Born:
December 01, 1982
in
Wembley, London
Best Known For:
Playing Bodhi Rook in Rogue One.
Early-life:
Rizwan Ahmed was born on December 1, 1982 in Wembley, London. He studied at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood through a scholarship programme. Riz graduated from Christ Church, Oxford University with a Philosophy, Politics and Economics degree and later studied acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama.
Career:
Ahmed started his film career playing the role of Shafiq Rasul in the film The Road to Guantanamo (2006). Following this, he appeared in a number of independent films, including Shifty (2008), Four Lions (2010) and Ill Manors (2012). His breakthrough role was in the film Nightcrawler (2014). Since then, he has appeared in Jason Bourne (2016), Rogue One (2016) and TV miniseries The Night Of. He also has a number of stage credits, including a role in the Asian Dub Foundation's opera Gaddafi. As well as acting, Ahmed has a music career both as a solo rap artist and a member of the hip-hop duo Swet Shop Boys.
Quote:
'I never thought acting would be a realistic job for me. Because, quite frankly, I didn't see people who looked like me doing it. I quickly realised that's all the more reason to try.'
Trivia:
He was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for his role in The Night Of.