Riz Ahmed (London, 1982) is a British-Pakistani actor, rapper and producer who has spent two decades moving between film, television and music. As Riz MC he made politically charged hip-hop; as an actor he broke through with Four Lions, Nightcrawler and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. His role in Sound of Metal (2019) earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor - the first Muslim ever in that category - and in 2022 he won the Oscar for Best Live-Action Short Film for The Long Goodbye. He had previously won an Emmy for The Night Of (2016), becoming the first South Asian man to do so.
Ahmed received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor for his role in the Prime Video series Bait, which he wrote and produced himself.
Bait, the six-part Prime Video series about a British-Pakistani actor auditioning for the role of James Bond, premiered on March 25, 2026 and achieved 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Ahmed played the title role in Hamlet (2025), a modern adaptation of the Shakespeare play by director Aneil Karia.
Ahmed was announced as the voice of Professor Snape in the new Harry Potter production.
Ahmed premiered his action thriller Relay at the Tribeca Film Festival 2025.
