Certain actors bring gravitas and weight to their performances that fans come to expect every time. is one of those performers, often handling roles with just the right amount of seriousness to make everything feel real. He has played some memorable characters in his career, ranging from spies to convicts to armed forces members to an animated bull.

Classically trained at Juilliard School in New York City, Rhames has been working in entertainment for over 40 years. With Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning set to close out the iconic franchise, he will be back in front of audiences again this summer helping Tom Cruise save the world. He's also currently starring in Apple TV+'s Dope Thief. With a role in an upcoming Liam Neeson film, there's more for Rhames to show to fans. It's time to look back at his career and pick out his most iconic roles.

1997 was a busy year for Rhames. He starred in three films, with the second one directed by John Singleton. portrayed the massacre in 1923 that took place in Rosewood, Florida, in which a group of white people murdered a group of black people and destroyed their town. But in this film, Rhames starred as Mann, a newcomer to Rosewood who fights against the white people.

Rhames gives a spirited performance, wielding pistols and teaching others in the town how to fight back. A young Don Cheadle is among the townspeople. Rhames teams up with Cheadle and Jon Voight, who plays a store owner in the town. Singleton, known for covering racial justice topics and the black experience in the U.S., delivered a critically applauded film.

To this day, Tyrese Gibson doesn't like seeing Ving Rhames because of this performance. Gibson admitted on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast in 2024 that he still steers clear of Rhames because of his performance as Melvin in . That's because Rhames plays Melvin with such tenacity and anger that it triggers him. Melvin is the ex-con boyfriend of Gibson's Jody's mother, Juanita.

He is abusive, manipulative, and intimidating. Another John Singleton-directed film, Baby Boy also featured Snoop Dogg as the real villain in the film, Rodney. Melvin ends up saving Jody's life, helping him realize that a life of crime is not something that he needs to continue and that he needs to be present for his soon-to-be-born child's life. It's a hard-nosed coming-of-age tale with a strong supporting performance from Rhames.

Back in 2004, Zack Snyder made his feature debut by remaking the classic George A. Romero film . The movie was written by a young screenwriter named James Gunn, who would go on to a prolific career himself, currently running DC Studios. Rhames and a group of others find themselves in the middle of a zombie apocalypse and escape and barricade themselves in a shopping mall. Sergeant Kenneth Hall is a police sergeant and former Marine, bringing tactical skills and weapons training to the group.

He brings an intensity to the role that perfectly heightens the situation. Sergeant Hall says a lot with his eyes and facial expressions, often making gestures as the group tries to hide from the zombies. Dawn of the Dead was praised for its grounded approach to a zombie film, and Hall is often the one the group looks to for tougher decisions.

Getting to work with Martin Scorsese with a script by Paul Schrader is many actors' dreams. is a wild ride every time the ambulance heads out. The movie stars Nicolas Cage as a burnt-out paramedic who struggles with the job and all that comes with it. It takes the audience through different nights where Cage's character, Frank, has to work with different partners and try and save people. One of those partners is Rhames's Marcus, a deeply religious man.

Marcus seems almost strange to be in the setting of the movie, as Frank's nights are filled with depressing sights and darker thoughts. Marcus adds a beacon of hope amidst the chaos and even starts a prayer circle as they are trying to save someone from overdosing (the man is revived just as the prayer ends.) Although he isn't in the film long, Marcus leaves a lasting impression on anyone who goes on Scorsese's wild ride.

One of the funniest turns for Rhames, is filled with hilarious scenes and a sweet premise. Kevin James's Larry is unable to name his children as his life insurance beneficiaries due to problems with paperwork following the death of his wife. In order to keep his family protected, he asks Adam Sandler's Chuck to enter into a civil partnership with him. As Larry saved Chuck's life in a fire, Chuck feels indebted to him and agrees.

The film deals with homophobia, acceptance, and being truthful to yourself. Rhames plays Fred G. Duncan, another member of their fire department, who is gruff and intimidating. But after Chuck and Larry's same-sex marriage is revealed, Fred feels comfortable enough to come out to Chuck in a great scene with Sandler. The best part of the movie is Rhames's performance of I'm Every Woman in the shower. He gives the role his all and steals every scene he is in.

