Celeb obsessed? Get a daily dose of showbiz gossip direct to your inbox 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 He's the rising star tipped to win an Oscar next week for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury in hit film Bohemian Rhapsody. But for all his success, actor Rami Malek is nursing a secret heartache. We can reveal the star’s father died long before he was able to see his son become a Hollywood superstar. Yet, in a fitting legacy, Rami, 37, has carried on his father’s role of ensuring he looks after the family. That is set to include taking his twin brother Sami to the Oscars next week. (Image: Splash News) It is not the first act of brotherly love. Rami is believed to have splashed out on a £2million mansion for Sami, which they share in the Hollywood Hills. Yesterday a friend close to the actor said: “The family are very close and, as twins, Sami and Rami are, of course, extremely close. “When their father Said died, they became a very tight-knit group. “His death really hit them hard and Rami really looked up to his dad, who always encouraged him to stay close to his family. “His mother, siblings and cousins are all incredibly proud of Rami and his achievements.” Said, who died in 2006, was a tour guide in Cairo, Egypt, before immigrating to the US and settling in Los Angeles, where he went door to door selling insurance. Rami’s mother Nelly worked as an accountant. (Image: Mirrorpix) The star – who won Best Actor at the Baftas earlier this month – has previously told how his parents did not want him to become an actor. They wanted him to pursue a career in law or medicine instead to “achieve a good financial and social status”. “But because I am crazy and stubborn, as they would say, I chose to study fine arts and theatre,” he said. He went on to follow his dreams and started working professionally about 15 years ago, doing bit-parts and voiceovers mainly, supplemented by being a waiter. Before landing his coveted film role as Freddie Mercury, opposite Lucy Boynton as the Queen frontman’s lifelong pal Mary Austin, Rami was a relative unknown in the UK. (Image: WireImage) He had a sizeable profile back home thanks to his lead role in the US TV drama Mr Robot. But his world changed after auditioning for Bohemian Rhapsody. He recently took his mum on a promotional tour of the film, and two years ago took his cousin to the Emmy Awards. And Sami is a regular on the red carpet. Growing up, dad Said made sure Rami kept in contact with his family in Egypt, regularly waking him in the middle of the night to speak to them. Rami said: “I have cousins, yeah. I always refer to them as my immediate family and my brother the other day was, like, ‘They’re not your immediate family, you just grew up thinking that’. “As far as my father was concerned, we were going to know these people.” As well as being proud of his family, Rami is incredibly proud of his Egyptian heritage – even if it led to him feeling singled out while growing up in America. He said: “I definitely felt that, culturally, I came from a different background than 95% of the kids I was around. We were speaking Arabic at home. (Image: WireImage) “There was a feeling of being inherently different. And I don’t know whether that feeling is something you create for yourself. “It was definitely reflected in people’s actions towards you. “But it was there, and it’s something that you fight against until you accept what a beautiful and powerful thing it is to have this history and this tradition running through your genes.” Rami, who also has an older sister – an ER doctor in Washington DC – previously said he once pretended to be his brother, who is four minutes younger than him. It came when Sami, now a teacher who was pictured protesting recently, had to perform a Greek monologue for the extra credit he needed to graduate from university. Actor Rami explained: “[The professor] starts looking at me kind of accusatorially like, ‘Where the hell did you come up with that? I’ve watched you this whole year’. “So she pulls me out of the class… and goes, ‘How did you learn how to do that?’ I go, ‘Um, it’s just a hobby’. “And then she looks at me and says, ‘Well, listen, I have a class in about 30 minutes, can you come back and do it for them?’ I go, ‘Did I get the points that I’m going to need to pass the class and get my degree?’ She goes, ‘Yeah, you got the points’. I go, ‘My car’s parked in the red, I gotta go’.” Rami’s amateur performance certainly helped pave the way for his professional career. He nabbed a Best Actor, Drama win at last month’s Golden Globes for his portrayal of Freddie, as well as picking up his Bafta. And he is determined to share his success with the people he loves most. Another friend added: “Rami is an incredibly kind and generous man. “He wants his family and friends to come on the journey with him. That’s just the type of guy he is.”