Riz Ahmed

Rizwan Ahmed, known professionally as Riz Ahmed, is a British actor and rapper. Born on December 1, 1982, Ahmed has made significant contributions to film and music beginning from 2006. His acting career began with roles in independent films, and he achieved his break-out role in Nightcrawler in 2014. This success led to roles in big-budget films such as Jason Bourne and Rogue One. His performance in the HBO miniseries The Night Of won him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series and garnered him another Emmy nomination for his role in Girls. As a rapper, Ahmed is a member of the Swet Shop Boys. His second studio album, The Long Goodbye, won him the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. He's also known for his activism, using his political rap music to raise awareness and funds for Rohingya and Syrian refugee children and advocate for ‘BAME’ representation at the House of Commons.

Born in Wembley, a suburb in the London Borough of Brent, to a British-Pakistani family, Ahmed's parents moved to England from Karachi, Pakistan, during the 1970s. His father is a shipping broker. He experienced a culture shock at Oxford University, where he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics, but later organized parties to celebrate various cultures to create inclusive spaces. Ahmed's acting career began in 2006 with appearances in several independent films and later transitioned to big-budget films. His latest roles include voicing Ballister Boldheart in Nimona and appearing in the independent film Relay. Ahmed's music career, inspired by jungle and hip-hop genres, has seen him co-found Hit & Run, a leading underground music event in Manchester, win Best MC at the 2006 Asian Music Awards and feature on the Billboard 200 chart-topping Hamilton Mixtape.