- Born
- Birth nameKrishna Bhanji
- Height1.73 m
- Ben Kingsley was born Krishna Bhanji on December 31, 1943 in Scarborough, Yorkshire, England. His father, Rahimtulla Harji Bhanji, was a Kenyan-born medical doctor, of Gujarati Indian descent, and his mother, Anna Lyna Mary (Goodman), was an English actress. Ben began to act in stage plays during the 1960s. He soon became a successful stage actor, and also began to have roles in films and television. His birth name was Krishna Bhanji, but he changed his name to "Ben Kingsley" soon after gaining fame as a stage actor, fearing that a foreign name could hamper his acting career.
Kingsley first earned international fame for his performance in the drama movie Cuộc Đời Gandhi (1982). His performance as Mohandas K. Gandhi earned him international fame. He won many awards - including an Academy Award for Best Actor. He also won Golden Globe, BAFTA and London Film Critics' Circle Awards. After acting in Cuộc Đời Gandhi (1982), Ben was recognized as one of the finest British actors.
After his international fame for appearing in Cuộc Đời Gandhi (1982), Kingsley appeared in many other famous movies. His success as an actor continued. His performance as Itzhak Stern in the drama movie Bản Danh Sách Của Schindler (1993) earned him a BAFTA nomination for best supporting actor. Bản Danh Sách Của Schindler (1993) won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. During the late 1990s, Kingsley acted in many successful movies. He played Sweeney Todd in the television movie The Tale of Sweeney Todd (1997), for which he was nominated for the Screen Actors' Guild Award. His other notable role was as Otto Frank in the television movie Anne Frank: The Whole Story (2001), for which he won the Screen Actors' Guild Award.
In 2002, Kingsley was appointed Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's New Years Honours for his services to drama. In 2013, he received the BAFTA Los Angeles Britannia Award for Worldwide Contribution to Filmed Entertainment. That same year, he also received the Fellowship Award at the Asian Awards in London, England.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Pedro Borges
- SpousesDaniela Lavender(September 3, 2007 - present)Alexandra Christmann(October 3, 2003 - February 8, 2005) (divorced)Alison Sutcliffe(July 1, 1978 - February 1, 1992) (divorced, 2 children)Angela Morant(1966 - 1972) (divorced, 2 children)
- Children
- ParentsRahimtulla Harji BhanjiAnna Lyna Mary Bhanji (Goodman)
- Shaved head
- Often portrays sinister villains or sympathetic friends of the main character
- Performances which are often both very reserved and yet vocally animated
- Rich, mellifluous voice and Shakespearean bearing
- He was awarded Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire in the 2002 Queen's New Year's Honours List for his services to drama.
- Kingsley's father, Rahimtulla Harji Bhanji, was a Kenyan-born physician of Gujrati Indian descent. Kingsley's mother, Anna Lyna Mary (Goodman) Bhanji, was an English fashion model and actress; she appeared in films in the 1920s and 1930s. Kingsley's maternal grandfather was believed by the family to have been of Russian Jewish or German Jewish descent, while Kingsley's maternal grandmother was of English background, and worked in the garment district of East London. His mother was born outside of marriage, and was raised by her own mother.
- His paternal family was from the Indian state of Gujarat, the same state Mohandas K. Gandhi was from.
- Made his London stage debut in 1966 as the narrator of "A Smashing Day" produced by The Beatles manager, Brian Epstein. He wrote the music for the production as well as sang and played guitar for same. After one performance, John Lennon and Ringo Starr came backstage and told him that he should go into music and that if he didn't, "he would regret it for the rest of his life." He was subsequently offered a deal by the same publishers who handled The Beatles, but he chose to remain an actor. The next year, he was invited to join the Royal Shakespeare Company and his choice was made.
- Kingsley considers this an extraordinary coincidence that five days before Sir Richard Attenborough called him for the lead role in Cuộc Đời Gandhi (1982), he was given a library book on Gandhi.
- In an ideal way, in an ideal world, myself and the director are one. And as you rightly say, in an ideal world, you can't see the horizon between sky and sea. I felt that the times with Spielberg [Steven Spielberg] on Bản Danh Sách Của Schindler (1993), we were moving as one creature.
- [on winning the Oscar for Best Actor in Cuộc Đời Gandhi (1982)] If I knew I was going to win, I would not have gone dressed as a waiter.
- As an actor, there's no autonomy, unless you're prepared to risk the possibility of starving.
- Hopefully, as I get older in the business, I make my choices more accurately, and I perhaps know from either the script or the first meeting that it isn't going to work.
- All the great writers root their characters in true human behavior.
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