<doc-sep>The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel 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 Rami Malek's relatives in Egypt huddled around a TV set at home as if cheering the national soccer team, but they were celebrating his first best actor Oscar for his role in Bohemian Rhapsody. Rami's 24-year-old cousin, Fadi, told Reuters that uncles, aunts and their children had gathered at the family house in the hamlet of Feltaous in Minya province, 265 km (165 miles) south of Cairo,to watch the Academy Awards live from Los Angeles. When Malek's name was read out as the winner of Best Actor , the family erupted in jubilation, hugging each other and dancing for joy. "It was like watching Egypt score a goal to win the cup," Fadi told Reuters by telephone from Feltaous. "It wasn't a win for the family only, but also for Egypt." (Image: Getty Images) The family called Rami's mother in the United States to congratulate her on the honour and invite their celebrity cousin to visit Egypt. "Auntie Nelly (Rami's mother) said she and Rami were eager to visit," said Rami, another cousin of Rami Malek , a Los Angeles native of Egyptian descent. Malek, 37, emerged as a favorite for the Oscar in recent weeks after winning Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and British BAFTA awards for playing late frontman Freddie Mercury of British rock band Queen in Bohemian Rhapsody . (Image: Getty Images) In his acceptance speech at the Oscars , Rami described himself as "the son of immigrants from Egypt...I'm a first-generation American and part of my story is being written right now," to a response of applause. Rami, who is also in his 30s, said Malek's talents were evident when he visited Egypt as a high school student back in the 1990s for the first time since his family emigrated to the United States in 1979. "I did not imagine then that Rami would become a world famous actor, but he clearly loved acting," cousin Rami said. He clearly did! The 91st Academy Awards were held on February 24, 2019, in Hollywood, Los Angeles.<doc-sep>Bohemian Rhapsody (2018 movie) Close this dialog window Streaming Options Heeeee is the champion, my friends: Rami Malek has won the Oscar for Best Actor at the 91st annual Academy Awards on Sunday for his performance as Freddie Mercury in the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. “I think about what it would’ve been like to tell little bubba Rami that one day this might happen to him, and I think his curly haired little mind would be blown,” said Malek when he took the stage to accept the award. “That kid was struggling with his identity, trying to figure himself out. I think to anyone struggling with theirs and trying to find their voice, listen, we made a film about a gay man, an immigrant, who lived his life just unapologetically himself. The fact that I’m celebrating him and this story with you tonight is proof that we’re longing for stories like this.” RAMI MALEK Credit: Craig Sjodin/ABC He continued: “I am the son of immigrants from Egypt. I’m a first generation American, and part of my story is being written right now, and I could not be more grateful to each and every one of you and everyone who believed in me for this moment. It is something I will treasure for the rest of my life.” The Mr. Robot actor also thanked Queen “for allowing me to be the tiniest part of your phenomenal, extraordinary legacy. I am forever in your debt.” The film, which tracks Mercury’s rise with the iconic band up through their show-stopping Live Aid performance, has enjoyed both box office success and a fruitful awards-season run, particularly for Malek. The actor picked up a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, and a BAFTA leading up to the Oscars, and though critics have dinged the film for its portrayal of Mercury’s sexuality and his AIDS diagnosis, Malek has stood by the story for honoring Mercury. “I think the movie celebrates Freddie Mercury’s life,” he previously told EW. “And that was the story that was on the page.” Still, Bohemian Rhapsody has been mired in controversy behind the scenes for some time: Director Bryan Singer abandoned production just before filming completed — and was subsequently fired — leaving the uncredited Dexter Fletcher to wrap up. In January, Singer was hit with several new allegations of having sex with underage boys throughout his career in an exposé published in The Atlantic. Malek has refrained from discussing Singer in his acceptance speeches during the awards season so far, but did comment on the allegations in a discussion with The Hollywood Reporter, saying, “I’ve sat here and talked about how everyone deserves a voice and anyone who wants to talk about what happened with Bryan deserves to have their voice heard. In my situation with Bryan, it was not pleasant, not at all.” The actor beat out fellow nominees Christian Bale (Vice), Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born), Willem Dafoe (At Eternity’s