page_title: Rami Malek
section_title: Personal life
hierarchical_section_title: Rami Malek / Personal life
caption_attribution_description: Rami Malek during a panel about Mr. Robot (TV series). Taken at SXSW 2016.
context_page_description: Rami Said Malek is an American actor and producer. He is best known for portraying computer hacker Elliot Alderson in the USA Network television series Mr. Robot, for which he received accolades such as the 2016 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, and as singer Freddie Mercury in the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, for which he received awards such as the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and British Academy Film Award for Best Actor. He has also received multiple other accolades, and is the first actor of Egyptian heritage to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. Time magazine named Malek one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2019.
  Born and raised in Los Angeles County to Egyptian immigrant parents, Malek studied theater at the University of Evansville in Indiana. He began his acting career performing plays in New York City theaters before returning to Los Angeles, where he found supporting roles in film and television, including the Fox sitcom The War at Home, the HBO miniseries The Pacific, and the Night at the Museum film trilogy.
context_section_description: Malek tends to be reserved in interviews, mentioning in one his desire to stay "anonymous" abroad. He avoids social media. The New York Times called him "extremely reluctant to dish about himself". He says he is the opposite of the introverted character of Elliot that he plays in Mr. Robot, saying, "I'm an exuberant person. I thrive on affection. I like chit chat ... One of the great things about living in New York is that you meet so many strangers, and I love encounters with strangers, I love meeting people and hearing their stories".
  During his acceptance speech for Breakthrough Performance of the Year at the 30th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival, Malek confirmed his relationship with his Bohemian Rhapsody co-star Lucy Boynton. In an interview during the 2019 BAFTA Awards, he said he was searching for a home in London after "falling in love" with the city while filming Bohemian Rhapsody.
  The actor has lent his support to charities, such as the Epidermolysis Bullosa Medical Research Foundation and the ACLU. In September 2018, Malek started working with the (RED) organization after being inspired by his Freddie Mercury role. As an ambassador to raise awareness and funds to help eliminate HIV/AIDS, Malek traveled to Eswatini to "learn more about the state of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa". During his visit, Malek said, "To collectively come together and tackle, you know, arguably one of the largest, most horrific diseases anyone has ever known. That can happen right now. I can't think of anything that I'd rather be a part of, more than fulfilling any personal dream or aspiration".
caption: Malek at the 2016 South by Southwest
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