Riz Ahmed

Rizwan "Riz" Ahmed, born on December 1, 1982, is a prominent British actor and rapper. His work has garnered numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. Additionally, he has received nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and two British Academy Film Awards. In 2017, Ahmed was honored as one of Time magazine's most influential people globally.

Ahmed honed his acting skills at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, launching his career with independent films such as The Road to Guantanamo (2006), Shifty (2008), Four Lions (2010), Trishna (2011), and The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012). His breakthrough performance came in the 2014 film Nightcrawler, which paved the way for roles in high-profile projects like Jason Bourne (2016) and Rogue One (2016). He won a Primetime Emmy for his portrayal of a murder-accused young man in the HBO miniseries The Night Of (2016) and received another nomination that same year for his guest appearance on Girls. Ahmed's notable roles also include Carlton Drake in Venom (2018) and a drummer facing hearing loss in Sound of Metal (2019), the latter earning him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. He produced, co-wrote, and starred in Mogul Mowgli (2020), which received a BAFTA nomination for Outstanding British Film.

In music, Ahmed is part of the Swet Shop Boys and has released critically acclaimed hip-hop albums, including Microscope and Cashmere. His contribution to the Hamilton Mixtape, particularly the track "Immigrants (We Get the Job Done)," won an MTV Video Music Award. His second album, The Long Goodbye, was paired with a short film that earned him an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.

As an activist, Ahmed uses his music to raise awareness for causes like the plight of