Rami Malek is an actor who has been active for nearly 20 years. His first TV appearance was on an episode of Gilmore Girls, and he had various TV, movie, and theater roles in the years after. He garnered more recognition with parts in movies like Night at the Museum and Breaking Dawn Part 2, and the show Mr. Robot earned him an Emmy in 2016 and brought him more widespread fame. He has played a variety of roles, from villains to rock stars to historical figures, and is one of the most talented actors in recent years, constantly putting in dedicated performances that embody whatever role he is playing. Here are his best performances, ranked.
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8 Short Term 12 (2013)
Cinedigm
In the underrated Short Term 12, Malek plays Nate, a new employee at a group home for troubled teenagers. Nate struggles to adapt to the job at first, and Malek does a good job at showing Nate’s more hopeful and idealistic nature, and how that clashes with the home’s reality. It’s a small part, but one that he makes important to the movie and its portrayals of trauma and healing.
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7 The Little Things (2021)
Warner Bros. Pictures
The Little Things is a crime thriller about a series of murders in Los Angeles. As detective Jim Baxter, alongside Denzel Washington as the Deputy Sheriff, Malek elevates the material beyond its standard murder mystery basis. He realistically portrays the detective’s corrupt methods and how he sinks into obsession with solving the cases. He also works well with Washington to make a strong team and add some character to the movie.
6 Night at the Museum Trilogy (2006-2014)
20th Century Fox
The Night at the Museum trilogy follows Larry Daley (Ben Stiller), security guard at a museum where all the displays magically come to life at night. One of those displays is the young pharaoh Ahkmenrah, played by Malek in his feature film debut. Malek makes a centuries-old pharaoh lively, and he becomes both a beloved friend to Larry, and an enjoyable part of the series. He makes the most of every scene, and he even gets a larger arc and emotional moment in the third film, where he reunites with his family.
5 Papillon (2017)
Bleecker Street
Papillon is a remake of the 1973 movie about Henri Charrière, a French convict who is wrongfully imprisoned, but escapes with the help of counterfeiter Louis Dega. Malek plays Dega alongside Charlie Hunnam as Henri. Malek captures Dega’s quiet intelligence, and makes a fitting partner for Hunnam. Even with his more gentle nature, Malek shows how valuable Dega is to Henri in the prison escape plan, and brings real emotion and humanity to their bond, and to the movie.
4 No Time to Die (2021)
United Artists Releasing
In No Time to Die, the recent James Bond movie, Malek plays the villainous Safin. He spends the first half of the movie getting revenge on Blofeld and Spectre for killing his family, and Malek shows all the rage and heartbreak behind the plan. The rest of his plan to steal nanotechnology may have little motive, but Malek still makes Safin a terrifying villain despite this. He truly feels dangerous as he kidnaps Bond’s daughter and shoots Bond with infected nanobots. Despite not having the most depth to his villainy, Malek still makes Safin stand out.
3 Buster’s Mal Heart (2016)
Well Go USA Entertainment
Buster’s Mal Heart focuses on the title character, a mountain man called Buster, who is on the run and haunted by visions. We also learn about Buster’s past as Jonah, whose job fractured his mental health. The movie has a nonlinear structure, which makes Malek’s performance even more incredible, as the tone of each scene shifts wildly, showing Buster and Jonah in their highs and lows. Malek portrays all the loss and trauma that led to Buster being in his current condition in a heartbreaking fashion.
2 Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
In Bohemian Rhapsody, the biopic of Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury, Malek has the challenge of embodying one of the greatest singers of all time. Fortunately, he rises to the occasion. He captures every bit of Mercury’s bold confidence and genuine charisma, along with his quieter moments of loneliness. He also has great chemistry with the band, who are all great. Even Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor, speaking with Deadline, said that Malek – and the whole cast – really became the band in an “uncannily real” performance, and Malek won a well-deserved Oscar for it.
1 Mr. Robot (2015-2019)
NBCUniversal Television Distribution
The series Mr. Robot follows Malek’s Elliot Alderson, a hacker at a security company. Suffering from anxiety and depression, he is recruited by the mysterious (and possibly hallucinated) Mr. Robot, leader of an anti-establishment movement. Malek fully deserved his Emmy for his work on the series, showing Elliot’s mental health issues in raw detail. In an interview with GQ, Malek said that he studied cybersecurity and mental illness in preparation for the role, and brought all that knowledge to Elliot. He served as the show’s center for its entire run, enjoyable to watch even through confusing and highly technical episodes. The character felt real, especially when Malek showed all the past trauma and the stunning emotional journey that made him who he is.