Gate), and Viggo Mortensen (Green Book) for the win. Close this dialog window Streaming Options Related content:<doc-sep>Rami Malek has won the Oscar for best actor at the 91st Academy Awards for his role as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. Malek defeated a strong field, including Christian Bale as Dick Cheney in Vice and Bradley Cooper as musician Jack Maine in A Star Is Born. Malek was the favourite to win, however, having previously picked up a string of awards for the role including best actor from the Baftas and Screen Actors Guild and best actor (drama) at the Golden Globes. Bohemian Rhapsody is a biopic of British rock act Queen, with a focus on its lead singer, Mercury, who died in 1991 from Aids-related illness. Prior to Bohemian Rhapsody, Malek was best known for his role in the award-winning TV series Mr Robot, in which he played hacker Elliot Alderson. Malek’s performance in Bohemian Rhapsody was described as “electric” by the Observer critic Simran Hans, and as “a feat of impersonation” by the Guardian’s Steve Rose. The film has been a significant box-office success, despite a troubled production process. Sacha Baron Cohen was originally due to play Mercury, but dropped out after disagreements with Queen’s surviving band members. Director Bryan Singer was fired during shooting and replaced by Dexter Fletcher; however Singer retains sole credit due to union regulations. Singer was subsequently accused of sexual misconduct and underage sex in a magazine article, which he denies as a “homophobic smear”. In February, Malek suggested it had been difficult working with Singer saying: “My situation with Bryan, it was not pleasant, not at all.” In his speech, Malek paid tribute to his parents, saying of his mother, who was in the auditorium “I love you, lady” and expressing the belief that his father would be “looking down on me right now”. Although he said of the film’s cast and crew “I love you, you are my equals, you are my betters”, he did not mention Singer by name. He singled out co-star Lucy Boyton, with whom he is now in a relationship, and the band Queen, saying: “I may not have been the obvious choice [to play Freddie Mercury] but I guess it worked out.” Malek also said that the acclaim and enormous audience the film had found indicated the appetite for stories about minorities. “A film about a gay man, an immigrant, who lived his life unapologetically as himself.”<doc-sep>
Rami was joined by his siblings and mum Nelly (Picture: Rex Features) As Rami Malek emotionally accepted his award at the Oscars in the heart of Los Angeles, his family watched on proudly thousands of miles away in Egypt. The 37-year-old was crowned best actor at the Academy Awards on Sunday for his role as Freddie Mercury in the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, becoming the first Arab-American to win the prestigious award. Rami was joined at the awards by his mother Nelly, identical twin brother Sami, sister Yasmine and his Bohemian Rhapsody co-star and girlfriend Lucy Boynton. But the celebrations were certainly not contained to Los Angeles as Rami’s relatives in Feltaous, Egypt rejoiced as they watched him accept the golden statue on TV, dancing and hugging each other. A mother’s pride and joy (Picture: Rex Features) Revealing how they celebrated Rami’s incredible award win, his cousin Fadi told Reuters: ‘It was like watching Egypt score a goal to win the cup. It wasn’t a win for the family only, but also for Egypt.’ Sounds like they know how to party. Fadi, 24, revealed how they called Rami’s mother in Los Angeles to congratulate her son on his triumph and to extend an invite for them to visit Egypt. Rami’s last trip to the motherland was way back in the 1990s but will apparently be booking flights soon, as Fadi said: ‘Auntie Nelly said she and Rami were eager to visit. Rami and Lucy met on the set of Bohemian Rhapsody (Picture: Reuters) ‘I did not imagine then that Rami would become a world famous actor, but he clearly loved acting.’ In his acceptance speech, Rami celebrated his Egyptian heritage and described himself as the ‘son of immigrants from Egypt,’ adding: ‘I’m a first-generation American and part of my story is being written right now.’ Rami’s father, Said, tragically died in 2006 but their loss actually brought the family together. A friend of the Malek’s told The Mirror: ‘The family are very close and, as twins, Sami and Rami are, of course, extremely close. When their father Said died, they became a very tight-knit group. ‘His death really hit them hard and Rami really looked up to his dad, who always encouraged him to stay close to his family. His mother, siblings and cousins are all incredibly proud of Rami and his achievements.’ MORE : Shawn Mendes praises Bohemian Rhapsody’s Rami Malek over ‘inspiring’ Oscars speech MORE : Oscar-winner Rami Malek celebrates with messy champagne shower as he sprays bottle over Governors Ball after-party