Ben Kingsley was born Krishna Bhanji on New Year's Eve, 1943, in Yorkshire, England. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1967 and achieved a reputation as a musical performer. By the time he made his film debut, in 1972's Fear Is the Key, Kingsley was a familiar face in British theatre and television.Ten years later, his career-defining performance in the title role of the biopic Gandhi won Kingsley the Best Actor Oscar. Later concentrating on (often real-life) character roles, he received Supporting Actor Oscar nominations as mob boss Meyer Lansky in Bugsy and a sadistic U.K. gangster in Sexy Beast.
He was also memorable as Isaac Stern, right-hand man to Liam Neeson's Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List (1993). He earned his fourth Oscar nomination as a retired Iranian-American military man in House of Sand and Fog (2004) and copped an Emmy nod for the 2005 TV drama Mrs. Harris.
Add50 Dead Men WalkingBelfast hood Martin (Jim Sturgess) is recruited by a British agent (Ben Kingsley) to infiltrate the IRA during the height of the Northern Irish conflict and quickly becomes embroiled in a dangerous game that could cost him his life if his secret is found out. As other informers are brutally... Read More
AddGandhiThis awe-inspiring biopic about Mahatma Gandhi (Ben Kingsley) -- the diminutive lawyer who stood up against British rule in India and became an international symbol of nonviolence and understanding -- brilliantly underscores the difference one person can make. Epic and unforgettable, the film swept... Read More
AddAnne Frank: The Whole StoryThis filmed version of Anne Frank's famous diary -- which she kept while in hiding in Amsterdam during World War II -- fills in gaps omitted when her father (Ben Kingsley, who won a SAG Award for his performance) submitted the work for publication. In addition to Anne's time in Amsterdam, the story... Read More
AddYou Kill MeAlcoholic hit man Frank Falenczyk (Ben Kingsley) botches an assignment, leaving the mob family he works for to clean up the mess. Relocating to San Francisco, Frank dries out, gets a job at a mortuary and falls in love with Laurel (Téa Leoni). But when the family is threatened, he returns to... Read More
AddThe Bible Collection: JosephAs the Bible says, Joseph (Paul Mercurio) was cast into a pit by his jealous brothers and pled for mercy, but they turned a deaf ear and sold young Joseph into slavery in Egypt. There, Joseph used his gift for divining dreams to become Pharaoh's most trusted aide. After saving Egypt from famine,... Read More
