Ben Kingsley
2 FOLLOWERS • 83 CREDITS • DEC 31, 1943 • 81
Biography
more
Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji; 31 December 1943) is an English actor. He has received accolades throughout his career spanning five decades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Grammy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, as well as nominations for four Primetime Emmy Awards and two Laurence Olivier Awards. Kingsley was appointed Knight Bachelor in 2002 for services to the British film industry. He was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010 and received the Britannia Award in 2013. Born to an English mother and an Indian Gujarati father with roots in Jamnagar, Kingsley began his career in theatre, joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1967 and spending the next 15 years appearing mainly on stage. His starring roles included productions of As You Like It (his West End debut for the company at the Aldwych Theatre in 1967), Much Ado About Nothing, Richard III, The Tempest, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, and The Merry Wives of Windsor. Also known for his television roles, he received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his performances in Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story (1989), Joseph (1995), Anne Frank: The Whole Story (2001), and Mrs. Harris (2006). In film, Kingsley is known for his starring role as Mahatma Gandhi in Richard Attenborough's Gandhi (1982), for which he subsequently won the Academy Award for Best Actor and BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. For his portrayal of Itzhak Stern in Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List (1993), he received a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role nomination. He was Oscar-nominated for Bugsy (1990), Sexy Beast (2000), and House of Sand and Fog (2003). His other notable films include Maurice (1987), Sneakers (1992), Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993), Death and the Maiden (1994), Twelfth Night (1996), Tuck Everlasting (2002), Elegy (2008), Shutter Island (2010), and Hugo (2011). Kingsley played the character of Trevor Slattery in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in Iron Man 3 (2013), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), and the upcoming Disney+ series Wonder Man. He also acted in the blockbusters Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) and Ender's Game (2013). Kingsley lent his voice to the films The Boxtrolls (2014) and The Jungle Book (2016).
Overview
Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji; 31 December 1943) is an English actor. He has received accolades throughout his career spanning five decades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Grammy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, as well as nominations for four Primetime Emmy Awards and two Laurence Olivier Awards. Kingsley was appointed Knight Bachelor in 2002 for services to the British film industry. He was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010 and received the Britannia Award in 2013. Born to an English mother and an Indian Gujarati father with roots in Jamnagar, Kingsley began his career in theatre, joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1967 and spending the next 15 years appearing mainly on stage. His starring roles included productions of As You Like It (his West End debut for the company at the Aldwych Theatre in 1967), Much Ado About Nothing, Richard III, The Tempest, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, and The Merry Wives of Windsor. Also known for his television roles, he received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his performances in Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story (1989), Joseph (1995), Anne Frank: The Whole Story (2001), and Mrs. Harris (2006). In film, Kingsley is known for his starring role as Mahatma Gandhi in Richard Attenborough's Gandhi (1982), for which he subsequently won the Academy Award for Best Actor and BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. For his portrayal of Itzhak Stern in Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List (1993), he received a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role nomination. He was Oscar-nominated for Bugsy (1990), Sexy Beast (2000), and House of Sand and Fog (2003). His other notable films include Maurice (1987), Sneakers (1992), Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993), Death and the Maiden (1994), Twelfth Night (1996), Tuck Everlasting (2002), Elegy (2008), Shutter Island (2010), and Hugo (2011). Kingsley played the character of Trevor Slattery in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in Iron Man 3 (2013), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), and the upcoming Disney+ series Wonder Man. He also acted in the blockbusters Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) and Ender's Game (2013). Kingsley lent his voice to the films The Boxtrolls (2014) and The Jungle Book (2016).
Known For
The Oscars
Golden Globe Awards
Late Night with Seth Meyers
The Sopranos
Bambi
Entertainment Tonight
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Marvel Studios Assembled
The One Show
Marvel Studios Legends
Lip Sync Battle
Jackanory
Knight of Cups
Schindler
War Machine
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
Maurice
The Love Guru
The Red Sea Diving Resort
William Tell
Hard Labour
Watership Down
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
C.S. Lewis: Dreamer of Narnia
The Killer's Game
The War That Never Ends
Iron Man 3
Shoot the Moon: The Making of 'Hugo'
Locked Down
Tuck Everlasting
Richard Attenborough: A Life in Film
Sneakers
Dave
Fear Is the Key
Stonehearst Asylum
The Mechanical Man at the Heart of 'Hugo'
The Merry Wives of Windsor
Ender's Game
Deep Water
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
Shutter Island: Into the Lighthouse
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
The Cinemagician, Georges Méliès
Sacha Baron Cohen: Role of a Lifetime
Rules of Engagement
Thunderbirds
Bugsy
Life
Searching for Bobby Fischer
Collide
The Ottoman Lieutenant
Walking with the Enemy
Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer's Curse
Exodus: Gods and Kings
Shutter Island
The Thursday Murder Club
Photographing Fairies
The Jungle Book
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Sexy Beast
Suspect Zero
Security
Weapons of Mass Distraction
Species
Knights of Classic Drama at the BBC
Self/less
Elegy
Hugo
Wonder Man
The Walk
Schindler's List
The Triumph of Love
Night Hunter
The Dictator
Religions of the World
Dalíland
Silas Marner
All or Nothing: Manchester City
Marvel One-Shot: All Hail the King
Gandhi
The Boxtrolls
Production Credits
Shows+ Discover & Track Series
Stay on top of your TV schedule with Shows+, the effortless tracker that keeps you informed about new episodes, season releases, and where to watch, stream, rent, or buy your favorite shows, ensuring you never miss out again!
Get