Get email updates with the day's biggest stories Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Think of Freddie Mercury and his stage presence, iconic fashion sense and distinctive teeth spring to mind. In Bohemian Rhapsody, the new Queen biopic, Mercury finds Roger Taylor and Brian May outside the student union after their lead singer has quit. He offers to step in to the role and they reply "not with those teeth, mate". The mean jab sees Mercury hesitate, clearly hurt, before he recovers to explain: "I was born with four additional incisors. More space in my mouth means more range.” Giving them a belting tune he secures himself the lead singer gig. But what about in real life? Mercury was said to have been embarrassed by his overbite. “[O]n screen he always covered his teeth with his top lip or raised his hand to cover them,” his friend Peter Freestone said . “He was self-conscious about them. At home, he didn’t have to care.” It wasn't as if Mercury couldn't have afforded to fix them, before his death he was worth $60m. He left his anterior overjet or class II malocclusion, as it's medically known. His overbite was caused by four extra teeth that then forced his front teeth forward, and was probably inherited from his mother. (Image: BBC) So why did he leave them? It turns out Mercury did actually think they helped his range. “We all know that Freddie Mercury had very strange teeth," said Rudi Dolezal, who made documentaries about the star. “[W]e would all ask ourselves, 'A guy who was that rich, why didn't he change his teeth?' He was very afraid that if he changed his teeth that his particular sound of [his voice] would go away. So he was more concerned with his voice than his looks, and I think that says a lot about the man.” Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Play now It was claimed Mercury had a four-octave range, and while this seems to have been debunked, his teeth do seem to have helped his unusual singing technique. It isn't clear if Mercury had changed his teeth if his style and delivery would have been effected, but it's easy to see why he wouldn't want to risk it. Instead his teeth went on to become a clear part of his identity and look. Rami Malek, who plays Mercury, had a set made that he wore in the lead up to the movie on the set of Mr Robot so he could get used to them. Malek then had them gold plated so he could keep them as a memento. Bohemian Rhapsody is in cinemas now.<doc-sep>Freddie Mercury of Queen on 9/19/80 in Chicago, Il. (Photo by Paul Natkin/WireImage) Freddie Mercury is the focus of the upcoming Bryan Singer movie Bohemian Rhapsody. The British singer, songwriter and record producer is best known as the lead vocalist of rock band Queen. He lead a colourful life, right through to his untimely death at the age of 45, and that’s exactly what Bohemian Rhapsody, which stars Rami Malek as the icon, hopes to depict. Here’s all you need to know about the legend that is Freddie Mercury… Where was Freddie from? Born on 5 September 1946 in Stone Town in Tanzania, Freddie was born of Parsi descent. He grew up there with his parents there and in India before they moved to Middlesex in England when he was a late teenager. Freddie Mercury of Queen performs on stage at Live Aid at Wembley Stadium on 13th July 1985 in London. (Picture: Phil Dent/Redferns) Freddie was famous for having an overbite, revealing the reason behind it was that he had four extra teeth at the back of his mouth. These four teeth pushed his front ones forward but he always refused to get them fixed, fearing it could affect his vocals. What was his real name? Freddie wasn’t born as Freddie Mercury – he was born Farrokh Bulsara. He changed his name for his music career, adopting the forename Freddie as he had been called it at boarding school and his family used to call him by it too. Mercury came from Freddie’s love of mythology, with Mercury the Winged Messenger relating to his ability to reach out to people through the music he wrote. It was also linked to the sun and being hot, which Freddie thought he was. When did Queen form? He began taking piano lessons at the young age of seven but his career didn’t start in music – at a young age he was selling clothes at Kensington Market in London to make money. In 1970, Freddie met Brian May and Roger Taylor, who soon became his Queen band members, even though they were members of Smile. Freddie then recruited John Deacon in 1971 and Queen was formed. Away from Queen, Freddie also released some of his own solo music, using the false name Larry Lurex at points. Posed studio group portrait L-R Brian May, Freddie Mercury, John Deacon and Roger Taylor (Picture: John Rodgers/Redferns) What about his relationships? Freddie famously dated Mary Austin from 1970 to 1976. He was in a relationship with Jim Hutton from 1985 to 1991, the year he died. When did he die and how? Freddie died at the age of 45 on 24 November 1991. His untimely death was caused by Bronchopneumonia, which is a complication of AIDS. Freddie had admitted having AIDS 24 hours before his death. Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury (second right) (Picture: Fox) What about this biopic? The hotly-anticipated Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody will soon be hitting cinema screens. It’s been in the works for 10 years, with Brian May revealing a mix of production issues, creative differences and the loss of Sacha Baron Cohen form the project, who left over his and first director Brian Singer’s opposing views of the movie, are to blame. But it seems the wait will be worth it as the movie is planning on landing with a bang, premiering at Wembley Arena, right next door to where their most iconic gig took place at Live Aid in 1985. Production on the epic movie began in 2010, with ideas being formed for a couple of years before that. Rami Malek was later brought on board in 2016 to take on the role of Freddie Mercury. And Brian is absolutely sure their lead man was the right choice, praising Rami’s performance as the legend as being ‘instinctive’. Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming movie… When is Bohemian Rhapsody’s release date? Bohemian Rhapsody will hit UK cinemas on 24 October. Rami Malek plays Freddie Mercury in the biopic (Picture: Twentieth Century Fox) What is it about? The film promises to trace ‘the meteoric rise of the band through their iconic songs and revolutionary sound, their near-implosion as Mercury’s lifestyle spirals out of control, and their triumphant reunion on the eve of Live Aid, where Mercury, facing a life-threatening illness, leads the band in one of the greatest performances in the history of rock music’. The synopsis adds: ‘In the process, cementing the legacy of a band that were always more like a family, and who continue to inspire outsiders, dreamers and music lovers to this day.’ Freddie Mercury is not his real name… (Picture: Twentieth Century Fox) Producer Graham King also said the film will fulfill audiences’ expectations: ‘This is a story that has something for everyone. Freddie Mercury connected like only a handful of performers have ever done. I am so humbled to be part of Queen’s legacy.’ Who’s in the cast? Rami becomes Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody (Picture: STARTRAKS PHOTO) The Mr Robot actor has stepped into the shoes and onto the world stage to portray the late Queen singer and it’s a movie that will surely divide longtime fans of the iconic British band. In fact, Rami, 37, described taking the role as one of the ‘scariest’ career choices he’s had to make yet. In an interview with The Guardian, Rami recalled his first thought when offered the role of Freddie, stating: ‘I must do this.’ Freddie Mercury’s life is portrayed in the Queen-produced biopic (Picture: Twentieth Century Fox) The TV star continued: ‘[It’s] kind of a gun-to-the-head moment. What do you do? And I like to think if it’s a fight or flight situation, I’m going to fight. ‘The scariest endeavours that I’ve chosen to take in my life have been the most fulfilling and rewarding. And this has proven to defend that equation.’ Keen to do the coveted role justice, Rami had an intimate dinner with Queen guitarist Brian May and Kinks singer Ray Davies, to get to know his character better. Needless to say, Rami was told some brilliant anecdotes about the late musician while also getting to know a softer side to his personality. Rami said of the meeting: ‘The one thing that kept coming up was how generous he was. How he could make you feel you were the most important person in the room.’ The film also stars Gwilym Lee as Brian May, former EastEnders star Ben Hardy as Roger Taylor, and Joe Mazzello as John Deacon. Bohemian Rhapsody will tell the story of Freddie’s life (Picture: Twentieth Century Fox) What about Sacha Baron Cohen? Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen was initially on-board to play Freddie but dropped out in 2016 due to creative differences with Queen, while Brian Singer was reportedly fired as director when filming had already started. And director Bryan Singer? The film had been shooting in London but on December 1 Fox confirmed that due to the ‘unexpected unavailability’ of Singer, the production had been put on hold. It is thought that the decision ‘reflected a growing clash between Singer and actor Rami Malek and was caused by Singer’s being missing from the set’. Dexter Fletcher later took over from Singer. Bryan Singer was sacked from Bohemian Rhapsody (Picture: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic) What have the reviews been like? With so much controversy surrounding the movie, Rami’s performance will no doubt be scrutinised to the last move but, fortunately, the actor has received rave reviews already. One critic at the New York Times, said Rami tackled the role with ‘incredible gusto’ while another at Us Weekly said his performance turned Bohemian Rhapsody from an ‘ok movie’ into a ‘good one’. When is the premiere? The premiere of the new Queen biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, is set to be held right by where one of their most famous performances took place. The new movie, which stars Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury, will be screened on 23 October at the SSE Arena in Wembley. The arena sits right next door to the stadium, which stands on the ground of the original stadium where the Live Aid concert of 1985 was held.<doc-sep>The critics aren’t sure what to make of Bohemian Rhapsody, and it remains to be seen how the Queen biopic performs at the box office. One thing is for certain: lead actor Rami Malek comes out the experience a winner and a grinner. Malek, who portrays Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in the film, kept the fake teeth he wore on set to mimic the late singer’s overbite. And he’s had them cast in gold. “It is the most ostentatious thing I have probably ever done, and, in the spirit of Freddie, being as outlandish as I could, I said, ‘What would be more him than casting these in gold,’” he tells The New Yorker. “As far as wrap gifts go, it seems like a pretty good one.”<doc-sep>
Bohemian Rhapsody: Official trailer released Bohemian Rhapsody hit cinemas this week. Critics are divided over the film, with accusations that it pulls punches and avoids the hard truths of what really happened, but everyone is unanimous in praise of Malek's remarkable performance as the iconic Queen frontman. Malek has revealed how much work he put into creating Freddie on screen, with voice, dialect and movement coaches. But his revelation about Freddie's teeth sums up just how perfectly he captured the spirit of the great man. Malek's transformation is incredible but to complete the look he needed false teeth and tehy came t orepresent his whoel experience on the movie. The actor told the New Yorker: "I kept the teeth. Well, I had the teeth cast in gold. "It is the most ostentatious thing I have probably ever done, and, in the spirit of Freddie, being as outlandish as I could, I said, ‘What would be more him than casting these in gold?’ “When I started to embrace that aspect of him—the mischief, the joy, the freedom, and the lack of any inhibition, or so it seems—that’s when the real spontaneity started to occur for me. Basically, the ownership of it. And that was him—tremendous ownership of who he was.” Bohemian Rhapsody: Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury Bohemian Rhapsody: Rami Malek says he cast Freddie Mercury's teeth in gold Malek also revealed he shocked himself by starting to embrace the outlandish costumes. He said: “I’d seen photos of this kind of glam rock, but to think that I’d be in that sequin leotard . . . “For a second I was, like, 'This is going to take some getting used to.' But by the end of it I was holding the sequin-leotard thing, saying, ‘Can you make me this in ruby-red?’” But it was more than just costues and teeth, Malek gave an insight into just how hard he worked to do Freddie justice. Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury