Riz Ahmed

Riz Ahmed Headshot

Actor • Rapper • Musician • Activist

Birth Date: December 1, 1982

Age: 41 years old

Birth Place: Wembley, London, England, UK

British Pakistani actor Riz Ahmed is political, passionate and undeniably talented. The native Londoner first roamed the posh halls of Oxford as a student of philosophy and politics before training at the University of London's Central School of Speech and Drama. Under the alias Riz MC, he released the satirical rap single "Post 9/11 Blues" in 2006, the same year he made his film debut as Guantanamo Bay detainee Shafiq Rasul in "The Road to Guantanamo." Keenly aware of his Pakistani heritage, Ahmed nevertheless sought out a diverse array of roles. He played the title drug dealer in "Shifty" (2008); a wanna-be suicide bomber in the terrorist satire "Four Lions" (2010); and a complex, controlling hotelier in "Trishna" (2011). But Ahmed wasn't content confining his creativity to just the screen. He parlayed "Post 9/11 Blues" into a successful career as Riz MC, which saw him honored as a BBC Introducing artist four years before the release of his 2011 album, MICroscope. His portrayal of a tough council estate drug dealer in "Ill Manors" (2012) capped off a string of roles that found the intelligent, articulate actor bring his explosive talent to new heights.

Ahmed's parents emigrated from Pakistan to Britain in the 1970s, and gave Riz (short for Rizwan) and his brother and sister a well-to-do upbringing. After attending the Merchant Taylor's School on a scholarship, Ahmed followed his interest in politics and economics to Christ Church, Oxford, where he threw philosophy into the mix. His lifelong love of and rap battling and jungle music (a uniquely British genre of electronic music that preceded drum and bass) converged in the form of Riz MC, under which he released the 2006 rap parody "Post 9/11 Blues." That same year he signed onto Michael Winterbottom's "The Road to Guantanamo" as one of the Tipton Three, a trio of Britons illegally detained in the Cuban prison for over two years. After taking a detour into the zombie apocalypse in the darkly clever mini-series "Dead Set" (E4, 2008), Ahmed gave a desperate portrayal of the eponymous crack cocaine dealer in "Shifty," for which he was later nominated for a British Independent Film Award. Two years later Ahmed landed one of his most recognized roles to date in "Four Lions," a black comedy centered on the clumsy antics of would-be terrorist Omar (Ahmed) and his gang of dim-witted friends. At the same time he was garnering acclaim for his deeply-felt performance as Omar, Ahmed was busy designing an immersive, surveillance-themed website tied to the release of MICroscope, and signing papers to join the Brighton-based record label Tru Thoughts. The following year he reunited with "Guantanamo" director Michael Winterbottom in "Trishna," where he dove into the complicated role of Jay, whose increasingly vicious behavior cements the film's tragic ending. In 2012 the shape-shifting actor traded the lush landscapes of "Trishna" for the gritty council estate of "Ill Manors" and the plush Wall St. offices of "The Reluctant Fundamentalist."

Credits

Oscars 2023: Highlights

Host
Show
2023

Oscar Nominated Short Films 2022: Live Action

Actor
Show
2023

NimonaStream

Voice
Knight Ballister Boldheart
Movie
2023
92%

FingernailsStream

Actor
Amir
Movie
2023
60%

Flee

Executive Producer
Movie
2021

EncounterStream

Actor
Malik Kahn
Movie
2021
56%

Flee - English Version

Executive Producer
Movie
2021

Flee - English Version

Voice
Amin
Movie
2021

You Resemble Me

Executive Producer
Movie
2021

Beyond the CanvasStream

Guest
Series
2020

Mogul Mowgli

Actor
Zed
Movie
2020

Mogul Mowgli

Producer
Movie
2020

Mogul Mowgli

Screenwriter
Movie
2020

The Long Goodbye

Actor
Riz
Movie
2020

The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan

Guest
Show
2019

The Edit

Guest
Show
2019

Sound of MetalStream

Actor
Ruben
Movie
2019
97%

Sound of MetalStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2019
97%

Weathering With You: The IMAX 2D Experience

Voice
Takai
Movie
2019

The It List

Guest
Show
2018

Riz Ahmed: Road to Englistan

Guest
Show
2018

The Big Narstie Show

Actor
Show
2018

VenomStream

Actor
Carlton Drake/Riot
Movie
2018
30%

The Sisters BrothersStream

Actor
Hermann Kermit Warm
Movie
2018
87%

Bratya Sisters

Actor
Movie
2018

Live with Kelly and Ryan

Guest
Talk
2017

The Night OfStream

Actor
Nasir "Naz" Khan
Miniseries
2016
94%

The Night Of: Part 1 FREE

Actor
Nasir "Naz" Khan
Show
2016

Sunday Today With Willie Geist

Guest
Talk
2016

Rogue One: A Star Wars StoryStream

Actor
Bodhi Rook
Movie
2016
84%

Jason BourneStream

Actor
Aaron Kalloor
Movie
2016
54%

Una

Actor
Scott
Movie
2016

City of Tiny Lights

Actor
Tommy Akhtar
Movie
2016

The Daily Show with Trevor NoahStream

Guest
Talk
2015

The Late Show With Stephen ColbertStream

Guest
Talk
2015

Close Up With The Hollywood Reporter

Guest
Show
2015

The Late Late Show With James CordenStream

Guest
Talk
2015

Variety Studio: Actors on Actors

Guest
Show
2014

q

Guest
Show
2014

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Guest
Show
2014

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy FallonStream

Guest
Talk
2014

NightcrawlerStream

Actor
Rick
Movie
2014
95%

Out of Darkness

Actor
Movie
2013

Closed Circuit

Actor
Nazrul Sharma
Movie
2013

Droga do Guantanamo

Actor
Shafiq Rasul
Show
2012

GirlsStream

Guest Star
Paul-Louis
Series
2012
89%

CBS This Morning

Guest
Show
2012

Ill Manors

Actor
Aaron
Movie
2012

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Actor
Changez
Movie
2012

LIVE with Kelly

Guest
Talk
2011

The Jonathan Ross ShowStream

Guest
Talk
2011

Trishna

Actor
Jay
Movie
2011

Black Gold

Actor
Ali
Movie
2011

Centurion

Actor
Tarak
Movie
2010

Freefall

Actor
Gary
Movie
2009

Rage

Actor
Vijay
Movie
2009

Four LionsStream

Actor
Omar
Movie
2009
83%

Dead Set

Actor
Riq
Show
2008

Wired

Actor
Manesh Kunzru
Show
2008

Shifty

Actor
Shifty
Movie
2008

The Graham Norton ShowStream

Guest
Talk
2007

Taking Liberties

Actor
Movie
2007

Britz

Actor
Sohail Wahid
Movie
2007

The One Show

Guest
Show
2006

etalk

Guest
Show
2006

Banglatown Banquet

Actor
Razual
Movie
2006

The Road to Guantanamo

Actor
Shafiq
Movie
2006

Entertainment Tonight Canada

Guest
Show
2005

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Music Performer
Talk
2003

Jimmy Kimmel Live!Stream

Guest
Talk
2003

Good Morning America

Guest
News
1975

News aboutRiz Ahmed