Riz Ahmed

Acting

Riz Ahmed

Born

1982-12-01 (43)

Place of birth

Wembley, London, England, UK

Known for

Acting

Credits

77 titles

Rizwan Ahmed (born 1 December 1982) is a British actor and rapper. He has received several awards, including an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award, and nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and two British Academy Film Awards. In 2017, he was named by Time as one of the most influential people in the world. He also created the TV series Englistan in 2018 for the BBC, which was also his writing debut. After studying acting at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Ahmed began his acting career with independent films such as The Road to Guantanamo (2006), Shifty (2008), Four Lions (2010), Trishna (2011), and The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012). He had his break-out role in Nigh…

Known for

Film credits

2020s · 14 titles

Digger poster
7.5

The most powerful man in the world embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity's savior before the disaster he's unleashed destroys everything.

Digger

2026

The Phoenician Scheme poster
6.5

Wealthy businessman Zsa-zsa Korda appoints his only daughter, a nun, as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists, and determined assassins.

The Phoenician Scheme

2025

Sound of Metal poster
7.7

Metal drummer Ruben begins to lose his hearing. When a doctor tells him his condition will worsen, he thinks his career and life is over. His girlfriend Lou checks the former addict into a rehab for the deaf hoping it will prevent a relapse and help him adapt to his new life. After being welcomed and accepted just as he is, Ruben must choose between his new normal and the life he once knew.

Sound of Metal

2020

Nimona poster
7.8

A knight framed for a tragic crime teams with a scrappy, shape-shifting teen to prove his innocence.

Nimona

2023

Relay poster
7.0

A broker of lucrative payoffs between corrupt corporations and the individuals who threaten them breaks his own rules when a new client seeks his protection to stay alive.

Relay

2025

Fingernails poster
5.9

Anna and Ryan have found true love together. It's been proven by a controversial test. There's just one problem: Anna still isn't sure. Then she meets Amir.

Fingernails

2023

Hamlet poster
5.4

When Hamlet returns for his father’s funeral, he is stunned to discover his uncle Claudius is marrying his newly widowed mother. Visited by his father’s ghost, Hamlet learns his brutal murder was at the hands of Claudius and spirals into a quest for vengeance that exposes the rot at the heart of the family’s empire and threatens his own sanity.

Hamlet

2026

Encounter poster
6.3

A decorated Marine goes on a rescue mission to save his two young sons from an unhuman threat. As their journey takes them in increasingly dangerous directions, the boys will need to leave their childhoods behind.

Encounter

2021

Mogul Mowgli poster
6.3

Zed, a young British rapper, is about to start his first world tour, when a crippling illness strikes him down, forcing him to move back in with his family. He tries to find himself between an international music career and Pakistani family traditions.

Mogul Mowgli

2020

The Name of Action poster
NR

A look at why Hamlet, a play that’s over 400 years old, holds a mirror up to society today. Filmed across four days of workshops with youth theatre groups across London: The Big House, Bush Theatre Young Companies, Centre 59, and Open Door.

The Name of Action

2026

Together for Palestine poster
8.2

Broadcast of the “Together for Palestine” charity concert, organized by Brian Eno alongside several artists, to raise funds and awareness for Palestinians affected by the ongoing genocide in Gaza perpetrated by Israel.

Together for Palestine

2025

The Long Goodbye poster
6.7

A short about racism and Islamophobia in the UK.

The Long Goodbye

2021

Lines poster
2.0

Six poems written by six young prisoners animated to tell their stories, thoughts, fears and hopes.

Lines

2021

Dammi poster
6.3

Returning to Paris, a man moves through memories of his past and surreal fragments of the present, searching for connection with his estranged father. On his journey, he meets a French-Algerian woman. As their intimacy grows, he is confronted with his shame and fears while exploring his lost Arab identity… Behind Paris is Algiers.

Dammi

2023

2010s · 16 titles

Venom poster
6.8

Investigative journalist Eddie Brock attempts a comeback following a scandal, but accidentally becomes the host of Venom, a violent, super powerful alien symbiote. Soon, he must rely on his newfound powers to protect the world from a shadowy organization looking for a symbiote of their own.

Venom

2018

Nightcrawler poster
7.7

When Lou Bloom, desperate for work, muscles into the world of L.A. crime journalism, he blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story. Aiding him in his effort is Nina, a TV-news veteran.

