Rami Malek is a man who takes pride in his heritage. His cultural heritage, however, made it difficult for him to integrate into American culture.
The Oscar winner has established himself as a leading man in Hollywood. He has received critical praise for his performances in films such as Bohemian Rapsody and Mr. Robot.
Malek was born and reared in the United States and is a first-generation American. On the other hand, his parents regularly reminded him of his heritage and background.
What ethnicity does Rami Malek belong to?
Rami Malek is Egyptian by ethnicity, but an American by nationality because he was born in California. The actor is also Greek, according to reports, since he is “an eighth Greek.”
Said his father, and Nelly, his mother, were both Egyptian immigrants. In the late 1970s, they migrated to the United States with his older sister, Yasmine. Said used to work as a travel agency in Cairo, assisting western travelers. Spending time with them piqued his interest in the other side of the planet, and he expressed a desire to see it.
Nelly was first apprehensive about moving to the United States and living in a different country. It was difficult for her to leave her family and friends in Cairo. However, she changed her mind and consented to relocate in the end. So, in 1978, Said, Nelly, and Yasmine moved to Sherman Oaks and stayed for a long time.
On May 12, 1981, Malek and his identical twin brother, Sami, were born there. The Malek siblings grew up in the San Fernando Valley in a highly secluded environment.
Their parents, on the other hand, instilled in them the importance of remembering their roots. On the contrary, they worked hard to ensure that their family’s Egyptian heritage was preserved.
Malek’s first language was Egyptian Arabic, which he spoke until he was four years old. Furthermore, his father used to wake him up late at night to chat with his Egyptian extended relatives.
Rami Malek On Embracing His Ethnicity
Rami Malek is devoted to his family and Egyptian roots, as his parents taught him. In his late teens, he visited Egypt to see where his parents used to reside. He reunited with his extended relatives and cousins, who further added to his enthusiasm for Egypt.
On May 12, 2020, he told GQ that his culture was “the fabric” of who he was. There was no such thing as “first-generation or second-generation removed,” he asserted.
Because it was who he was and how he grew up, he identified as Egyptian. His parents reared him listening to the music of his culture, and he adored every bit of it. He acknowledged that he felt “so wonderfully attached to the culture and the human beings that reside there” while speaking about Egypt.
He admitted that his experience was different from that of other Egyptians, but it did not imply he was not a part of his culture. Overall, Malek is outspoken and proud of his race and culture.
