Awards
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Best British Actor
(2008) -
Elegy
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Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
(2007) -
You Kill Me
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Best Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
(2006) -
Mrs. Harris
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Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
(2006) -
Mrs. Harris
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Best Actor
(2003) -
House of Sand and Fog
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Chameleon-like British actor Ben Kingsley has proven he can play just about anyone, from Nazi war criminals to Jewish Holocaust survivors to quiet British bookshop owners. For many viewers, however, he will always be inextricably linked with his title role in Gandhi, a film that won him an Oscar and the undying respect of critics and filmgoers alike.
Of English, East Indian, and South African descent, Kingsley was born Krishna Bhanji on December 31, 1943 in Snaiton, Yorkshire, England. The son of a general practitioner, Kingsley started out in amateur theatricals in Manchester before making his professional debut at age 23. In 1967 he made his first London appearance at the Aldwych theater and then joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, devoting himself almost exclusively to stage work for the next 15 years (with the exception of two obscure films, Fear Is the Key [1972] and Hard Labour [1973]). When asked about his favorite stage roles, he listed Hamlet, The Tempest's Ariel, and Volpone's Mosca.
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