
Bill Nighy
William Francis Nighy is an English actor. Known for his work on screen and stage, he has received numerous awards, including two BAFTA Awards, a Golden Globe Award and nominations for an Academy Award and a Tony Award. Nighy started his career with the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool and made his London debut with the Royal National Theatre starting with The Illuminatus! in 1977. There he gained acclaim for his roles in David Hare's Pravda in 1985, Harold Pinter's Betrayal in 1991, Tom Stoppard's Arcadia in 1993, and Anton Chekov's The Seagull in 1994. He received a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor nomination for his performance in Blue/Orange in 2001. He made his Broadway debut in Hare's The Vertical Hour in 2006, and returned in the 2015 revival of Hare's Skylight earning a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play nomination. Early film roles include in the comedies Still Crazy (1998), and Blow Dry (1999) before his breakout role in Love Actually (2003) which earned him a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor. He soon gained recognition portraying Davy Jones in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series (2006-2007), and Viktor in the Underworld film series (2003-2009). Other films include Shaun of the Dead (2004), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), The Constant Gardener (2005), Notes on a Scandal (2006), Hot Fuzz (2007), Valkyrie (2008), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012), About Time (2013), Emma (2020), and Living (2022), the last of these earning him his first career Academy Award nomination. Nighy has gained acclaim for his roles in television earning a British Academy Television Award for Best Actor for his performance in BBC One series State of Play (2003), and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for the BBC film Gideon's Daughter (2007). He's also known for his roles in HBO's The Girl in the Café (2006) and PBS's Page Eight (2012).
Known For
Credits
- 2024 · That Christmas as Lighthouse Bill (voice)
- 2024 · The Wild Robot as Longneck (voice)
- 2024 · 10 Lives as Professor Craven (voice)
- 2024 · The First Omen as Cardinal Lawrence
- 2023 · Role Play as Bob
- 2022 · LIGHT & MAGIC as Self (archive footage)
- 2020 · Emma. as Mr. Woodhouse
- 2019 · Pokémon Detective Pikachu as Howard Clifford
- 2017 · Castlevania as Saint Germain (voice)
- 2014 · Late Night with Seth Meyers as Self
- 2013 · About Time as Dad
- 2013 · The World's End as The Network (voice)
- 2013 · Jack the Giant Slayer as General Fallon
- 2012 · Total Recall as Matthias
- 2012 · Wrath of the Titans as Hephaestus
- 2011 · Rango as Rattlesnake Jake (voice)
- 2010 · Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 as Rufus Scrimgeour
- 2009 · G-Force as Leonard Saber
- 2009 · Underworld: Rise of the Lycans as Viktor
- 2008 · Valkyrie as Friedrich Olbricht
- 2007 · Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End as Davy Jones
- 2007 · Hot Fuzz as Met Chief Inspector
- 2006 · Flushed Away as Whitey (voice)
- 2006 · The One Show as Self
- 2006 · Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest as Davy Jones
- 2006 · Underworld: Evolution as Viktor
- 2005 · Doctor Who as Dr Black
- 2004 · Shaun of the Dead as Phillip
- 2003 · Underworld as Viktor
- 2003 · Love Actually as Billy Mack
- 2003 · State of Play as Cameron Foster
- 2002 · The Inspector Lynley Mysteries as Lockwood
- 2001 · Richard & Judy as Self
- 2000 · Black Books as Man at bar
