BlackFacts.com presents the black fact of the day for May 12.

Ving Rhames was born.

He is an American actor, best known for his starring role as Luther Stickell in the "Mission: Impossible" film series and his supporting role as gang kingpin Marsellus Wallace in "Pulp Fiction".

He was born and raised in Harlem, New York City. He was named after NBC journalist Irving R. Levine.

He entered New York's High School of Performing Arts, where he developed his love of acting. After high school, he studied drama at SUNY Purchase, where fellow acting student Stanley Tucci gave him his nickname "Ving".  

Some of his works are "Jacob's Ladder", "Striptease", "Con Air", "Out of Sight", "Entrapment", "Bringing Out the Dead" and "Dawn of the Dead". He voiced Cobra Bubbles in the animated film "Lilo & Stitch".

Rhames won a Golden Globe in 1998 for Best Actor. At the ceremony, he gave his award to fellow nominee Jack Lemmon. Lemmon was clearly touched by the gesture as was the celebrity audience who gave Lemmon a standing ovation.  

Lemmon, who tried unsuccessfully to give the award back to Rhames, said it was "one of the nicest, sweetest moments I've ever known in my life."  

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