Ben Kingsley
Known for: Acting
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).
Filmography
Series
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Self - Guest
2014
Series
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
Self - Guest
2005
Series
The Sopranos
Ben Kingsley
1999
Series
Crown Court
Jeremy Leigh
1972
Series
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Nominee
1944
Series
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Audience Member
1944
Series
Wetten, dass..?
Self
1981
Film
Shutter Island
Dr. Cawley
2010
Series
Bambi
Self
1948
Film
Schindler's List
Itzhak Stern
1993
Film
Iron Man 3
Trevor Slattery
2013
Film '72
Self
1971
Series
Playhouse
Ivanov
1974
Series
Lip Sync Battle
Self
2015
Series
World in Action
Re-enactment
1963
Film
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Trevor Slattery
2021
Film
Deep Water
Rich
2026
Goldene Kamera
Self
1984
Series
Dispatches
1987
Series
The Oscars
Self - Presenter
1953
Series
Pebble Mill at One
1972
Series
Marvel Studios Legends
Trevor Slattery / The Mandarin (archive footage)
2021
Series
TFI Friday
1996
Film
The Jungle Book
Bagheera (voice)
2016
Film
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
Merenkahre
2014
Film
The Dictator
Tamir
2012
Series
Wonder Man
Trevor Slattery
2026
Series
Marvel Studios Assembled
Self
2021
Film
The Boxtrolls
Snatcher (voice)
2014
Series
HARDtalk
1997
Film
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
Specialist (voice)
2001
Series
Entertainment Tonight
Self
1981
Film
Self/less
Damian
2015
Film
Exodus: Gods and Kings
Nun
2014
Film
The Thursday Murder Club
Ibrahim
2025
Film
The Killer's Game
Zvi Rabinowitz
2024
Series
The BBC Television Shakespeare
Frank Ford
1978
Film
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Nizam
2010
Film
Ender's Game
Mazer Rackham
2013
Seitenblicke
Self
1987
Film
Hugo
Georges Méliès
2011
Film
Lucky Number Slevin
The Rabbi
2006
Film
Sneakers
Cosmo
1992
Film
Sonic the Hedgehog 4
(voice)
2027
Series
Playing Shakespeare
1984
Series
Rove
Self
1999
Film
Night Hunter
Cooper
2019
Film
Young Washington
Robert Dinwiddie
2026
Film
The Walk
Papa Rudy
2015
Film
Desert Warrior
Emperor Kisra II
2026
Film
William Tell
King Albrecht
2025
Film
The Physician
Ibn Sina
2013
Film
War Machine
President Karzai
2017
Film
Stonehearst Asylum
Silas Lamb
2014
Film
The Last Legion
Ambrosinus
2007
Film
Species
Xavier Fitch
1995
Film
The King of Kings
High Priest Caiaphas (voice)
2025
Film
Operation Finale
Adolf Eichmann
2018
Series
The Adventurer
Pierre
1972
Film
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
Imdad Khan / Croupier
2023
Series
All or Nothing: Manchester City
Narrator (voice)
2018
Series
Garfunkel and Oates
Ben Kingsley
2014
Film
The Love Guru
Guru Tugginmypuddha
2008
Series
Perpetual Grace LTD
Pastor Byron 'Pa' Brown
2019
Series
Watership Down
General Woundwort (voice)
2018
Film
Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
1982
Film
Knight of Cups
Storyteller (voice)
2015
Series
Tut
Ay
2015
Film
Sexy Beast
Don Logan
2001
Series
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Duval
1951
Film
Oliver Twist
Fagin
2005
Film
Rules of Engagement
Ambassador Mourain
2000
Film
A Sound of Thunder
Charles Hatton
2005
Film
Marvel One-Shot: All Hail the King
Trevor Slattery / The Mandarin
2014
Film
Tuck Everlasting
Man in the Yellow Suit
2002
Film
Poison
Dr. Ganderbai
2023
Film
Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer's Curse
Drago (Voice)
2015
Film
Collide
Geran
2016
Film
House of Sand and Fog