Nightcrawler

2014

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story poster
7.5

A rogue band of resistance fighters unite for a mission to steal the Death Star plans and bring a new hope to the galaxy.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

2016

Jason Bourne poster
6.4

The most dangerous former operative of the CIA is drawn out of hiding to uncover hidden truths about his past.

Jason Bourne

2016

The Sisters Brothers poster
6.8

Oregon, 1851. Hermann Kermit Warm, a chemist and aspiring gold prospector, keeps a profitable secret that the Commodore wants to know, so he sends the Sisters brothers, two notorious assassins, to capture him on his way to California.

The Sisters Brothers

2018

Four Lions poster
7.0

Four Lions tells the story of a group of British jihadists who push their abstract dreams of glory to the breaking point. As the wheels fly off, and their competing ideologies clash, what emerges is an emotionally engaging (and entirely plausible) farce.

Four Lions

2010

Centurion poster
6.2

Britain, A.D. 117. Quintus Dias, the sole survivor of a Pictish raid on a Roman frontier fort, marches north with General Virilus' legendary Ninth Legion, under orders to wipe the Picts from the face of the Earth and destroy their leader, Gorlacon.

Centurion

2010

Closed Circuit poster
5.9

A high-profile terrorism case unexpectedly binds together two ex-lovers on the defense team - testing the limits of their loyalties and placing their lives in jeopardy.

Closed Circuit

2013

Trishna poster
6.0

When her father is killed in a road accident, Trishna's family expect her to provide for them. The rich son of an entrepreneur starts to restlessly pursue her affections, but are his intentions as pure as they seem?

Trishna

2011

The Reluctant Fundamentalist poster
6.6

In New York, a Pakistani native finds that his American Dream has collapsed in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

2013

Black Gold poster
6.5

On the Arabian Peninsula in the 1930s, two warring leaders come face to face. The victorious Nesib, Emir of Hobeika, lays down his peace terms to rival Amar, Sultan of Salmaah. The two men agree that neither can lay claim to the area of no man’s land between them called The Yellow Belt. In return, Nesib adopts Amar’s two boys Saleeh and Auda as a guarantee against invasion. Twelve years later, Saleeh and Auda have grown into young men. Saleeh, the warrior, itches to escape his gilded cage and return to his father’s land. Auda cares only for books and the pursuit of knowledge. One day, their adopted father Nesib is visited by an American from Texas. He tells the Emir that his land is blessed with oil and promises him riches beyond his wildest imagination. Nesib imagines a realm of infinite possibility, a kingdom with roads, schools and hospitals all paid for by the black gold beneath the barren sand. There is only one problem. The precious oil is located in the Yellow Belt.

Black Gold

2011

City of Tiny Lights poster
5.2

In the teeming, multicultural metropolis of modern-day London, a seemingly straightforward missing-person case launches a down-at-heel private eye into a dangerous world of religious fanaticism and political intrigue.

City of Tiny Lights

2016

Una poster
6.0

When a young woman unexpectedly arrives at an older man's workplace, looking for answers, the secrets of the past threaten to unravel his new life.

Una

2017

Ill Manors poster
6.3

Ensemble film revolving around characters living in Forest Gate, London. Over the course of a few days, six inter-linking stories explore issues of drug use, prostitution and urban poverty.

Ill Manors

2012

The Stories: The Making of 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' poster
6.1

The Stories: The Making of 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' is a 2017 documentary detailing the production of the standalone Star Wars film. The featurette explores the creative process, behind-the-scenes challenges, and collaborative efforts of the cast and crew in bringing Rogue One to the screen.

The Stories: The Making of 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'

2017

Out of Darkness poster
8.0

A unique story told by nine different actors which explores the haunting of a conscience by lost souls that won't let go.

Out of Darkness

2013

2000s · 8 titles

The Road to Guantanamo poster
6.8

Part drama, part documentary, The Road to Guantánamo focuses on the Tipton Three, a trio of British Muslims who were held in Guantanamo Bay for two years until they were released without charge.

The Road to Guantanamo

2006

Freefall poster
6.1

FREEFALL is the first drama to tackle the extraordinary financial crisis Britons are living through. Helmed by multiple BAFTA-winning director Dominic Savage, the film takes a startling and provocative look at the events that caused people's lives to spiral out of control. With pace, edge and real emotional punch, it gives a unique insight into how the country came so perilously close to the edge.

