5 Best Rami Malek Performances in Movies and TV

Rami Malek will return to the big screen in the spy thriller The Amateur, releasing on April 11th, and fans of the Oscar-winning actor should check out his career-best performances. Malek began his Hollywood career in 2004 with a one-episode appearance in the TV show Gilmore Girls. Two years later, Malek made his film debut in Night at the Museum. Prior to his breakout role in Mr. Robot, the star appeared in 24, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, and more. Since then, Malek has amassed a myriad of high-profile projects and consistently delivered impressive performances. His impressive resume includes blockbuster films, critically acclaimed TV shows, and many more titles that are worth a watch.

The following five movies and TV shows feature Malek’s best acting performances.

Mr. Robot

Malek’s career-defining lead role in Mr. Robot remains an all-time great TV performance. In the series, Malek stars as Elliott Alderson, a genius hacker and cybersecurity engineer with dissociative identity disorder. When recruited by a hacktivist society to destroy all debt records by encrypting the data of a mega corporation, Elliott experiences a chain reaction of events that fills his world with paranoia and danger. Mr. Robot ran for four seasons from 2015 to 2019, and Malek picked up an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series following the show’s first season.

Malek’s portrayal of Mr. Robot‘s main character is intricately layered. The actor interprets Elliott’s professional exploits and personal struggles with profound sincerity. Elliott’s unstable persona demands extraordinary depth and emotional range from a performer, and Malek pulls off the role to perfection. Beyond Malek, Mr. Robot remains a riveting narrative to follow, and its slow-burn style of plot development proves well worth the investment in the end.

Bohemian Rhapsody

Malek starred as Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury in the 2018 biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. The role won him his first Oscar for Best Lead Actor, and deservedly so. Bohemian Rhapsody chronicles Mercury’s rise to stardom, as well as developments in his personal life. Although the film received mixed reviews, Malek’s performance was universally praised. The actor expertly mirrors Mercury’s rock-star charisma and stage presence. Malek also manages to dig deep into Mercury’s psyche and paint a compelling portrait of his life away from the stage. Bohemian Rhapsody is thoroughly entertaining and a must-watch for fans of music-themed biopics.

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Oppenheimer

Malek’s screen time in 2023’s Oppenheimer is incredibly brief, but the actor delivers one of the most memorable sequences in the entire movie. He plays Dr. David Hill in the Christopher Nolan-directed biopic about the so-called father of the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy). After appearing in a short scene earlier in the film, Hill takes center stage at one point during the Senate confirmation hearing for Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.), who expects Hill to testify in his favor. However, Hill pulls the rug out from under him, instead denouncing Strauss’s candidacy and revealing his vindictive scheme to sabotage Oppenheimer’s career. This directly leads to Strauss’s failure to be confirmed.

Malek is composed and forceful in his small role, refusing to merely blend in with Oppenheimer‘s star-studded cast. The aforementioned stunning sequence feels momentous, partially thanks to Ludwig Göransson’s score and largely thanks to Malek’s ability to convey the gravity of Hill’s words. Oppenheimer contains so many memorable scenes across its mesmerizing three-hour-long narrative, and Hill’s testimony ranks among the most impactful. Malek’s performance in Oppenheimer epitomizes what it means to do so much with so little.

Papillon

A remake of the 1973 film, 2017’s Papillon tells the true story of Henri Charrière aka Papillon (Charlie Hunnam), a wrongfully imprisoned man who escaped the Devil’s Island penal colony in 1941 with the help of fellow inmate Louis Dega (Malek). Papillon‘s captivating story shines a light on the harrowing conditions at the French Guianese prison. The film fixates on Papillon and Dega’s budding friendship while featuring plenty of heart-pounding action scenes. Malek perfectly exudes Dega’s quirky personality and determination to plot his escape with Papillon. The subtle balance of humor and sincerity in Malek’s portrayal makes for an enjoyable performance that elevates the film alongside Hunnam’s character.

The Pacific

One of Malek’s most underrated performances can be found in the 2010 HBO limited series The Pacific. In the show, which focuses on numerous real-life U.S. Marines fighting in World War II’s Pacific Theater, Malek portrays Cpl. Merriell “Snafu” Shelton. The Pacific improves upon its predecessor Band of Brothers by featuring many plot threads and spotlighting its characters’ lives away from the battlefield. Snafu stands as The Pacific‘s most interesting figure, and Malek’s performance radiates the Marine’s coolness and sarcastic sense of humor while authentically capturing the desolate cynicism and numbness that accompanies witnessing the horrors of war. Snafu often appears unfazed by the brutality around him and his fellow Marines, but Malek subtly unearths the character’s fear. A world-class portrayal in an exceptional miniseries, Malek’s Snafu in The Pacific ranks high among his best acting performances.

What’s your favorite Malek performance? Let us know in the comments below!