
Riz Ahmed
Biography
Rizwan "Riz" Ahmed (Urdu pronunciation: [ɾɪzˌwɑːnˈɛɦˌməd̪]; born 1 December 1982) is a British actor and rapper. He has received several awards, including an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award, with nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and two British Academy Film Awards. In 2017, he was named in the Time Listing of the most influential people in the world.
After studying acting at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Ahmed began his acting career with independent films such as The Road to Guantanamo (2006), Shifty (2008), Four Lions (2010), Trishna (2011), and The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012). He had his break-out role in Nightcrawler (2014), which led to roles in the 2016 big-budget films Jason Bourne and Rogue One. For starring as a young man accused of murder in the HBO miniseries The Night Of (2016), Ahmed won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series. He received another Emmy nomination in the same year for his guest role in Girls. He went on to play Carlton Drake in the superhero film Venom (2018) and a drummer who loses his hearing in the drama film Sound of Metal (2019). The latter earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. He produced, co-wrote, and starred in Mogul Mowgli (2020), which earned a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film.
As a rapper, Ahmed is a member of the Swet Shop Boys and has earned critical acclaim with the hip hop albums Microscope and Cashmere and commercial success featuring in the Billboard 200 chart-topping Hamilton Mixtape, with his song "Immigrants (We Get the Job Done)" winning an MTV Video Music Award. His second studio album, The Long Goodbye, was accompanied by a short film of the same name, which won him the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.
As an activist, Ahmed is known for his political rap music, has been involved in raising awareness and funds for Rohingya and Syrian refugee children, and has advocated 'BAME' representation at the House of Commons.
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Acting (34 movies)

Shifty
2008

Relay
2025

The Road to Guantanamo
2006

Centurion
2010

Rage
2009

Four Lions
2010

Trishna
2011

Taqwacore: The Birth of Punk Islam
2009

Black Gold
2011

Dammi
2023

Ill Manors
2012

Britz
2007

Nimona
2023

Freefall
2009

Fingernails
2023

Out of Darkness
2013

Closed Circuit
2013

Nightcrawler
2014

Una
2017

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
2016

The Phoenician Scheme
2025

Jason Bourne
2016

City of Tiny Lights
2016

Banglatown Banquet
2006

The Sisters Brothers
2018

Venom
2018

Sound of Metal
2020

The Stories: The Making of 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'
2017

The Reluctant Fundamentalist
2013

Mogul Mowgli
2020

The Long Goodbye
2020

Encounter
2021

Lines
2021

Hamlet
2025
Directing (1 movie)
| Title | Year | Job |
|---|---|---|
| Baghdad Express | 2008 | Original Music Composer |
| Daytimer | 2014 | Writer |
| The Long Goodbye | 2020 | Writer |
| Mogul Mowgli | 2020 | Writer |
| Mogul Mowgli | 2020 | Producer |
| Sound of Metal | 2020 | Executive Producer |
| Flee | 2021 | Executive Producer |
| Moshari | 2022 | Executive Producer |
| You Resemble Me | 2022 | Executive Producer |
| Joyland | 2022 | Executive Producer |
| Mustache | 2023 | Executive Producer |
| Hamlet | 2025 | Producer |