Freefall

2009

No artwork available
7.0

A young girl working in her father's Arabic restaurant is forced to decide which comes first - her dreams or her family.

Baghdad Express

2008

Rage poster
3.5

A schoolboy uses his cellphone camera to shoot intimate interviews with people working at a New York fashion house and secretly posts them on the internet. Result: a bitterly funny expose of an industry in crisis, during a week in which an accident on the runway becomes a murder investigation, and denial leads to devastation.

Rage

2009

Britz poster
8.0

Sohail is an ambitious law undergraduate who signs up with MI5 and, eager to play a part in protecting British security, begins an investigation into a terrorist cell. His sister Nasima is a medical student in Leeds who becomes increasingly alienated and angered by Britain's foreign and domestic policy after witnessing at first hand the relentless targeting of her Muslim neighbours and peers. With action set in Pakistan, Eastern Europe, London and Leeds, both feature-length episodes detail a tragic sequence of events from two distinct perspectives. At the heart of this thought-provoking drama is a revealing examination of British Muslim life under current anti-terror legislation. Britz ultimately asks whether the laws we think are making us safer, are actually putting us in greater danger.

Britz

2007

Taqwacore: The Birth of Punk Islam poster
5.6

Three years in the making, this feature documentary follows the progression of the Muslim Punk scene: from its imaginary inception in a novel written by a white-convert named Michael Muhammad Knight to a full-blown, real-life scene of Muslim punk bands and their fans.

Taqwacore: The Birth of Punk Islam

2009

Shifty poster
5.8

Shifty, a young crack cocaine dealer in London, sees his life quickly spiral out of control when his best friend returns home. Stalked by a customer desperate to score at all costs, and with his family about to turn their back on him for good, Shifty must out-run and out-smart a rival drug dealer, intent on setting him up for a big fall.

Shifty

2008

Banglatown Banquet poster
NR

Middle-aged Muslim Bangladeshi women struggling for their freedom as they leave the familiarity of their Bangladeshi community and set out on a voyage of discovery.

Banglatown Banquet

2006

Undated · 4 titles

Series credits

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon poster
5.8

After Jay Leno's second retirement from the program, Jimmy Fallon stepped in as his permanent replacement. After 42 years in Los Angeles the program was brought back to New York.

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

2014

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert poster
6.1

Stephen Colbert brings his signature satire and comedy to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the #1 show in late night, where he talks with an eclectic mix of guests about what is new and relevant in the worlds of politics, entertainment, business, music, technology, and more. Featuring bandleader Jon Batiste with his band Stay Human, the Emmy Award-nominated show is broadcast from the historic Ed Sullivan Theater.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

2015

The Daily Show poster
6.4

The World's Fakest News Team tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and pop culture.

The Daily Show

1996

The Late Late Show with James Corden poster
5.1

Once Craig Ferguson retires, James Corden will be taking over The Late Late Show. The show is a late night talk show that interviews celebrities and has its own bits. And of course, it's all hosted by James Corden.

The Late Late Show with James Corden

2015

The Graham Norton Show poster
7.2

Each week celebrity guests join Irish comedian Graham Norton to discuss what's being going on around the world that week. The guests poke fun and share their opinions on the main news stories. Graham is often joined by a band or artist to play the show out.

The Graham Norton Show

2007

Jimmy Kimmel Live! poster
5.3

Jimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and broadcast on ABC.

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

2003

Jimmy Kimmel Live! poster
5.3

Jimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and broadcast on ABC.

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

2003

The Jennifer Hudson Show poster
5.6

Talented entertainer and newly-minted EGOT Jennifer Hudson takes on the daytime talk show landscape.

The Jennifer Hudson Show

2022

LIVE with Kelly and Mark poster
5.6

A morning talk show with A-list celebrity guests, top-notch performances and one-of-a-kind segments that are unrivaled on daytime television, plus spontaneous, hilarious and unpredictable talk.

LIVE with Kelly and Mark

1988

The Ellen DeGeneres Show poster
5.6

The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to just Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres.

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

2003

The Night Of poster
8.0

After a night of partying with a female stranger, a man wakes up to find her stabbed to death and is charged with her murder.

