Riz Ahmed Quick Info | |
---|---|
Height | 5 ft 8 in |
Weight | 66 kg |
Date of Birth | December 1, 1982 |
Zodiac Sign | Sagittarius |
Spouse | Fatima Farheen Mirza |
Riz Ahmed started his climb as an actor by appearing in a number of independent movies. He made his debut with The Road to Guantanamo. He showed off his immense talent and potential in Rage and Four Lions. He also cemented his acting credentials with his immense performance in The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Apart from the indie movies, he is also known for his work in the miniseries, The Night Of. Riz’s biggest role in a mainstream project was of Drake /Riot in the Marvel superhero movie, Venom.Â
Born Name
Rizwan Ahmed
Nick Name
Riz, Riz MC
Sun Sign
Sagittarius
Born Place
Wembley, London, England, United Kingdom
Residence
London, England, United Kindom
Nationality
Education
Riz Ahmed went to the Merchant Taylors’ School, Northwood where he got admission via a scholarship program. Upon completion of his school education, he got enrolled at the Christ Church, Oxford University and graduated with a degree in PPE (Philosophy, Politics, and Economics).
To improve his acting skills, he has also studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama.
Occupation
Actor, Rapper
Family
- Father –Â His father is a shipping broker.
- Siblings –Â Kamran Ahmed (Older Brother) (Psychiatrist)
Manager
Riz Ahmed is represented by –
- Gordon and French (Talent Agency)
- Curtis Brown Group Ltd.
Genre
Hip Hop, Political Hip Hop, British Hip Hop, Electronic
Instruments
Vocals
Labels
Customs, Greedhead Music, Tru Thoughts, Crosstown Rebels, Battered Records
Build
Slim
Height
5 ft 8 in or 173 cm
Weight
66 kg or 145.5 lbs
Girlfriend / Spouse
He had dated –
- Fatima Farheen Mirza – In January 2021, during an interview, he revealed that he had secretly tied the knot with novelist Fatima Farheen Mirza.
Race / Ethnicity
Asian
He has Muhajir ancestry. Muhajirs are the Muslims who emigrated from India to Pakistan during the partition.
Hair Color
Dark Brown
He is often seen with ‘blonde’ highlights and colored hair.
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
Long and prominent nose
Brand Endorsements
Riz Ahmed has used his social media activity to promote products and brands such as Nehru Jackets, Ami Alexandre Mattiussi, and Ode to Odd.
Best Known For
- Being cast in the role of Bodhi Rook in the epic space opera movie, Rogue One
- Having played a supporting role in the action thriller movie, Jason Bourne
- Being cast in the lead role in the political thriller drama movie, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, which was based on Mohsin Hamid’s novel of the same name
- Having played the lead role in the crime drama HBO miniseries, The Night Of
First Album
In 2016, Riz Ahmed’s hip-hop group, Swet Shop Boys, released their debut studio album, Cashmere. The album was highly praised by the critics but the commercial success earned by the album was fairly limited.
In 2011, he digitally released his solo debut studio album, Microscope. The album was re-released in June 2012 by Tru Thoughts.
First Film
In 2006, he made his theatrical film debut in the docudrama movie, The Road to Guantanamo.
First TV Show
In 2006, Riz Ahmed made his first TV show appearance in the ABC miniseries, The Path to 9/11.
Personal Trainer
To prepare for his role in the miniseries, The Night Of, he undertook a specialized training regime. He hired trainer Ben Glassman of The Lab to devise his workout routine. Glassman decided to put Riz through metabolic conditioning routines which, along with burning calories during the workout, continue torching calories after the end of the workout as well.
During that period, he trained for 6 days a week. He completely avoided cardio and made compound lifts an important component of his workout routine. To make sure that the grueling workout regime didn’t have an adverse effect on his posture and body, he also indulged in pilates and yoga. It helped him avoid injuries as well.
He further supercharged his weight loss by switching to a ketogenic diet. The ketogenic diet is essentially a high fat and low carb diet which follows the principle that you need fat to burn fat.
For his role as Zed in the drama film, Mogul Mowgli (2020), Riz lost almost 10 kg (22 lbs) in 3 weeks with the help of a professional dietician.
Riz Ahmed Favorite Things
- TV Show – The A-Team
Source – IMDb
Riz Ahmed Facts
- In 2006, he released his first single, Post 9/11 Blues, which was a controversial satirical take on the events and atmosphere generated after the infamous World Trade Center attack. The song even received a temporary ban from British airplay.
- However, the song was noticed by the popular satirist, Christopher Morris, who was impressed enough by the song that he decided to cast Riz in an important role in his dark comedy movie, Four Lions. Riz’s acting and the movie were well received by the critics and it was even listed by the Time magazine in Top 10 movies of the year 2010.
- After getting inspired by hip-hop and jungle music, Riz started his music career in his mid-teens by participating in freestyle rap battles and by appearing on pirate radio.
- He had also auditioned for a role in the popular movie, Slumdog Millionaire. However, he wasn’t able to impress the casting directors and producers.
- In 2017, the Time magazine featured him in 100 most influential people list. His introduction for the feature was written by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
- His ancestry traces back to Sir Shah Muhammad Sulaiman who was the first Indian to be selected as the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court in Uttar Pradesh under British rule.
- In 2006, he started his own record label called Battered Records. The first release by the record label was Riz’s song, Post 9/11 Blues, which was released in August 2006 in MP3 and CD format.
- In 2016, he collaborated with K’naan, Snow Tha Product, and Residente to record the song, Immigrants (We Get the Job Done), which was featured in The Hamilton Mixtape.
- As a social activist, he has worked to raise funds for the Syrian refugee children. He has also raised funds for the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and has aimed to raise awareness about the displacement of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar.
- While studying at Oxford University, he was a member of a 12-member jazz-house /electronica band called Confidential Collective.
- In March 2022, Riz won his first Academy Award for “Best Live Action Short Film” for The Long Goodbye.
Featured Image by Gage Skidmore / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0