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Ving Rhames BiographyRhames grew up in Harlem, Manhattan. A good student, Ving entered the New York High School of Performing Arts, where he discovered his love of acting. After high school he studied at the Juilliard Drama School, and began his career in New York theater. At Juilliard, he was a roommate of fellow actor Stanley Tucci.
He 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 in Pulp Fiction (1994) as Marsellus Wallace. Not long after, Rhames was cast alongside Tom Cruise as the ace computer hacker Luther Stickell in Brian de Palma's Mission: Impossible (1996). With solid performances in both these highly popular productions, his face was now well known to moviegoers, and the work offers began rolling in more frequently.
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 the late Jack Lemmon, 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.
The talented actor then contributed attention-grabbing performances in Bringing Out the Dead (1999), reprised his Luther Stickell role for Mission: Impossible II (2000), contributed his deep bass voice for the character of Cobra Bubbles in Lilo & Stitch (2002), and played a burly cop fighting cannibal zombie hordes in Dawn of the Dead (2004). Rhames has also appeared in a series of television commercials for Radio Shack, usually performing with Vanessa Lynn Williams. A keen fitness and weight-lifting enthusiast, Rhames is also well known for his strong spiritual beliefs and benevolent attitude toward other people.
Rhames currently stars as the title detective in the USA Network's 2005 TV series Kojak, loosely based on the '70s show of the same name. During a press conference in Hollywood for the new series, American critics criticized Rhames (who is Black) for playing a role which orginally portrayed by the late Telly Savalas, a Greek-American character. The actor was reportedly brought to tears by the harsh criticism.
Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Ving Rhames and other top speakers and celebrities.
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All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.
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Rhames grew up in Harlem, Manhattan. A good student, Ving entered the New York High School of Performing Arts, where he discovered his love of acting. After high school he studied at the Juilliard Drama School, and began his career in New York theater. At Juilliard, he was a roommate of fellow actor Stanley Tucci.
He 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 in Pulp Fiction (1994) as Marsellus Wallace. Not long after, Rhames was cast alongside Tom Cruise as the ace computer hacker Luther Stickell in Brian de Palma's Mission: Impossible (1996). With solid performances in both these highly popular productions, his face was now well known to moviegoers, and the work offers began rolling in more frequently.
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 the late Jack Lemmon, 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.
The talented actor then contributed attention-grabbing performances in Bringing Out the Dead (1999), reprised his Luther Stickell role for Mission: Impossible II (2000), contributed his deep bass voice for the character of Cobra Bubbles in Lilo & Stitch (2002), and played a burly cop fighting cannibal zombie hordes in Dawn of the Dead (2004). Rhames has also appeared in a series of television commercials for Radio Shack, usually performing with Vanessa Lynn Williams. A keen fitness and weight-lifting enthusiast, Rhames is also well known for his strong spiritual beliefs and benevolent attitude toward other people.
Rhames currently stars as the title detective in the USA Network's 2005 TV series Kojak, loosely based on the '70s show of the same name. During a press conference in Hollywood for the new series, American critics criticized Rhames (who is Black) for playing a role which orginally portrayed by the late Telly Savalas, a Greek-American character. The actor was reportedly brought to tears by the harsh criticism.
Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Ving Rhames and other top speakers and celebrities.
Ving Rhames is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics . The estimated speaking fee range to book Ving Rhames for your event is available upon request. Ving Rhames generally travels from and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Alec Baldwin, Luke Lambert, Christopher McQuarrie, Jake Weber and Wesley Snipes. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Ving Rhames for an upcoming event.
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This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.
All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.
If you are the talent, and wish to request removal from this catalog or report an issue with your profile, please click here.
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