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Riz Ahmed

Riz Ahmed

Actor and producer, also writer · Born December 1, 1982 (43) · Wembley, London, England, UK

Oscar winner · Primetime Emmy winner · Golden Globe nominee · 6 other major award bodies

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 Nightcrawler (2014), which led to roles in the 2016 big-budget films Jason Bourne and Rogue One. For starring as a young man accused of murder in the HBO miniseries The Night Of (2016), Ahmed won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series. He received another Emmy nomination in the same year for his guest role in Girls. He went on to play Carlton Drake in the superhero film Venom (2018) and a drummer who loses his hearing in the drama film Sound of Metal (2019). The latter earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. He produced, co-wrote, and starred in Mogul Mowgli (2020), which earned a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film. As a rapper, Ahmed is a member of the Swet Shop Boys, and has earned critical acclaim with the hip-hop albums Microscope and Cashmere, and commercial success featuring in the Billboard 200 chart-topping Hamilton Mixtape, with his song "Immigrants (We Get the Job Done)" winning an MTV Video Music Award. His second studio album, The Long Goodbye, was accompanied by a short film of the same name, which won him the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. Description above from the Wikipedia article Riz Ahmed, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 1, 1982 (43)
From
Wembley, London, England, UK
Works as
Actor and producer, also writer
Titles
36 on MovieCove · 55 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26

What are Riz Ahmed's films like?

Across their 35 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Morality.

Genres

Drama12 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 69th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Action7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 65th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Crime5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 65th percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Comedy4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 90th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 89th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
25%
Morality
18%
Survival
15%
Bonds
15%
Power
14%
Society
9%
Ideas
4%
Identity15 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival5 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception6 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 31 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 5 · Serious 2 · Dark 24

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 16 · Stylized 11 · Heightened 4

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 14 · Intense 16

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 6 · Shifting 23 · Whiplash 2

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 21 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 2

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 20 · Relentless 4

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 4 · Engaged 18 · Full focus 9

Heavy: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their heavy movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 4 · Affecting 9 · Heavy 18

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 13 · Open-ended 12 · Ambiguous 6

Roles they play

25 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 14 of 25 analyzed roles.

Hero
14 of 25
Ally
3 of 25
Trickster
3 of 25
Shadow
2 of 25
Mentor
1 of 25
Shapeshifter
1 of 25
Herald
1 of 25
Show the 25 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
30
Melancholic
20
Dread
9
Contemplative
11
Cold
5
Other
22

How their films linger

Thought-provoking21 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteInfuriating3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 8 with a twist

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet16
  • Tragic5
  • Ambiguous10

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Riz Ahmed's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 27 of their 36 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Riz Ahmed's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

55 credits, 36 with a MovieCove page; 22 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Digger(2026)

    as Dr. Nirav Ganesh

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Bait(2026)

    Show 6 episodes · Creator · Executive Producer · Songs · Writer · as Shah Latif

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all shows

  • Hamlet(2025)

    Producer · as Hamlet

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • Relay(2024)

    as Ash

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Phoenician Scheme(2025)

    as Prince Farouk

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Defiance: Fighting the Far Right (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Show 3 episodes · Executive Producer

  • Fingernails(2023)

    as Amir

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Dammi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    as Mounir

  • Nimona(2023)

    as Ballister Boldheart (voice)

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Mustache(2023)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Joyland(2022)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • You Resemble Me(2021)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Moshari (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Executive Producer

  • Encounter(2021)

    as Malik Khan

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Flee(2021)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Long Goodbye (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Writer · as Riz

  • Lines (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Actor

  • Sound of Metal(2019)

    Executive Producer · as Ruben Stone

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Mogul Mowgli(2020)

    Producer · Story · Writer · as Zed

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Venom(2018)

    as Carlton Drake / Riot

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • The Sisters Brothers(2018)

    as Hermann Kermit Warm

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Una(2016)

    as Scott

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • The OA(2016)