- 1999 · People Like Us as Will Rushmore
- 1995 · Kavanagh Q.C. as Giles Culpepper QC
- 1994 · Wycliffe as David Cleeve
- 1993 · Peak Practice as Alan Sinclair
- 1991 · Performance as Roger Maitland
- 1991 · Performance as Hugh Marriner
- 1983 · Auf Wiedersehen, Pet as Jeffrey Grainger
- 1979 · Minder as Oates
- 1974 · Playhouse as Bruno
- 1970 · Play for Today as Dave
- Future · California Avenue as Jerry
- Future · Lazaruss as Doctor Lazarus ' Dr L'
- 2024 · Joy as Patrick Steptoe
- 2024 · Gracie & Pedro: Pets to the Rescue as Conrad (voice)
- 2022 · Living as Williams
- 2022 · The Man Who Fell to Earth as Thomas Jerome Newton
- 2020 · Minamata as Robert "Bob" Hayes
- 2019 · StarDog and TurboCat as Sinclair (voice)
- 2019 · World's Most Scenic Railway Journeys as Narrator (voice)
- 2019 · Hope Gap as Edward
- 2018 · Ordeal by Innocence as Leo Argyll
- 2017 · The Bookshop as Mr. Brundish
- 2017 · Their Finest as Ambrose Hilliard / Uncle Frank
- 2016 · The Limehouse Golem as John Kildare
- 2016 · Dad's Army as Sergeant Wilson
- 2016 · Norm of the North as Socrates (voice)
- 2015 · The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel as Douglas Ainslie
- 2014 · Pride as Cliff
- 2014 · Turks & Caicos as Johnny Worricker
- 2014 · I, Frankenstein as Naberius
- 2012 · The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel as Douglas Ainslie
- 2011 · Arthur Christmas as Grandsanta (voice)
- 2011 · Page Eight as Johnny Worricker
- 2011 · Chalet Girl as Richard Madsen
- 2010 · Wild Target as Victor Maynard
- 2009 · 10 Minute Tales as
- 2009 · Astro Boy as Dr. Elefun / Robotsky (voice)
- 2009 · The Boat That Rocked as Quentin
- 2006 · Notes on a Scandal as Richard Hart
- 2006 · Stormbreaker as Alan Blunt
- 2005 · Meerkat Manor as Narrator
- 2005 · The Constant Gardener as Sir Bernard Pellegrin
- 2005 · The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as Slartibartfast
- 2004 · The Magic Roundabout as Dylan (voice)
- 2004 · He Knew He Was Right as Colonel Osborne
- 2003 · Canterbury Tales as James
- 2002 · Timeshift as self (voice)
- 2000 · Longitude as Lord Sandwich
- 1998 · Still Crazy as Ray Simms
- 1998 · Parkinson as Self
- 1996 · Testament: The Bible in Animation as Belshazzar (voice)
- 1985 · The Last Place on Earth as Cecil Meares
- 1985 · Hitler's SS: Portrait in Evil as Helmut Hoffmann
- 1981 · Eye of the Needle as Squadron Leader Blenkinsop
- 1980 · Little Lord Fauntleroy as Officer
- Future · Ride or Die as The Director
- 2024 · The Beautiful Game as Mal
- 2022 · The Laughter & Secrets of Love Actually: 20 Years Later – A Diane Sawyer Special as Self
- 2021 · Buckley's Chance as Spencer
- 2021 · Meerkat Manor: Rise of the Dynasty as Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2021 · World's Most Scenic River Journeys as Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2020 · Katherine Jenkins Christmas Spectacular as Self
- 2019 · The Kindness of Strangers as Timofey
- 2019 · Sometimes Always Never as Alan
- 2017 · Red Nose Day Actually as Billy Mack
- 2015 · A Grand Night In: The Story of Aardman as Self - 'Flushed Away' and 'Arthur Christmas'
- 2014 · National Theatre Live: Skylight as Tom Sergeant
- 2014 · Salting the Battlefield as Johnny Worricker
- 2012 · London: The Modern Babylon as Spoken Quotations (voice)
- 2011 · Astonish Me as The Professor
- 2009 · Glorious 39 as Alexander Keyes
- 2005 · Gideon's Daughter as Gideon Warner
- 2005 · The Girl in the Café as Lawrence
- 2004 · Enduring Love as Robin
- 2004 · Ready When You Are, Mr McGill as Phil Parish
- 2003 · Grumpy Old Men as Self
