The winner of the Oscar for best actor at Sunday’s American Academy Awards ceremony may not be as outrageously glamorous and high-profile as his muse, Queen’s late lead singer Freddie Mercury, in everyone’s favourite bio-pic of 2018, but Malek is a force to be reckoned with.

Awards aside, here are 5 reasons Malek has stolen our hearts.

1. Malek, 37, is truly dedicated to his art. Before it was even confirmed that Malek was to bring Mercury back to life in Bohemian Rhapsody, the actor got himself a set of fake front teeth.

“I wanted to be comfortable with them on as much as I could, because it was difficult to talk with them on, let alone sing with them,” the actor told Vanity Fair.

2. In 2016, Malek, who was born in Los Angeles to Egyptian immigrant parents, was the first non-white winner of the Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding lead actor in a drama in 18 years. Yes, you read that right – 18 years.

Malek won the award for his role in the television drama series Mr. Robot. In a climate where diversity on television and in Hollywood is so polarising, we celebrate each of these (not so) little wins.

Malek is one of a handful of celebrities with Middle-Eastern heritage who is a household name in 2019.

We hope that he, alongside countless actors and actresses in the industry, will continue to help pave the way for a more diverse casting.

3. He made his acting debut in 2004 in the US television sitcom Gilmore Girls. Malek had just three lines to say with the character of Lane Kim, played by actress Keiko Agena.

What we love and admire about his brief appearance on Gilmore Girls is Malek’s dedication to breaking into the industry.

The actor, who acted as his own agent at the time, booked the job without a Screen Actors Guild Card by charming his way into the role.

This opened up doors for the actor in the industry and really goes to show if you want something enough, ask for it.

Not only did he win the Oscar this year (along with the BAFTA) for best actor, but we love that, in a full circle 15 years later, Malek also won 2019’s Screen Actors Guild Award for outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role for his role as Freddie Mercury.

4. Not one for social media, Malek’s Instagram account, with 2.2 million followers, boasts only three posts.

We find this beautifully refreshing in a time where many celebrities have jumped on the oversharing bandwagon. Admittedly, Malek is more active on Twitter.

Although you won’t find streams of posts about what he ate for lunch; instead, between promotions of his film and other appearances, the actor shares inspiring posts encouraging fans to vote and donate to causes close to his heart.

5. That Freddie Mercury was a fashion icon is a statement that cannot be denied, but it seems Malek may have taken a page out of the Queen frontman’s book.

The actor has been working with celebrity stylist Ilaria Urbinati (who also dresses film heartthrobs Ryan Reynolds, Tom Hiddleston and Bradley Cooper) and whether it’s fashion week and awards season or just a casual stroll about town, time and time again Malek has shown us that he has impeccable style and just enough daringness to stand out among the crowd by often sporting classic, well-tailored staples with a statement piece.

We especially love his bold move at the LA Film Critics Association Awards this year when he donned an all-red Berluti suit on the red carpet.

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