Kenneth Branagh
Biography
Kenneth Branagh is a British actor and filmmaker who came out of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and later led it as president from 2015 to 2024. Born in Belfast and raised in Reading, he became known for Shakespeare adaptations such as Hamlet (1996), Much Ado About Nothing (1993), and Henry V (1989). Henry V brought Academy Award nominations for Best Actor and Best Director, and Hamlet one for Best Adapted Screenplay. His directing credits include Peter's Friends (1992), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994), Cinderella (2015), and Thor (2011). He also appeared in Wild Wild West (1999), Valkyrie (2008), and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002). He played Hercule Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express (2017), Death on the Nile (2022), and A Haunting in Venice (2023). He earned an Academy Award nomination for his supporting role in My Week with Marilyn (2011), and won Best Original Screenplay for Belfast (2021).
65years old
Turns 66 on December 10in 57 days
- Born Belfast
- Star sign: SagittariusThe sign runs November 22 to December 21
- Kenneth Charles Branagh (birth name)Also credited as Sir Kenneth Branagh and Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh
Movie Career
- Films
- 45
- Career span
- 39 years1987 to 2026
Genres
- Drama62%, 28 films
- Comedy27%, 12 films
- Biography16%, 7 films
- Documentary16%, 7 films
- Romance16%, 7 films
Photos
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A first
Branagh has been nominated in seven different Academy Award categories, more than anyone else. Walt Disney, George Clooney, and Alfonso Cuaron each had six, though Cuaron matched Branagh the following year.
First role
In the sports drama Chariots of Fire (1981), Branagh played a Cambridge student. It was his first film appearance, and the role went uncredited.
Early training
In 1980, Hugh Cruttwell, who was RADA's principal, asked Branagh to perform a Hamlet soliloquy for Queen Elizabeth II when she visited the academy.
Behind the camera
In 1987, Kenneth Branagh and David Parfitt started the Renaissance Theatre Company. This came after several London Fringe productions did well, among them Branagh's full-scale Romeo and Juliet at the Lyric Studio.
A role that slipped away
Branagh left a planned Bee Gees biopic in March 2022 because of scheduling conflicts and was replaced as director by John Carney.
Kenneth Branagh movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Christopher Nolan directed three of these films. Two actors appear in five of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Derek Jacobi's page
Richard Briers's page
Emma Thompson's page
Kevin Kline's page
Gerard Horan's page
Richard Clifford's page
All films by Christopher Nolan
Box office
What Kenneth Branagh's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$5.1 billion
32 of the 45 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 45 films: 32 worldwide figure; 5 us gross only; 7 never in cinemas; 1 figure not found.
- 32Worldwide figure
- 5US gross only
- 7Never in cinemas
- 1Figure not found
Top grosser
Highest grossing
The eight biggest films earned 83% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$952M18.8% of the total
- 2$877M17.3% of the total
- 3$691M13.7% of the total
- 4$549M10.8% of the total
- 5$365M7.2% of the total
- 6$353M7.0% of the total
- 7$222M4.4% of the total
- 8$200M4.0% of the total
$855 millionfrom the other 24 films with a worldwide figure, 17% of the total
Awards
Nine awards and honors from 1990 to 2022, five of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | |||
| 2022 | Best Writing, Original Screenplay | Belfast | Won |
| Golden Globes | |||
| 2021 | Best Screenplay | Belfast | Won |
| BAFTA | |||
| 1990 | Best Direction | Henry V | Won |
| Emmy Awards | |||
| 2001 | Emmy Award | Conspiracy | Won |
| 2001 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie | Conspiracy | Won |
| Other honors | |||
| 2012 | Knight Bachelor | Won | |
| 1990 | European Film Award for Best Actor | Henry V | Won |
| 1990 | Young European Film of the Year | Henry V | Won |
| Society of London Theatre Special Award | Won | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.