Riz Ahmed

Riz Ahmed is a British actor and rapper who has become one of the most acclaimed performers of his generation. Born Rizwan Ahmed in London to Pakistani immigrant parents, he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford before training at the Central School of Speech and Drama.

Ahmed gained recognition with his breakthrough in The Road to Guantanamo (2006) and Shifty (2008). He achieved mainstream success with Nightcrawler (2014) and became the first Asian man to win an Emmy for acting with The Night Of (2016). His role as Bodhi Rook in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) introduced him to global audiences.

His performance in Sound of Metal (2019) earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, making him the first Muslim nominated in a lead actor category. Ahmed is also an accomplished rapper, performing as Riz MC and as part of the group Swet Shop Boys with Heems.

In 2026, Ahmed stars in Bait on Prime Video, playing an actor auditioning to become the next James Bond in a satirical exploration of identity and representation.