Ving Rhames

 ( 1959 Births ) 

One of Rhames' breakout roles includes Marsellus Wallace which came in Quentin Tarantino's 1994 crime film Pulp Fiction. Another breakout, and recurring, role came in 1996 as ace computer hacker Luther Stickell opposite Tom Cruise in Brian De Palma's film adaptation, . Due to its success, Rhames reprises the character in subsequent films. In 1997, Rhames portrayed the character of Nathan "Diamond Dog" Jones in the popular film Con Air.

Other film roles during the 90s include FBI Agent Omar in Kiss of Death (1995), the wisecracking bouncer/bodyguard Shad in Striptease (1996), and a starring role as West African drug dealer Muki in the action thriller Dangerous Ground (1997) with Ice Cube and Elizabeth Hurley. In John Singleton's 1997 historical drama Rosewood, Rhames played Mann, a veteran of WWI who is now a drifter falsely accused of assault by a white woman, eliciting a lynch mob. Although Rhames' character is fictional, Rosewood is based on a true story of the 1923 Rosewood massacre. In 1998, he played Pike in the crime thriller Body Count, and Buddy Bragg in the action comedy Out of Sight. He played Jesus-praising paramedic Marcus in the drama film Bringing Out the Dead (1999) directed by Martin Scorsese.

On television, Rhames played Dr. Peter Benton's brother-in-law on the medical drama ER, a recurring role he filled for three seasons from 1994 to 1996. Rhames won a Golden Globe in 1998 for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film in HBO's (1997). At the ceremony he gave his award to fellow nominee 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 nicest, 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. That moment was #98 on E!'s 101 Awesome Moments in Entertainment.

Other theatrical film roles include Johnnie Cochran in American Tragedy (2000), and the ex-con boyfriend of Jody's mother in the John Singleton film Baby Boy (2001). He contributed his voice for the character of Cobra Bubbles in the Walt Disney animated feature film Lilo & Stitch (2002) and the subsequent television series. Rhames played police Sergeant Kenneth Hall, a stoic cop and former Marine, fighting zombie hordes in the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead. He played a different character, military Captain Kenneth Rhodes, in the 2008 remake of Day of the Dead. Rhames played a gay (and possibly also homicidal) firefighter who comes out of the closet in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007). In the 2008 film Saving God, he played an ex-con who is released from prison a changed man, looking to take over his father's former church congregation in a deteriorating neighborhood. Rhames stars in Phantom Punch (2008), a biopic of boxer Sonny Liston, released directly to DVD, as well as the British independent action/thriller film The Tournament (2009), portraying a fighter out to win a no-rules tournament.

On television Rhames portrayed a gay drag queen in the television film Holiday Heart (2000). He played John Morgan in Hallmark Hall of Fame's film Little John (2002). In March 2005, Rhames played the lead role on a new Kojak series, on the USA Network cable channel (and on ITV4 in the UK). The bald head, lollipops, and "Who loves ya, baby?" catchphrase remained intact, but little else remained from the Kojak. It was announced that he would have a role in the 2006 Aquaman-based show Mercy Reef; however, due to the integration of The WB and UPN for the new network, CW, Mercy Reef was not picked up. He narrated the BET television series American Gangster (2006–2009).

Rhames voiced the part of Tobias Jones in the video game Driver 3 (2004).

He filmed The Red Canvas (2009) with Ernie Reyes Jr., UFC lightweight contender Gray Maynard, and Randy Couture. In 2010, he filed a lawsuit against the film's producer, Ving Rhames to Producer: Do I Look Like a Bitch? . TMZ.com. Retrieved on August 28, 2010. claiming that he had only been paid $175,000 of a $200,000 contract.

Since 2014, Rhames has provided the narration for numerous Arby's commercials, with the slogan "Arby's: We have the meats!"

In 2015, he filmed a series of commercials for The ADT Corporation. Rhames has also appeared in a series of television commercials for RadioShack, usually performing with Vanessa L. Williams.

Rhames is one of the narrators for UFC.

Rhames narrated the team introductions for the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI in February 2017.