Age: 60
Birthday: 10th December
Kenneth Branagh is a British actor and filmmaker. Branagh trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London; in 2015 he succeeded Richard Attenborough as its president. He has been nominated for five Academy Awards and five Golden Globe Awards. He has won three BAFTAs and two Emmy Awards. He was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 2012 Birthday Honours and knighted on 9 November 2012.
Branagh has both directed and starred in several film adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays, including Henry V (1989), Much Ado About Nothing (1993), Othello (1995), Hamlet (1996), Love's Labour's Lost (2000), and As You Like It (2006).
He has also starred in the television series Fortunes of War (1987), Shackleton (2002), and Wallander (2008–2016) and in the films Wild Wild West (1999), The Road to El Dorado (2000), as SS leader Reinhard Heydrich in Conspiracy (2001), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Warm Springs (2005), as Major General Henning von Tresckow in Valkyrie (2008), and as Sir Laurence Olivier in My Week with Marilyn (2011), Dunkirk (2017), and Tenet (2020). He won an International Emmy Award for Wallander and a Primetime Emmy Award for Conspiracy, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for My Week with Marilyn.
Branagh directed and starred in the horror film Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994), and the action thriller Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014). He directed and starred as Hercule Poirot in the mystery drama adaptations of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express (2017) and Death on the Nile (2022). He also directed such films as Swan Song (1992), which earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short Film, The Magic Flute (2006), the Marvel superhero film Thor (2011), and the live-action adaptation of Disney's Cinderella (2015).
He narrated numerous documentary series, including Cold War (1998), Walking with Dinosaurs (1999), The Ballad of Big Al (2001), Walking with Beasts (2001), Walking with Monsters (2005), and World War 1 in Colour (2005).
ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATIONS: 5
2012 - Best Supporting Actor: MY WEEK WITH MARILYN
1997 - Best Adapted Screenplay: HAMLET
1993 - Best Short Film: SWAN SONG
1990 - Best Actor: HENRY V
1990 - Best Director: HENRY V
BAFTA AWARD NOMINATIONS: 7 WINS: 2
2012 - Best Supporting Actor: MY WEEK WITH MARILYN
2010 - WINNER: Best TV Actor: WALLANDER
2003 - Best TV Actor: CONSPIRACY
2003 - Best TV Actor: SHACKLETON
1990 - Best Actor: HENRY V
1990 - WINNER: Best Director: HENRY V
1988 - Best TV Actor: FORTUNES OF WAR
GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINATIONS: 4
2012 - Best Supporting Actor: MY WEEK WITH MARILYN
2010 - Best TV Actor: WALLANDER
2006 - Best TV Actor: WARM SPRINGS
2002 - Best TV Actor: CONSPIRACY
How do you rate Kenneth Branagh's movies?
WATCH KENNETH BRANAGH THIS WEEK
ON TV:
FILM: Dunkirk (2017) (Age 12A)
Saturday 17th July, BBC1, 9:00pm
An excellent account of the evacuation at Dunkirk with Branagh giving a noble performance as the Commander trying to save as many of his men as possible.
FILM: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Sunday 18th July, ITV, 6:05pm
Branagh is absolutely hilarious as narcissistic Professor Gilderoy in the HP franchise.
FILM: Tenet (2020) (Age 12A)
Saturday 17th July, Sky Cinema Thriller, 6:25pm
Wednesday 21st July, Sky Cinema Megahits, 9:50am & 8:00pm
Branagh is in villain mode in this mindboggling action spy thriller.
FILM: Five Children and It (2004)
Saturday 17th July, Sky Cinema Family, 2:30pm
Branagh in eccentric mode as Uncle Albert in this family film adapted from the book.
FILM: The Road to El Dorado (2000)
ALSO ON NETFLIX
Sunday 18th July, Sky Cinema Animation, 1:55am
Branagh provides vocals for this animated comedy.
ON AMAZON PRIME...
FILM: Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) (Age 12A)
Branagh directs and stars in this spy action thriller.
ON NETFLIX
FILM: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) (Age 15)
Another labour of love for the actor directing and starring in this adaptation of the classic horror novel.
ON DISNEY+
FILM: Thor (2011)
Branagh directs this early entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
What's your favourite Kenneth Branagh movie / performance?
Make sure you are booked in for this week's DRAMA CLASSES
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