Ben Kingsley
Biography
Ben Kingsley is an English actor who began in theater before becoming known for a wide range of film roles. Born in Snainton and raised in Pendlebury, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1967 and spent about 15 years mainly on stage, appearing in productions such as As You Like It, Hamlet and The Tempest. His breakthrough came as Mahatma Gandhi in Richard Attenborough's Gandhi (1982), a performance that won him the Academy Award for Best Actor, a BAFTA, and a Golden Globe. He received further Oscar nominations for Bugsy (1991), Sexy Beast (2000), and House of Sand and Fog (2003), and a BAFTA supporting nomination for Schindler's List (1993). He also earned four Primetime Emmy nominations for television. His films include Shutter Island (2010), Hugo (2011), Iron Man 3 (2013), and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021).
82years old
Turns 83 on December 31in 50 days
- Born Snainton
- Star sign: CapricornThe sign runs December 22 to January 19
- Krishna Pandit Bhanji (birth name)
Movie Career
- Films
- 87
- Career span
- 54 years1972 to 2026
Genres
First and latest
Photos
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About the name
Kingsley changed his name from Krishna Bhanji in the 1960s because he feared a foreign name would hold back his career, and he said the jobs started coming as soon as he made the switch.
A change of course
Before turning to acting, Kingsley was offered a shot at pop stardom in 1966 by Dick James, the publisher of The Beatles, who wanted to mold him into a pop star. Kingsley turned him down and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company instead.
First role
Kingsley made his West End debut for the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Aldwych Theatre in 1967 in As You Like It, after auditioning before Trevor Nunn.
Ben Kingsley movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Martin Scorsese directed two of these films, Brad Anderson two and Roman Polanski two. Daniela Lavender appears in five of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Daniela Lavender's page
Edmund Kingsley's page
Sigourney Weaver's page
Ralph Fiennes's page
Jonathan Pryce's page
Patricia Clarkson's page
All films by Martin Scorsese
Brad AndersonDirector, 2 films, 2008 to 2014
All films by Brad Anderson
All films by Roman Polanski
Also three films together2 more actors
- Annette BeningMrs. Harris (2005), What Planet Are You From? (2000) and Bugsy (1991)
- Emily MortimerHugo (2011), Shutter Island (2010) and Transsiberian (2008)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Box office
What Ben Kingsley's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$5.9 billion
57 of the 87 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 87 films: 57 worldwide figure; 6 us gross only; 6 never in cinemas; 2 streaming, short cinema run; 16 figure not found.
- 57Worldwide figure
- 6US gross only
- 6Never in cinemas
- 2Streaming, short cinema run
- 16Figure not found
Top grosser
Highest grossing
The eight biggest films earned 71% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$1.2B20.5% of the total
- 2$967M16.3% of the total
- 3$432M7.3% of the total
- 4$363M6.1% of the total
- 5$336M5.7% of the total
- 6$321M5.4% of the total
- 7$295M5.0% of the total
- 8$268M4.5% of the total
$1.7 billionfrom the other 49 films with a worldwide figure, 29% of the total
Awards
Twelve awards and honors from 1982 to 2002, seven of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | |||
| 1983 | Best Actor | Gandhi | Won |
| Golden Globes | |||
| 1982 | Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama | Gandhi | Won |
| 1982 | New Star of the Year – Actor | Gandhi | Won |
| BAFTA | |||
| 1983 | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Gandhi | Won |
| 1983 | Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles | Gandhi | Won |
| SAG Awards | |||
| 2002 | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie | Anne Frank: The Whole Story | Won |
| Grammy Awards | |||
| 1984 | Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording | Won | |
| Other honors | |||
| 2001 | British Independent Film Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a British Independent Film | Sexy Beast | Won |
| 2001 | Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor | Sexy Beast | Won |
| 2001 | European Film Award for Best Actor | Sexy Beast | Won |
| 2001 | Knight Bachelor | Won | |
| 2000 | Commander of the Order of the British Empire | Won | |
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.