
Ben Kingsley
Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji; 31 December 1943) is an English actor. He has received accolades throughout his career spanning five decades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Grammy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, as well as nominations for four Primetime Emmy Awards and two Laurence Olivier Awards. Kingsley was appointed Knight Bachelor in 2002 for services to the British film industry. He was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010 and received the Britannia Award in 2013. Born to an English mother and an Indian Gujarati father with roots in Jamnagar, Kingsley began his career in theatre, joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1967 and spending the next 15 years appearing mainly on stage. His starring roles included productions of As You Like It (his West End debut for the company at the Aldwych Theatre in 1967), Much Ado About Nothing, Richard III, The Tempest, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, and The Merry Wives of Windsor. Also known for his television roles, he received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his performances in Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story (1989), Joseph (1995), Anne Frank: The Whole Story (2001), and Mrs. Harris (2006). In film, Kingsley is known for his starring role as Mahatma Gandhi in Richard Attenborough's Gandhi (1982), for which he subsequently won the Academy Award for Best Actor and BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. For his portrayal of Itzhak Stern in Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List (1993), he received a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role nomination. He was Oscar-nominated for Bugsy (1990), Sexy Beast (2000), and House of Sand and Fog (2003). His other notable films include Maurice (1987), Sneakers (1992), Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993), Death and the Maiden (1994), Twelfth Night (1996), Tuck Everlasting (2002), Elegy (2008), Shutter Island (2010), and Hugo (2011). Kingsley played the character of Trevor Slattery in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in Iron Man 3 (2013), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), and the upcoming Disney+ series Wonder Man. He also acted in the blockbusters Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) and Ender's Game (2013). Kingsley lent his voice to the films The Boxtrolls (2014) and The Jungle Book (2016).
Known For
Credits
- 2025 · The Thursday Murder Club as Ibrahim
- 2025 · The King of Kings as High Priest Caiaphas (voice)
- 2025 · William Tell as King Albrecht
- 2024 · The Killer's Game as Zvi Rabinowitz
- 2024 · The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More as Imdad Khan / The Dealer / Dr. Ganderbai (archive footage)
- 2023 · Poison as Dr. Ganderbai
- 2023 · The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar as Imdad Khan / Croupier
- 2023 · Jules as Milton Robinson
- 2022 · Dalíland as Dalí
- 2021 · Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings as Trevor Slattery
- 2021 · Marvel Studios Assembled as Self
- 2021 · Locked Down as Malcolm
- 2021 · Marvel Studios Legends as Trevor Slattery / The Mandarin (archive footage)
- 2019 · Night Hunter as Cooper
- 2019 · The Red Sea Diving Resort as Ethan Levin
- 2019 · Perpetual Grace LTD as Pastor Byron 'Pa' Brown
- 2018 · Watership Down as General Woundwort (voice)
- 2018 · Operation Finale as Adolf Eichmann
- 2018 · Backstabbing for Beginners as Pasha
- 2017 · War Machine as President Karzai
- 2017 · The Ottoman Lieutenant as Woodruff
- 2017 · Security as Charlie
- 2016 · Collide as Geran
- 2016 · The Jungle Book as Bagheera (voice)
- 2015 · The Walk as Papa Rudy
- 2015 · Knight of Cups as Storyteller (voice)
- 2015 · Life as Jack Warner
- 2015 · Tut as Ay
- 2015 · Self/less as Damian
- 2015 · Lip Sync Battle as Self
- 2015 · Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer's Curse as Drago (Voice)