Behrani
2003
Film
Security
Charlie
2017
Film
Without a Clue
Dr. John Watson
1988
Film
The Red Sea Diving Resort
Ethan Levin
2019
Film
Joseph
Potiphar
1995
Film
Alice in Wonderland
Major Caterpillar
1999
Series
Dickens of London
Dr. John Elliotson
1976
Film
Bugsy
Meyer Lansky
1991
Series
The Secret of the Sahara
Sholomon
1988
Film
Searching for Bobby Fischer
Bruce Pandolfini
1993
Film
Locked Down
Malcolm
2021
Film
Robot Overlords
Robin Smythe
2015
Series
Moses
Moses
1996
Film
Maurice
Lasker-Jones
1987
Series
The Old Stories: Moses
Moses
2026
Film
Death and the Maiden
Dr. Roberto Miranda
1994
Film
Dalíland
Dalí
2022
Series
Anne Frank: The Whole Story
Otto Frank
2001
Film
Thunderbirds
The Hood
2004
Film
Jules
Milton Robinson
2023
Film
Spider in the Web
Adereth
2019
Film
Dave
Vice-President Nance
1993
Film
Suspect Zero
Benjamin O'Ryan
2004
Film
The Ottoman Lieutenant
Woodruff
2017
Series
Der Medicus
Ibn Sina
2014
Series
Oxbridge Blues
Geoff Craven
1984
Series
Wessex Tales
Lord Uplandtowers
1973
Film
Freddie As F.R.O.7.
Freddie (voice)
1992
Film
The Assignment
Amos
1997
Film
Learning to Drive
Darwan
2014
Film
You Kill Me
Frank Falenczyk
2007
Film
Backstabbing for Beginners
Pasha
2018
Film
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More
Imdad Khan / The Dealer / Dr. Ganderbai (archive footage)
2024
Film
Elegy
David Kepesh
2008
Film
What Planet Are You From?
Graydon
2000
Film
TransSiberian
Grinko
2008
Film
BloodRayne
Kagan
2006
Series
The Love School
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
1975
Series
Lenin... The Train
Wladimir Iljitsch Lenin
1988
Film
Fifty Dead Men Walking
Fergus
2008
Film
War, Inc.
Walken / The Viceroy
2008
Film
Muse of Fire
Self
2013
Film
The Ten Commandments
Narrator (voice)
2007
Series
Religion of the World
Narrator
2004
Series
Joseph
Potiphar
1995
Film
Twelfth Night
Feste
1996
Film
Walking with the Enemy
Regent Miklos Horthy
2014
Film
Spielberg
Self
2017
Film
An Ordinary Man
The General
2017
The Velvet Glove
Chakravarti
1977
Film
Pascali's Island
Basil Pascali
1988
Film
A Common Man
The Man
2013
Film
Intrigo: Death of an Author
Henderson
2018
Film
The Confession
Harry Fertig
1999
Film
The Wackness
Dr. Squires
2008
Film
Life
Jack Warner
2015
Film
Fear Is the Key
Royale
1972
Series
Inside the Actors Studio
Self
1994
Film
Photographing Fairies
Rev. Templeton
1997
Series
Religions of the World
Narrator
1998
Film
Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché
Self
2018
Film
Spooky House
The Great Zamboni
2002
Film
A Birder's Guide to Everything
Lawrence Konrad
2013
Series
CNN Millennium
Narrator
1999
Film
Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaust
Self
2004
Film
Unity
Narrator (voice)
2015
Film
50 Films to See Before You Die
Self
2006
Series
Islam: Empire of Faith
Narrator
2001
Film
The Triumph of Love
Hermocrates
2001
Film
The Way of the Wind
Film
Journey to Mecca
Narrator
2009
Film
An Oral History of: Schindler's List
Self (archive footage)
2018
Film
Weapons of Mass Distraction
Julian Messenger
1997
Film
Robin Williams: Laugh Until You Cry
Self
2022
Film
The King and I: Recording a Hollywood Dream
Self / The King (voice)
1993
Film
Every Good Boy Deserves Favour
Ivanov
1979
Film
Parting Shots
Renzo Locatelli
1999
Film
Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story
Simon Wiesenthal
1989
Film
The War That Never Ends
Pericles
1991
Film
Nos Bastidores de Hollywood
Self (archive footage)
2005
Film
The Desert of Forbidden Art
Voice
2011
Film
The Making of Slipstream
1989
Film
Who Killed British Cinema?
