Ben Kingsley Biography, Life, Interesting Facts

Childhood And Early Life

Actor Ben Kingsley was born Krishna Bhanj on the 31 December 1943 in Scarborough, Yorkshire in England. His mother Anna Lyna Goodman was an English actress and model,  and his father, Rahimtulla Bhanji, a medical doctor from Kenya of Gujarati Indian descent.

Education

Ben Kingsley was a pupil at Manchester Grammar School and then enrolled at De La Salle College, Salford. During his college years, he became interested in acting.

Rise To Fame

Early in his career, Ben Kingsley worked with the manager of The Beatles, Brian Epstein. He wrote the music, sang and played the guitar in a show, A Smashing Day. He was advised to make a career in music, but he chose acting instead. In 1967, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company. In the 1960s, he adapted the stage name of Ben Kingsley and was initially a stage actor before turning to television. Between 1966 and 1967, he was in British television series Coronation Street, playing the role of Ron Jenkin.

In 1971 he appeared on Broadway for the first time with the Royal Shakespeare Company.  He then appeared in the film Fear is the Key (1972) and on television in The Love School (1975) and  Dickens of London (1976).

Career

He found international fame with his portrayal of Gandhi in 1982. Other roles include Bugsy (1991), Schindler’s List (1993), Mrs. Harris (2006),  a guest appearance in Luxury Lounge (2006), You Kill Me (2007), Sexy Beast (2007), Hugo (2011) Iron Man 3 (2013), Ender's’ Game. Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014),  Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014). Learning to Drive (2015). Recent roles include: An Ordinary Man (2017), The Ottoman Lieutenant (2017), Backstabbing for Beginners (2018), Operation Finale (2018) and the television mini-series Watership Down (2018).

Awards And Achievements

For the role of Gandhi, Kingsley won a Best Actor Oscar (1982), a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (1982), a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor: Motion Picture Drama (1982) and a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture (1982). Four films Kingsley was in were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture Oscar: Gandhi (1982), Bugsy (1991), Schindler’s List (1993) and Hugo (2011). He was included on Premiere Magazine’s 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006) for his portrayal of Don Logan in Sexy Beast (2000), ranking at No.97. Three of his films are on the American Film Institute’s 100 Most Inspiring Movies of All Time list, these are: Searching for No. 96 Bobby Fischer (1993), No. 29 Gandhi (1982) and No. 3 Schindler’s List (1993). The Queen of England knighted Kingsley in 2002 for services to the acting profession.

Personal Life

He is currently married to Brazilian Daniela Lavender whom he wed in 2007. Previously he was married to Angela Morant, Alison Sutcliffe, and Alexandra Christmann. He has four children. The Daily Telegraph reported in July 2018 that Kingsley said that his upbringing was loveless and that his mother, a former actress, was jealous of his success.