- 2014 · Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb as Merenkahre
- 2014 · Exodus: Gods and Kings as Nun
- 2014 · Stonehearst Asylum as Silas Lamb
- 2014 · Robot Overlords as Robin Smythe
- 2014 · The Boxtrolls as Snatcher (voice)
- 2014 · Learning to Drive as Darwan
- 2014 · Garfunkel and Oates as Ben Kingsley
- 2014 · Walking with the Enemy as Regent Miklos Horthy
- 2014 · Late Night with Seth Meyers as Self
- 2013 · The Physician as Ibn Sina (Avicenna)
- 2013 · Ender's Game as Mazer Rackham
- 2013 · A Birder's Guide to Everything as Lawrence Konrad
- 2013 · Iron Man 3 as Trevor Slattery
- 2012 · It Is No Dream: The Life Of Theodor Herzl as Narrator
- 2012 · The Dictator as Tamir
- 2011 · Hugo as Georges Méliès
- 2010 · Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time as Nizam
- 2010 · Teen Patti as Perci Trachtenberg
- 2010 · Shutter Island as Dr. Cawley
- 2008 · The Love Guru as Guru Tugginmypuddha
- 2008 · War, Inc. as Walken / The Viceroy
- 2008 · TransSiberian as Grinko
- 2007 · The Last Legion as Ambrosinus
- 2007 · You Kill Me as Frank Falenczyk
- 2006 · The One Show as Self
- 2006 · Mrs. Harris as Herman Tarnower
- 2006 · Lucky Number Slevin as The Rabbi
- 2005 · Oliver Twist as Fagin
- 2005 · A Sound of Thunder as Charles Hatton
- 2005 · The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson as Self
- 2004 · Suspect Zero as Benjamin O'Ryan
- 2002 · Tuck Everlasting as Man in the Yellow Suit
- 2001 · The Triumph of Love as Hermocrates
- 2001 · A.I. Artificial Intelligence as Specialist (voice)
- 2000 · Rules of Engagement as Ambassador Mourain
- 1999 · Rove as Self
- 1999 · The Confession as Harry Fertig
- 1999 · Alice in Wonderland as Major Caterpillar
- 1999 · The Sopranos as Ben Kingsley
- 1998 · The Tale of Sweeney Todd as Sweeney Todd
- 1997 · Photographing Fairies as Rev. Templeton
- 1996 · Twelfth Night as Feste
- 1995 · Species as Xavier Fitch
- 1995 · Joseph as Potifar
- 1994 · Death and the Maiden as Dr. Roberto Miranda
- 1993 · Schindler's List as Itzhak Stern
- 1993 · Searching for Bobby Fischer as Bruce Pandolfini
- 1993 · Dave as Vice-President Nance
- 1992 · Sneakers as Cosmo
- 1991 · Bugsy as Meyer Lansky
- 1989 · The Making of Slipstream as
- 1989 · Slipstream as Avatar
- 1989 · Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story as Simon Wiesenthal
- 1988 · Testimony as Dmitri Shostakovich
- 1988 · Without a Clue as Dr. John Watson
- 1987 · Seitenblicke as Self
- 1987 · Maurice as Lasker-Jones
- 1984 · Camille as Duval
- 1984 · Goldene Kamera as Self
- 1983 · Schindler as Self - Narrator (2019) (voice)
- 1982 · The Merry Wives of Windsor as Frank Ford
- 1982 · Gandhi as Mahatma Gandhi
- 1981 · Entertainment Tonight as Self
- 1981 · Wetten, dass..? as Self
- 1974 · Playhouse as Ivanov
- 1972 · Pebble Mill at One as
- 1972 · The Adventurer as Pierre
- 1953 · The Oscars as Self - Presenter
- 1948 · Bambi as Self
- 1944 · Golden Globe Awards as Self - Nominee
- Future · Desert Warrior as Emperor Kisra
- 1983 · Betrayal as Robert
- 1951 · Hallmark Hall of Fame as Duval
- 1944 · Golden Globe Awards as Self - Audience Member
- Future · Wonder Man as Trevor Slattery
- 2026 · Young Washington as Robert Dinwiddie
- 2026 · Deep Water as
- 2022 · Robin Williams: Laugh Until You Cry as Self
- 2019 · The Medicine Buddha as Narrator (voice)
- 2019 · Spider in the Web as Adereth
- 2018 · An Oral History of: Schindler's List as Self (archive footage)
- 2018 · Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché as Self
- 2018 · Inside The Operation as Self
- 2018 · Who Killed British Cinema? as Self
- 2018 · Intrigo: Death of an Author as Henderson
- 2018 · Schindler's List: 25 Years Later as Self
- 2018 · All or Nothing: Manchester City as Narrator (voice)
- 2017 · An Ordinary Man as The General
- 2017 · Spielberg as Self
- 2016 · Of Dogs and Men as The Caller (voice)
- 2015 · Knights of Classic Drama at the BBC as Self (archive footage)