- 2003 · I Capture the Castle as James Mortmain
- 2003 · The Lost Prince as Stamfordham
- 2002 · AKA as Uncle Louis Gryffoyn
- 2001 · Lucky Break as Roger
- 2001 · Blow Dry as Ray Robertson
- 2000 · Longitude as Lord Sandwich
- 1999 · Guest House Paradiso as Mr. Johnson
- 1997 · FairyTale: A True Story as Edward Gardner
- 1994 · Being Human as Julian
- 1993 · Don't Leave Me This Way as John Tracey
- 1993 · Eye of the Storm as Tom Frewen
- 1993 · Unnatural Causes as Oliver Latham
- 1991 · Absolute Hell as Hugh Marriner
- 1990 · Chillers as Tom Dickenson
- 1990 · Antonia and Jane as Howard Nash
- 1989 · The Phantom of the Opera as Martin Barton
- 1988 · South Of The Border as Tony Freason
- 1988 · This Morning as Self
- 1985 · Thirteen at Dinner as Ronald Marsh
- 1984 · The Little Drummer Girl as Al
- 1982 · Under the Skin as Dave
- 1980 · Fox as Colin Street
- 1980 · Death Watch as Katherine's Co-worker (uncredited)
- 1979 · Agony as Vincent Fish
- Future · Untitled Jason Statham Action-Thriller as
- Future · & Sons as
- 2025 · This is the Beginning as
- 2025 · Bulk as (voice)
- 2024 · Kent: Garden of England as Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2023 · Darkling as
- 2023 · Spectre of the Bear as Bennett (voice)
- 2023 · Bloody Fury as Bloody's Consciousness (voice)
- 2023 · Norfolk & Suffolk: Coast & Country as Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2021 · Christmas Magic at Kew Gardens as Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2021 · Lotus: A New Dawn as Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2021 · Iberia's Woodlands: Life on the Edge as Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2013 · The Hungry Corpse as The Hungry Corpse
- 2013 · Great White Shark as Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2013 · Dangerous Edge: A Life of Graham Greene as Graham Greene (voice)
- 2011 · Real Creatures of Dirt as Self / Rattlesnake Jake
- 2009 · Live from Studio Five as Self
- 2009 · The Big Art Project as Narrator
- 2008 · Slapper as Arnold Percy
- 2007 · Conclusive: We Made Hot Fuzz as Self
- 2006 · We Love Cigarettes as Narrator
- 2006 · Anatomy of a Global Thriller: Behind the Scenes of The Constant Gardener as Self
- 2005 · Don't Crash: The Documentary of the Making of the Movie of the Book of the Radio Series of 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' as Self
- 2005 · Inside 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' as Self
- 2004 · Peter Ustinov: The Parkinson Interviews as Self - Narrator
- 2004 · Burst as Maxwell's Fan 22
- 2003 · Life Beyond the Box: Norman Stanley Fletcher as Narrator
- 2003 · The Young Visiters as Earl of Clincham
- 2003 · Below Deck: An Interactive History Of Pirates as
- 2002 · Lawless Heart as Dan
- 1999 · The Bass Player as
- 1996 · True Blue as Jeremy Saville
- 1996 · Alive and Kicking as Tristan
- 1993 · The Maitlands as Roger Maitland
- 1992 · A Masculine Ending as John Tracey
- 1990 · Making News as Sam Courtney
- 1989 · Mack the Knife as Tiger Brown
- 1983 · Reilly: Ace of Spies as Goschen
- 1983 · Curse of the Pink Panther as ENT Doctor
- 1982 · Easter 2016 as Connor Mullan
- Future · 500 Miles as
- Future · Heart of Darkness as (voice)
- 1980 · Standing in for Henry as Bruno
- 1980 · Fox as Colin Street
- 1980 · Dreams of Leaving as William
- 1979 · Deasey (Desperate) as Deasy
- 1978 · Soldiers Talking, Cleanly as Bill
- 1976 · Occupy! as Player in Everyman Theatre Company, Liverpool
- Future · Welcome to Paradise as Hooker Duck Host (voice)
- Future · Pink Sky at Night as Man