Self
2018
Film
Liberation
Narrator (voice)
1994
Film
Camille
Duval
1984
Film
The Making of ‘Sneakers’
Self
2003
Film
Crime and Punishment
Magistrate Porfiry
1998
Film
Harem
Selim
1985
Film
Romeo.Juliet
Father Capulet (voice)
1990
Film
Teen Patti
Perci Trachtenberg
2010
Film
Of Dogs and Men
The Caller (voice)
2016
Film
Silas Marner
Silas Marner
1985
Film
Unlikely Heroes
Narrator
2003
Film
To Be Hamlet
Self
1985
Film
Shoot the Moon: The Making of 'Hugo'
Self
2012
Film
The Merry Wives of Windsor
Frank Ford
1982
Film
It Is No Dream: The Life Of Theodor Herzl
Narrator
2012
Film
Lenin: The Train
Lenin
1988
Film
Mrs. Harris
Herman Tarnower
2005
Film
Knights of Classic Drama at the BBC
Self (archive footage)
2015
Film
Cellini: A Violent Life
Governor
1990
Film
Slipstream
Avatar
1989
Film
The Making of Sexy Beast
Self
2001
Film
I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life & Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal
Self
2007
Film
1001 Inventions and the Library of Secrets
Al-Jazari / Librarian
2010
Film
Mais Bastidores de Hollywood
Self
2006
Film
Sacha Baron Cohen: Role of a Lifetime
Self
2012
Film
Winston Churchill: Walking with Destiny
Narrator
2010
Film
Betrayal
Robert
1983
Film
Falls the Shadow: The Life and Times of Athol Fugard
Self
2012
Film
Michael Caine: Breaking the Mold
Self
1994
Film
The Fifth Monkey
Cunda
1990
Film
The Tale of Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd
1998
Mr. Attenborough and Mr. Gandhi
Self
1983
Film
Fortitude
Film
The Cinemagician, Georges Méliès
Self
2012
Peace Is Every Step
Narrator
2005
Film
C.S. Lewis: Dreamer of Narnia
Self
2006
Film
The Road to Damascus: The Reinvention of Bugsy Siegel
Self
2006
Film
War Story
Albert
2014
Film
Richard Attenborough: A Life in Film
Self
2014
No Strings Attached: The Making of Thunderbirds
Self
2004
Film
The Children
Martin Boyne
1990
Film
Antony and Cleopatra
Thidias
1975
Ben Kingsley Talks About "Gandhi"
Self - Interviewee
2001
Film
The Many Lives of Richard Attenborough
2003
Film
Helena: First Pilgrim to the Holy Land
Narrator
2003
Film
Necessary Love
1991
Film
Turtle Diary
William Snow
1985
Film
The Medicine Buddha
Narrator (voice)
2019
Film
The Mechanical Man at the Heart of 'Hugo'
Self
2012
Film
The Life and Faith of CS Lewis
2006
Film
Testimony
Dmitri Shostakovich
1988
Film
Islam: Empire of Faith
Self - Narrator
2001
Film
Hard Labour
Naseem
1973
Mary
King Herod
Film
Rabbit Ears - Moses the Lawgiver
Narrator (voice)
1991
Thank You, Comrades
Roberto Cibrario
1978
Inside the Operation
Self
2018
Film
Rabbit Ears - The Tiger and the Brahmin
Narrator (voice)
1991
A Force More Powerful
Narator
1999
Aral, the Lost Sea
2010
Faith
Sheikh Usman