Ving Rhames Biography, Life, Interesting Facts

Childhood and Early Life

Actor Ving Rhames was born on the 12 May 1959 in Harlem,  New York City to Ernest and Heather Rhames. His parents were sharecroppers in South Carolina who relocated to New York where his father worked as a car mechanic.

Education

Ving Rhames developed his passion for acting while studying at the New York School of Performing Arts. After graduation he studied at SUNY Purchase and then continued studying drama at the Juilliard School, obtaining a BA Fine Arts (1983).

Rise to Fame

Ving Rhames made his debut on Broadway in 1984, in The Winter Boys. Around this time he began to find work in soap operates where he refined his acting and began to make a name for himself. His breakthrough role came when he was offered a part in Pulp Fiction (1994), and at the same time he was building up following acting in the medical drama ER.

Career

The role in Pulp Fiction led to Ving Rhames being offered a role alongside Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible (1996). His success in this film led to other work including Dawn of the Dead,  Con Air and Only in America establishing him firmly as a Hollywood star. He also appeared in Mission: Impossible 2 (2000), American Tragedy (2000), Dawn of the Dead (2004) and Day of the Dead (2008). He has continued working on all the Mission: Impossible films as well as appearing in commercials, video games and other films including a Sony Liston biopic.

In 2010 Ving Rhames was in ten episodes of Gravity; played the title role of Black Jack in the 2011 television, appeared as Dr. Jorge Villanueva in ten episodes of Monday Morning and was in the television film A Day Late and a Dollar Short in 2014.

Personal Life

Ving Rhames married Valerie Scott in 1994, and they divorced in 1999. He then married Deborah Reed in 2000.