Rhames often turned up as a Vietnam combatant: on Broadway in "The Boys of Winter" (1985), as part of an ensemble boasting Matt Dillon and Wesley Snipes; in a TV guest spot on the CBS war drama, "Tour of Duty"; in Brian De Palma's "Casualties of War" (1989); and in "Jacob's Ladder" (1990). Back on the home front, he was a hardworking, supportive, and loving husband to Whoopi Goldberg in the civil rights era drama, "The Long Walk Home" (1990). More typically, Rhames was a street kingpin who exploits fellow homeless men in a shelter in "The Saint of Fort Washington" (1993). He revealed a flair for comedy as an uptight Secret Service man in "Dave" (1993), and brought a distinctive blend of suaveness and menace to his portrayal of crime boss Marsellus Wallace in "Pulp Fiction" (1994). The surprising box-office success of the latter would be a career turning point though the effects were not immediately apparent.

Rhames turned up in a major supporting role of Garvey, a militant de-programmer of "buppies", in the poorly received (and barely released) satire, "DROP Squad" (1994). He also lent his formidable presence to the rogues' gallery in the remake of "Kiss of Death" (1995). Rhames' most high-profile roles, up to that date, came in two major 1996 summer movies: Brian De Palma's "Mission: Impossible", as Tom Cruise's computer expert sidekick, and "Striptease" as Demi Moore's protector. He had his first starring role in "Dangerous Ground" (1997), an adventure set in South Africa with rapper-actor Ice Cube. Rhames has also worked regularly in TV since the mid-80s, most notably in the title role of HBO's acclaimed "Don King: Only in America" (1997).

Rhames continued to work steadily in a wide range of memorable roles throughout the next several years. He supported George Clooney as his partner in crime in 1998's "Out of Sight"(which also starred a pre-pop diva Jennifer Lopez); he was Sean Connery's backup in 1999's "Entrapment" and returned to his sidekick role in 2000's "Mission Impossible II." In 2001, Rhames was cast as a recurring character in the police drama "UC: Undercover" and also played an ambiguous father figure to Tyrese in John Singleton's "Baby Boy." After making his presence known in the television projects "Sins of the Father" and "Little John" (both in 2002), The actor returned to the big screen taking on the role of a heavyweight champion who challenges the former prison boxing champion (played by Wesley Snipes) in "The Undisputed" (2002). He went from prisoner to policeman the following year, as he portrayed the Assistant LAPD Chief dealing with the mean streets of South Central in "Dark Blue," which also co-starred Kurt Russell and Scott Speedman as less-than-honest policemen.

In “Dawn of the Dead” (2004), a re-envisioning of George Romero’s horror classic from 1978, Rhames played a police officer in a post-apocalyptic world who leads a group of ragtag survivors in a battle against rampaging zombies. Rhames relished the role of hero and being able to run around with a pump shotgun. He next starred in “Animal” (2005), a straight-to-video drama depicting Rhames as sociopathic gangsta released from prison and determined to live the straight life after reading Malcolm X. He returns home where friends and family are wary of his strange behavior, as he tries to convince his son (Terrence Howard) not to follow in his footsteps. Rhames then made the leap to series television, starring in the contemporary remake of the 1970s classic cop show, “Kojak” (USA Network, 2004-2005). Originally planned as a series of TV movies, USA Network aired a two-hour pilot and ordered an additional nine episodes. Mediocre ratings for the first airing, however, forced the cable channel to put the project on hold. Meanwhile, Rhames joined co-star Tom Cruise for “Mission: Impossible 3” (2006), the third installment to the franchise directed this time by “Lost” creator J.J. Abrams.