a terrorist” or “pharaoh,” before being invited to play Freddie Mercury.

While accepting his award at the Oscars, Malek noted his experience of portraying Freddie Mercury and discussed his own connection to the role, “I am the son of immigrants from Egypt, I’m a first generation American and part of my story is being written right now. And I could not be more grateful to each and every one of you and everyone who believed in me for this moment.”

Photo: “Rami Malek se ha divertido en El Hormiguero…”byElHormiguerois marked withCC BY-NC 2.0.

An Iconic Rise to Success and the First Best Actor Winner of Egyptian Heritage at the Academy Awards – Embassy of Egypt, Washington DC (2024)

FAQs

An Iconic Rise to Success and the First Best Actor Winner of Egyptian Heritage at the Academy Awards – Embassy of Egypt, Washington DC? ›

Actor Rami Malek made history in 2019, at the Academy Awards when he became the first actor of Egyptian and Arab heritage to win the best actor Oscar, for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury and performance in Bohemian Rhapsody. Before Bohemian Rhapsody, Malek was best known for the lead role of the hit TV series Mr.

Who won the Oscars in Egypt? ›

Egyptian-American Oscar winner Rami Malek among hosts of 2022 Academy Awards - Screens - Arts & Culture - Ahram Online.

What is Rami Malek's religion? ›

Malek was raised in his family's Coptic Orthodox Christian faith, and spoke Egyptian Arabic at home until the age of four. He has an identical twin brother named Sami, who is younger by four minutes and later became an ESL and English teacher. His older sister, Yasmine, is an ER doctor.

What is Rami Malek's nationality? ›

Malek is well known for his dedication to charitable causes and advocacy for minority representation in Hollywood and beyond. As a first-generation American of Egyptian ancestry, he has ardently advocated for diversity in media and the arts.

Is Rami Malek's twin brother? ›

Who was the first Egyptian to win an Oscar? ›

Rami Malek: An Iconic Rise to Success and the First Best Actor Winner of Egyptian Heritage at the Academy Awards – Embassy of Egypt, Washington DC.

What actor has won 3 Oscars? ›

Walter Brennan, Daniel Day-Lewis and Jack Nicholson, who have three Oscars apiece, are tied as the actors with the most Academy Award wins, while three actresses — Ingrid Bergman, Frances McDormand and Meryl Streep — have also won three Oscars. Day-Lewis is the only man with three Oscars for best actor.

What race is Rami? ›

Rami Malek's ethnicity is Egyptian-American. He is of Egyptian descent, as his family hails from Egypt. Malek was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, but his heritage is an important part of his identity.

Does Rami Malek identify as Arab? ›

"I am the son of immigrants from Egypt. I'm a first-generation American, and part of my story is being written right now," he said. Malek, whose family are Coptic Christians from the Upper Egypt province of Minya, also showed off his proficiency in the Arabic language when speaking to the press backstage.

Is Rami Malek Russian? ›

Born in Los Angeles in 1981 to a family of Egyptian immigrants from Cairo, Malek spoke Arabic in his childhood and was raised in the Coptic Orthodox faith.

Can Rami Malek speak Spanish? ›

As if it were little, Brian May and John Deacon, Queen musicians and producers of the film, helped with original costumes for the film. On his way to the Oscar, we realize that Malek not only speak English and Arabic but also some Spanish.

Can Rami Malek sing? ›

Rami himself has revealed that he is lip-syncing, but it's not just Freddie's voice that we hear. "It is an amalgamation of a few voices," he told the Metro US.

Is Rami Malek Italian? ›

Rami Said Malek was born in Los Angeles, to an Egyptian Coptic Orthodox family. His late father was a tour guide in Cairo who later sold insurance.

Is Scarlett Johansson a fraternal twin? ›

Scarlett and her fraternal twin brother, Hunter, have shared a tight bond since childhood. “When we were growing up in New York City, we led very normal city lives,” Hunter told Parade in 2015. “We rode the subway to public school, went on trips with our grandma to the beach and museums.”

Is Ashton Kutcher a twin? ›

Ashton Kutcher and his brother, Michael, are twins, but they had different life experiences growing up. Ashton (born Christopher Ashton Kutcher) and Michael were born on Feb. 7, 1978, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Diane and Larry Kutcher.

Does Rami Malek have extra incisors? ›

But there's one facet of Malek's insane transformation that we simply can't get over: he even wore a pair of artificial teeth to re-create the Queen frontman's pronounced overbite, which was due to four additional incisors the singer was born with.

How many Oscars did Cleopatra win? ›

Cleopatra eventually earned nine Oscar nominations, winning four, and even became the highest grossing of film of 1963, but not nearly enough to repair the damage to Fox's finances.

How many Oscars did Prince of Egypt win? ›

The film won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for When You Believe and got nominated for Best Original Score at the 1999 Academy awards.

What happened at the 1973 Oscars? ›

Few Academy Awards ceremonies have been as eventful as the one held in 1973, when Marlon Brando sent Native American activist Sacheen Littlefeather to explain why he was rejecting his award. Christina Newland reflects on the controversy.

Who is the Egyptian god in the Oscar statue? ›

The iconic prize was designed almost a century ago by MGM art director Cedric Gibbons, and bears a striking resemblance to ancient depictions of Ptah, the Egyptian god of artists and craftsmen.

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