Getting cast as George Clooney's best friend in in the late 1990s continued to prove that Rhames was on fire from 1994 on. Rhames plays Buddy Bragg, Clooney's friend and fellow bank-robbing criminal. Buddy is a lifelong criminal and even being behind bars won't change that. He and Clooney's Jack Foley are all in on the lifestyle they know and realize they are only really good at one thing.

Jennifer Lopez's Karen Sisco is hot on their trail throughout the film, and Steven Soderbergh perfectly lays out this sleek and sexy thriller. Buddy is just that: a buddy. Wise-cracking, cool, and loyal, he's there to help Jack, even when his ideas are terrible.

was arguably the perfect movie of its time. It came out in 1997, at the height of Jerry Bruckheimer's power, and the blockbuster had guys doing crazy stunts in an intense action movie. It was an ideal summer movie, making over $220 million at the box office. It starred a number of famous faces, including Nicolas Cage, John Malkovich, Rhames, John Cusack, Steve Buscemi, Dave Chappelle, and Mykelti Williamson.

Rhames stars as "Diamond Dog" Jones, a former Black Guerilla, who is on the transport plane heading to the supermax prison. He and Malkovich's Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom hijack the plane along with a number of other inmates. There is a prisoner swap, as more hardened criminals are brought onto the transport plane with the plan that they all fly to a non-extradition country. The movie is a nonstop thrill ride, culminating in a great chase scene on a fire truck. It's hard to forget guys like Diamond Dog, Cyrus The Virus, Swamp Thing, Baby-O, Pinball, and many of the other absurd characters that make this one so fun.

Not many people could have given a performance quite like the one Ving Rhames gave as Don King in . This made-for-TV movie, which aired on HBO, followed King's rise as a fight promoter and boxing manager. Don King was one of the most interesting characters in American sports in the 1970s through the 1990s. He was brash, unapologetic, and incredibly business-savvy. Rhames played him in this biopic with undeniable fervor and charisma.

Not only was Rhames lauded for his portrayal, but he won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television. The win brought tears to Rhames's eyes and he proved a worthy recipient. He brought fellow nominee Jack Lemmon on stage with him and said "I feel that being an artist is about giving and I'd like to give this to you, Mr. Jack Lemmon." Lemmon was shocked and said it was "one of the nicest, sweetest moments" he'd ever experienced in his life.

The role that put Rhames on the map and rocketing towards Hollywood stardom, Marsellus Wallace is a bad man with a lot riding on his decisions. debuted to critical and commercial success and spawned numerous movies like it, even though none of them come as close to its brilliance. Wallace is a crime boss who employs the main stars of the movie, Jules Winnfield and Vincent Vega (played by Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta).

Wallace is running different people and a large crime ring. He has people on his payroll that help make more money and a wife named Mia who can be a handful (just ask Vincent.) But his most memorable scenes come when he tries to catch Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) for double-crossing him. Rhames survives a horrible ordeal with Butch and exacts revenge on the men who inflict the pain on them. His performance as Wallace launched his career and paved the way for many of his best roles.

Luther Stickell is one of Ethan Hunt's team members and loyal to a fault. Throughout the entirety of the film franchise, Luther agrees to help Ethan on the most dangerous missions the world has ever seen. Rhames has starred alongside Tom Cruise for soon-to-be eight films, the only other actor who has been in all the films. Luther is an expert computer hacker who can hack into mainframes, security cameras, cars, computers, and more in minutes, which is usually just fast enough for Hunt to complete his mission.

At the beginning of the series, the audience learns little about Luther's background and is taken with his soft demeanor. As it progresses, Hunt seeks out his advice on what to do in many situations, showing the trust that Hunt has in Luther. In the later films of the series, Luther is frequently working alongside Simon Pegg's Benji Dunn, as they accompany Hunt around the world. The role of Luther has been Rhames's most consistent on screen and some of the stunts he has been apart of will go down in Hollywood history.