The Night Of

2016

Variety Studio: Actors on Actors poster
4.2

PBS SoCal and Variety take you inside the biggest movies and TV shows of the past year through candid conversations with today's hottest actors. Hosted by Variety Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis and Variety Chief Correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister, each episode brings together pairs of actors engaging in intimate one-on-one discussions about their craft and work.

Variety Studio: Actors on Actors

2014

Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter poster
6.2

Some of this year's most talked about talent open up about the challenges and triumphs of creating critically acclaimed series and performances.

Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter

2015

Girls poster
6.4

The assorted humiliations, disasters and rare triumphs of four very different twenty-something girls: Hannah, an aspiring writer; Marnie, an art gallery assistant and cousins Jessa and Shoshanna.

Girls

2012

The Oscars poster
7.1

An annual American awards ceremony honoring cinematic achievements in the film industry. The various category winners are awarded a copy of a statuette, officially the Academy Award of Merit, that is better known by its nickname Oscar.

The Oscars

1953

Off Camera with Sam Jones poster
5.0

Photographer and director Sam Jones sits down with the myriad professionals of television and movies, and other celebrities (great skateboarders, for example), to discuss their development before fame, their passions beyond their careers, and gives them a space to open up about their insight into their business and their own abilities. Filmed in black and white, with a few deep cushion chairs and sparse set, the show relies on Sam's ability to relate to the guests and their will to speak freely with him.

Off Camera with Sam Jones

2014

The Jonathan Ross Show poster
5.2

The Jonathan Ross Show is a British chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. It was first broadcast on ITV on 3 September 2011 and currently airs on Saturday evenings following the conclusion of Ross' BBC One chat show, Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, in July 2010.

The Jonathan Ross Show

2011

The OA poster
7.5

Seven years after vanishing from her home, a young woman returns with mysterious new abilities and recruits five strangers for a secret mission.

The OA

2016

Bait poster
6.6

Shah Latif is a struggling actor on the cusp of landing the role of a lifetime, only to find himself thrust into a full blown existential crisis and trippy conspiracy thriller all at the same time.

Bait

2026

Saturday Night Live UK poster
4.9

British incarnation of NBC's legendary late-night comedy showcase. Broadcast live each week, this UK version brings the high-wire, anything-can-happen energy that makes 'SNL' a cultural force, now reimagined through a distinctly British lens.

Saturday Night Live UK

2026

The Big Narstie Show poster
4.3

Grime legend and social media sensation Big Narstie hosts an anarchic studio show along with his co-host, and the hottest comedian in town, Mo Gilligan.

The Big Narstie Show

2018

Dead Set poster
7.2

Zombies are rampaging throughout Britain. Blissfully unaware of gory events outside, the Big Brother housemates are in for the ultimate eviction night...

Dead Set

2008

The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan poster
5.7

The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan is a British late-night talk show which was broadcast on Channel 4. The show is hosted by British comedian Mo Gilligan.

The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan

2019

10 Minute Tales poster
7.5

The biggest names in writing, acting and directing come together in a series of shorts on Sky1 HD this festive period. Experience a novel Noel with these original, uplifting and highly creative slices of silent cinema that prove actions do speak louder than words. Starring Mackenzie Crook, Bill Nighy, Peter Capaldi, Ross Kemp, and a host of major stars, each of the 10 Minute Tales promises to be a unique and engaging look at life, loss, and love.

10 Minute Tales

2009

Wired poster
6.6

Louise Evans is a single mother who works as a customer advisor for big bucks investors at a slick, pin-striped bank. On a night out with her best friend Anna she's introduced to Anna's slippery new boyfriend Phillip. Phillip makes Louise an indecent proposal: accept a briefcase full of money in return for helping him to defraud one of the bank's richest clients.

Wired

2008

The Path to 9/11 poster
7.3

Beginning with the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center and ending on the morning of 9/11, the draws on detailed information from the 9/11 Commission Report to take viewers on an unforgettable journey through the events that presaged that fateful day -- to understand what went right and wrong, and what can be learned from this crucial eight-year period.

The Path to 9/11

2006

Britz poster
7.7

Two British-born Muslim siblings are drawn in radically different directions after 9/11.

Britz

2007

No artwork available
NR

Go Behind the Mic with the cast and crew of the Harry Potter Full-Cast Audio Editions.

Behind the Mic: The Making of The Harry Potter Full-Cast Audio Editions

2025

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

The Play's the Thing

2006

Behind the camera