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Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Bhanji on December 31, 1943) is an Academy Award-winning English actor.
Biography
Early life
Kingsley was born in Scarborough, Yorkshire, and grew up in Pendlebury, Greater Manchester. His father, Harji Bhanji, was a Kenyan-born medical doctor of Indian (Gujarati Hindu) descent, and his mother, Anna Lyna Mary, was a fashion model and actress; one of his maternal grandparents was a Jewish immigrant from Russia. * Young "Kingsley" began his acting career on the stage at Manchester Grammar School alongside Robert Powell, but made a transition to film roles early on. It was at this point that he changed his name, fearing a foreign name would hamper his career.Film career
Kingsley's first film role was a supporting turn in Fear is the Key (1972). Kingsley continued starring in bit roles in both film and television (including a bit part on the soap opera Coronation Street). He found fame only years later, starring as Mahatma Gandhi in the Academy Award-winning film Gandhi in 1982. Kingsley was critically acclaimed and won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the role.Kingsley has avoided stereotyping and has been cast in a variety of roles. His credits include the films Turtle Diary, Maurice, Pascali's Island, Without a Clue (as Dr. Watson opposite Michael Caine's Sherlock Holmes), Bugsy (Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor), Sneakers, Dave, Searching for Bobby Fischer, Schindler's List, Silas Marner (as Silas Marner),Death and the Maiden, Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story, Sexy Beast (for which he received another Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor) and House of Sand and Fog (Oscar nomination for Best Actor). He has won a Crystal Globe award for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 2001.
In 1997, he provided voice acting for the video game Ceremony of Innocence.
In July 2006, he received an Emmy nomination for his performance in the TV movie "Mrs. Harris".
Knighthood
Kingsley was awarded a knighthood in the 2001 New Years Honours list. He is famous for being one of the few actors to insist his title be used. Knighted theatre director Jonathan Miller has said that, while he himself does not like to be called by his title, "Ben Kingsley insists on being called 'Sir Ben,' but that's because he's a little twerp" Producer David Puttnam has stated that he thinks that Kingsley is "Barmy" after seeing Kingsley billed as "Sir Ben Kingsley" during publicity for his upcoming film, Lucky Number Slevin. The billing, however, was due to a mistake on behalf of the film's producers, and in response to criticism, Kingsley has said that he "was shocked when I found out what had happened. No one's ever asked for the title to be used in this way because that's not the way we work in this profession. It's always been and should always be Ben Kingsley".*Kingsley has also commented that his desire to use his title stems from his pride at overcoming a troubled childhood plagued by racism, "I think it's a reflection of how an uncomfortable childhood can lead to high achievement".*
Private life
Kingsley has four children: Thomas and Jasmine Bhanji (with actress Angela Morant) and Edmund and Ferdinand Kingsley, both of whom are actors (with theatrical director Alison Sutcliffe). He recently divorced German-born Alexandra Christmann and lives in Spelsbury, England.Selected filmography
Interviews
- interview, 9/27/05, Cinema Confidential
- interview, 9/22/05, Dark Horizons
- interview, 7/28/04, IGN Films
- interview, 12/03, About.com
- interview, 4/02, About.com
- interview, 6/01, PopMatters
- interview, 1/02/01, The Guardian UK
- interview, 1996, Performance
External links
1943 births | British Asian actors | Best Actor Oscar | Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nominees | Coronation Street actors | English film actors | English stage actors | English television actors | Eurasian actors | Living people | Natives of North Yorkshire | Royal Shakespeare Company members
Ben Kingsley | Ben Kingsley | בן קינגסלי | ベン・キングスレー | Ben Kingsley | Ben Kingsley | Ben Kingsley | Ben Kingsley
"Ben Kingsley"