Egyptian-American Rami Malek picks up Golden Globe 'best actor' award

Egyptian-American actor Rami Malek on Sunday picked up a Golden Globes award for his lead performance in the Freddie Mercury bioptic "Bohemian Rhapsody".

The movie walked away with two top prizes proving to be one of the most successful films of 2018.

Malek, whose family hail from Minya governorate in central Egypt, was praised for his performance in the film, where he portrayed Mercury.

"I am beyond moved. My heart is pounding out of my chest right now," said Malek when he picked up the award for his portrayal of the Queen lead singer.

In a list of people he thanked, Malek included Freddie Mercury, who died in 1991.

"Thank you to Freddie Mercury for giving me the joy of a lifetime. I love you, you beautiful man. This is for and because of you, gorgeous."

— Mesut (@Tvvittergod1) January 7, 2019" style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post Rami Malek dedicates his #GoldenGlobes award to Freddie Mercury 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/rjcDNFMyuX — Mesut (@Tvvittergod1) January 7, 2019

Malek made showbiz headlines for allegedly being snubbed by actress Nicole Kidman on stage.

She appeared to blank him when he went to greet her on stage, as the Bohemian Rhapsody crew picked up the award for best drama.

— Abby Cadabby (@1AbbyRoad) January 7, 2019 " style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post Rami Malek trying to talk to Nicole Kidman is like me trying to talk to my crush #goldenglobes pic.twitter.com/WYS4fs6zTd — Abby Cadabby (@1AbbyRoad) January 7, 2019

The embarrassing moment played out on social media winning Malek the sympathy of some celebrity watchers.

"Poor Rami Malek trying to get Nicole Kidman's attention," wrote one commentator.

Queen guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor gave Malek some warm hugs as he celebrated his win.

Egyptians also took to social media to congratulate Malek on his award.

— Assem عاصم (@AssemAlTawdi) January 7, 2019" style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post CONGRATS @ItsRamiMalek !!! SO deserving of this award! SO proud of you!! You make ALL Egyptians and Egyptian-Americans VERY proud!!! Woohooooo!!! #GoldenGlobes2019 #GoldenGlobeAwards #RamiMalek #BestActor #Egypt #EgyptianAmerican #Queen #FreddieMercury #lgbt 🇪🇬🏳️‍🌈🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/qwKwJiaIit — Assem عاصم (@AssemAlTawdi) January 7, 2019

 
The film beat "A Star Is Born," box office superhero hit "Black Panther," Spike Lee's "BlacKkKlansman," and "If Beale Street Could Talk" to pick up the Golden Globe. 

"Bohemian Rhapsody" follows the life of Mercury as he joined Queen in 1970 to the high-point for the band when they performed at Live Aid in 1985, described as the "best concert ever" by many musicologists.


Agencies contributed to this story