Ving Rhames is an American actor best known for portraying the expert hacker Luther Stickell in the Mission: Impossible film series. He is also widely recognized for his acclaimed performance as crime boss Marsellus Wallace in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, a role that earned him major attention and lasting popularity.

Irving Rameses Rhames was born on May 12, 1959, in Harlem, New York, United States. His mother, Reather, was a homemaker, and his father, Ernest, worked as a mechanic. Rhames attended New York’s renowned High School of Performing Arts and later studied drama at SUNY Purchase. There, he met Stanley Tucci, who gave him the nickname “Ving,” the name Rhames would later adopt professionally. He subsequently earned a scholarship to transfer to the Juilliard School, where he trained in classical theater and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in drama in 1983. After graduating, he began performing in Shakespeare productions in the park.

Rhames’ professional career took off in 1984 when he appeared in the television miniseries Go Tell It on the Mountain, and the same year he performed on Broadway in the play The Winter Boys. He made his feature-film debut in 1986 with Native Son, appearing alongside Matt Dillon and Oprah Winfrey. In 1989, he appeared in Brian De Palma’s war drama Casualties of War, starring Michael J. Fox and Sean Penn.

In 1994, Rhames gained widespread acclaim for portraying Marsellus Wallace in Pulp Fiction, directed by Quentin Tarantino. The film featured an ensemble cast including John Travolta, Samuel Jackson, Tim Roth, Bruce Willis, and Uma Thurman, and became a major box-office phenomenon.

Rhames joined the Mission: Impossible franchise in 1996 in the first film directed by Brian De Palma, starring Tom Cruise alongside Emmanuelle Béart, Kristin Scott Thomas, Jon Voight, Jean Reno, and Vanessa Redgrave. Rhames played Luther Stickell, a highly skilled hacker. Notably, Luther Stickell is described in this biography as the only fictional character—aside from Tom Cruise—to appear across all eight films in the series, making Rhames one of the franchise’s most consistent presences.

He continued portraying Luther Stickell through the franchise’s later installments, including Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. In 2023, he appeared in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, alongside Henry Czerny, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, and Vanessa Kirby.

Rhames’ personal life includes two marriages. He married Valerie Scott in 1994; they divorced on February 9, 1999. He later married Deborah Reed (marriage in 2000). He has two children: Reign Beau Rhames (born 2000) and Freedom Rhames (born 2002).

Filmography and Television Work:
Actor:
2024 – Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two (Luther Stickell) (Feature Film)
2023 – Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (Luther Stickell) (Feature Film)
2023 – Legacy (Guy Simmons) (TV Series)
2023 – The Locksmith (Frank) (Feature Film)
2022 – Wendell & Wild (Buffalo Belzer) (Feature Film)
2019 – Voice Arts Awards (Himself) (TV Series)
2018 – Mission: Impossible – Fallout (Luther Stickell) (Feature Film)
2018 – Con Man (“Peanut”) (Feature Film)
2018 – Cagney & Lacey (Captain Stark) (TV Series)
2017 – The Star (Thaddeus) (Feature Film)
2017 – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (Charlie-27) (Feature Film)
2017 – Father Figures (Rod Hamilton) (Feature Film)
2016 – A Sunday Horse (Mr. Valentine) (Feature Film)
2015 – Operator (Richard) (Feature Film)
2015 – Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (Luther Stickell) (Feature Film)
2014 – Jamesy Boy (Conrad) (Feature Film)
2014 – A Day Late and a Dollar Short (Cecil Price) (TV Film)
2013 – Monday Mornings (Jorge Villanueva) (TV Series)
2013 – Force of Execution (“Ice Man”) (Feature Film)
2013 – Death Race 3: Inferno (R. H. Weyland) (Feature Film)
2013 – Armed Response (Officer Hall) (Feature Film)
2012 – Won’t Back Down (Principal Thompson) (Feature Film)
2012 – Soldiers of Fortune (Grimaud Torneur) (Feature Film)
2012 – Seven Below (Jack) (Feature Film)
2012 – Piranha 3DD (Deputy Fallon) (Feature Film)
2012 – Mafia (Renzo Wes) (Feature Film)
2012 – Art of Submission (Gene) (Feature Film)
2011 – Zombie Apocalypse (Henry Everlen) (TV Film)
2011 – The River Murders (Art Langley) (Feature Film)
2011 – Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (Luther Stickell) (Feature Film)
2011 – Black Jack (Jack “Black Jack”) (TV Film)
2010 – Piranha 3D (Deputy Fallon) (Feature Film)
2010 – Operation: Endgame (“Judgement”) (Feature Film)
2010 – Master Harold...and the Boys (Sam) (Feature Film)
2010 – Death Race 2 (R. H. Weyland) (Feature Film)
2009 – The Tournament (Joshua Harlow) (Feature Film)
2009 – Surrogates (The Prophet) (Feature Film)
2008 – Day of the Dead (Kenneth Rhodes) (Feature Film)
2007 – I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (Fred G. Duncan) (Feature Film)
2006 – Mission: Impossible III (Luther Stickell) (Feature Film)
2005 – Kojak (Theo Kojak) (TV Series)
2004 – Dawn of the Dead (Kenneth Hall) (Feature Film)
2003 – Stitch! The Movie (Cobra Bubbles) (Feature Film)
2002 – Undisputed (George “The Iceman” Chambers) (Feature Film)
2002 – Lilo & Stitch (Cobra Bubbles) (Feature Film)
2000 – Mission: Impossible 2 (Luther Stickell) (Feature Film)
1999 – Entrapment (Aaron Thibadeaux) (Feature Film)
1998 – Out of Sight (Buddy Bragg) (Feature Film)
1997 – Con Air (Nathan “Diamond Dog” Jones) (Feature Film)
1996 – Mission: Impossible (Luther Stickell) (Feature Film)
1994 – Pulp Fiction (Marsellus Wallace) (Feature Film)
1991 – The People Under the Stairs (Leroy) (Feature Film)
1989 – Casualties of War (Lieutenant Reilly) (Feature Film)
1986 – Native Son (Jack) (Feature Film)
1984 – Go Tell It on the Mountain (Gabriel Grimes) (TV Miniseries)

Source: Biyografiler.com