- 2015 · Unity as Narrator (voice)
- 2014 · Richard Attenborough: A Life in Film as Self
- 2014 · Marvel One-Shot: All Hail the King as Trevor Slattery / The Mandarin
- 2014 · War Story as Albert
- 2013 · Muse of Fire as Self
- 2013 · A Common Man as The Man
- 2012 · Falls the Shadow: The Life and Times of Athol Fugard as Self
- 2012 · A Therapy as Therapist
- 2012 · Sacha Baron Cohen: Role of a Lifetime as Self
- 2012 · The Mechanical Man at the Heart of 'Hugo' as Self
- 2012 · Shoot the Moon: The Making of 'Hugo' as Self
- 2012 · The Cinemagician, Georges Méliès as Self
- 2011 · The Desert of Forbidden Art as Voice
- 2010 · Aral, the Lost Sea as
- 2010 · Winston Churchill: Walking with Destiny as Narrator
- 2010 · Shutter Island: Into the Lighthouse as Self
- 2010 · 1001 Inventions and the Library of Secrets as Al-Jazari / Librarian
- 2009 · Journey to Mecca as Narrator
- 2008 · Fifty Dead Men Walking as Fergus
- 2008 · Elegy as David Kepesh
- 2008 · The Wackness as Dr. Squires
- 2007 · The Ten Commandments as Narrator (voice)
- 2007 · I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life & Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal as Self
- 2006 · The Road to Damascus: The Reinvention of Bugsy Siegel as Self
- 2006 · C.S. Lewis: Dreamer of Narnia as Self
- 2006 · Mais Bastidores de Hollywood as Self
- 2006 · 50 Films to See Before You Die as Self
- 2006 · The Life and Faith of CS Lewis as
- 2005 · Peace Is Every Step as Narrator
- 2005 · BloodRayne as Kagan
- 2005 · Nos Bastidores de Hollywood as Self
- 2004 · No Strings Attached: The Making of Thunderbirds as Self
- 2004 · Thunderbirds as The Hood
- 2004 · Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaust as Self
- 2004 · Religion of the World as Narrator
- 2003 · House of Sand and Fog as Behrani
- 2003 · Unlikely Heroes as Narrator
- 2003 · The Many Lives of Richard Attenborough as
- 2003 · The Making of ‘Sneakers’ as Self
- 2003 · Helena: First Pilgrim to the Holy Land as Narrator
- 2002 · Spooky House as The Great Zamboni
- 2001 · The Making of Sexy Beast as Self
- 2001 · Anne Frank: The Whole Story as Otto Frank
- 2001 · Islam: Empire of Faith as Narrator
- 2001 · Islam: Empire of Faith as Self - Narrator
- 2000 · Sexy Beast as Don Logan
- 2000 · What Planet Are You From? as Graydon
- 1999 · A Force More Powerful as Narator
- 1999 · CNN Millennium as Narrator
- 1999 · Parting Shots as Renzo Locatelli
- 1998 · Crime and Punishment as Magistrate Porfiry
- 1998 · Religions of the World as Narrator
- 1997 · The Assignment as Amos
- 1997 · Weapons of Mass Distraction as Julian Messenger
- 1996 · Moses as Moses
- 1996 · Moïse as Moses
- 1995 · Moses as Moses
- 1995 · Joseph as Potiphar
- 1994 · Inside the Actors Studio as Self
- 1994 · Michael Caine: Breaking the Mold as Self
- 1994 · Liberation as Narrator
- 1992 · Freddie as F.R.O.7. as Freddie (voice)
- 1991 · Necessary Love as
- 1991 · Rabbit Ears - Moses the Lawgiver as Narrator (voice)
- 1991 · Rabbit Ears - The Tiger and the Brahmin as Narrator (voice)
- 1991 · The War That Never Ends as Pericles
- 1990 · The Fifth Monkey as Cunda
- 1990 · The Children as Martin Boyne
- 1990 · Cellini: A Violent Life as Governatore
- 1990 · Lenin: The Train as Lenin
- 1990 · Romeo.Juliet as Father Capulet (voice)
- 1988 · Lenin... The Train as Lenin
- 1988 · Pascali's Island as Basil Pascali
- 1988 · The Secret of the Sahara as Sholomon
- 1985 · Silas Marner as Silas Marner
- 1985 · Turtle Diary as William Snow
- 1985 · Harem as Selim
- 1985 · To Be Hamlet as Self
- 1984 · Oxbridge Blues as Geoff Craven
- 1984 · Playing Shakespeare as
- 1983 · Mr. Attenborough and Mr. Gandhi as Self
- 1979 · Every Good Boy Deserves Favour as Ivanov
- 1976 · Dickens of London as Dr. John Elliotson
- 1975 · The Love School as Dante Gabriel Rossetti
- Future · The Way of the Wind as
- 1975 · Antony and Cleopatra as Thidias
- 1973 · Wessex Tales as
- 1973 · Hard Labour as Naseem
- 1972 · Fear Is the Key as Royale
- Future · Mary as King Herod