    Show 5 episodes · as Elias Rahim

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows

  • Rogue One: A Star Wars Story(2016)

    as Bodhi Rook

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • City of Tiny Lights(2016)

    as Tommy Akhtar

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Jason Bourne(2016)

    as Aaron Kalloor

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • The Night Of(2016)

    Show 8 episodes · as Nasir 'Naz' Khan

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • Nightcrawler(2014)

    as Rick

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Daytimer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Director · Writer

  • Out of Darkness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    as Male

  • Closed Circuit(2013)

    as Nazrul Sharma

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • The Reluctant Fundamentalist(2012)

    as Changez

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Ill Manors(2012)

    as Aaron

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Girls(2012)

    Show 2 episodes · as Paul-Louis

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all shows

  • Day of the Falcon(2011)

    as Ali

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Trishna(2011)

    as Jay

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Four Lions(2010)

    as Omar

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Centurion(2010)

    as Tarak

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • 10 Minute Tales (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Show 1 episode · as Joseph

  • Rage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Vijay

  • Freefall(2009)

    as Gary

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Baghdad Express (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Songs · as Talal

  • Dead Set(2008)

    Show 5 episodes · as Riq Rahman

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows

  • Shifty(2008)

    as Shifty

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Wired(2008)

    Show 3 episodes · as Manesh Kunzru

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all shows

  • Britz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Sohail Wahid

  • Britz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Show 2 episodes · as Sohail

  • The Path to 9/11 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Show 2 episodes · as Yosri

  • The Play's the Thing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Banglatown Banquet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    as Razual

  • The Road to Guantanamo(2006)

    as Shafiq

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Exit West (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Executive Producer · as Saeed

  • Growth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

  • The Big Fix (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

  • Violent Talent (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 55 titles, 51 of them dated from 2006 to 2026; peak year 2020.

Biggest box office

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

$1.1B worldwide

Highest rated

Nightcrawler (2014)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

Digger (2026)

Film career

MilestoneNomination
20062026

Peak 2020 · at the high point of their film career. Top draw in 18 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting48 of 55: 41 only acting, 7 with another role · typical Midcredits score68thDirecting1 of 55: 0 only directing, 1 with another roleWriting4 of 55: 0 only writing, 4 with another roleProducing11 of 55: 6 only producing, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score78thOther crew2 of 55: 0 only other crew, 2 with another role

55 titles, 8 with more than one role — acting and producing overlap on 5 of them.

By decade

2000s13 · 13 acting · 1 crew2010s19 · 18 acting · 1 crew2020s19 · 13 acting · 11 crew

Billing

usually 2nd · top billed in 42% of 26 roles
06111621

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

an Oscar, a Primetime Emmy and 2 other major awards from 16 major nominations, 2012–2026.

WinNomination
  1. 2026
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
  2. 2022
    • Oscar, won · Best Live Action Short Film
  3. 2021
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Leading Actor
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Outstanding British Film of the Year
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
    • +2 other major bodies · 1 win and 1 nomination
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Actor
      • Independent Spirit Award, won · Best Male Lead
  4. 2017
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
  5. 2015
    • Sundance award, nominated
    • Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Supporting Male
  6. 2012
    • Berlinale award, won

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Riz Ahmed's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 74th percentile, the median of all 30; across their 31 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 72nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

72ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 31

Approval · how many liked their films

76thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 31

Reach · how many have seen their films

89thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 31

Midcredits score across 36 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up16
  • 50th to 74th11
  • 25th to 49th9

Shape of the crowd

17 of their 36 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved8
  • Loved with Detractors1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser17
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · producer

Mustache (2023)

97th percentile spread · 22% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Nightcrawler (2014)

Midcredits 98th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the acting 77/100 in their films, across 30 reviewed titles; fans 83, detractors 52. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Riz Ahmed's work okay for kids?

Across up to 23 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore19 titles39–88 · median 63 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity23 titles10–65 · median 29 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity18 titles30–86 · median 61 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs15 titles8–52 · median 30 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense17 titles40–70 · median 59 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Riz Ahmed work with?

People who share at least 2 of Riz Ahmed's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Allie Moore shares the most, 3.

Directors

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles