Kenneth Cranham
Known for: Acting
Scottish born actor Kenneth Cranham is one of the most recognisable character actors in Britain. Having trained at the National Youth Theatre and RADA, Cranham first came to prominence as Noah Claypole in the 1968 Carol Reed musical Oliver! In the late '70s, Cranham memorably played Sapper Salt in Euston Films' Danger UXB, before taking the title role in the popular postwar set period comedy drama Shine on Harvey Moon. His most famous film role from around this time was Dr. Philip Channard in Hellraiser II. In more recent years he has starred in the HBO series Rome, as well as the films Hot Fuzz, Layer Cake, Valkyrie, Made in Dagenham, Maleficent and Film Stars Don't Die In Liverpool. Among many stage credits are West End productions of Entertaining Mr Sloane, Loot, An Inspector Calls (both transferring to Broadway), The Ruffian on the Stair, The Birthday Party and Gaslight (at the Old Vic). For his role as Inspector Goole in An Inspector Calls, he was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award. In 2016, Cranham won the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Play for his role as Andre in Florian Zeller's The Father. The play originated at the Theatre Royal Bath's Ustinov Studio in the Autumn of 2014, before touring the country and transferring to the West End in the Summer of 2015, and returning to the Duke of York's Theatre in Spring 2016. The play received an unprecedented five star review from every leading national press publication, and Cranham's performance was described as "the performance of his life" His first wife was actress Diana Quick. He has two daughters: Nancy Cranham with actress Charlotte Cornwell, and Kathleen Cranham with his second wife, actress Fiona Victory, whom he met on the set of Shine on Harvey Moon.
Filmography
Series
Midsomer Murders
Jude Langham
1997
Series
Death in Paradise
Father John
2011
Series
Play for Today
Alan Grieves
1970
Series
Play for Today
Tom
1970
Series
Coronation Street
Roy
1960
Series
Hustle
Francis Owen
2004
Series
Casualty
James Lawrence
1986
Series
Agatha Christie's Marple
Rex Fortescue
2004
Series
Minder
Walter
1979
Series
Trying
Barry
2020
Series
Heartbeat
Charlie Wallace
1992
Series
BBC Play of the Month
Antonio
1965
Series
Crown Court
John Tucker
1972
Series
Merlin
Aulfric
2008
Series
Natural World
1983
Series
Inspector Morse
Cedric Downes
1987
Series
Rome
Gnaeus Pompey Magnus
2005
Series
Inside No. 9
Rupert
2014
Series
New Tricks
2004
Film
Maleficent
King Henry
2014
Series
Van der Valk
Dirk Boutsen
1972
Series
Strike
Dennis Creed
2017
Series
ITV Playhouse
Private Seaton
1967
Series
Dalziel and Pascoe
Tommy Collingwood
1996
Film
Hot Fuzz
James Reaper
2007
Series
Thirty-Minute Theatre
Charlie
1965
Series
Thirty-Minute Theatre
Barry
1965
Series
ITV Saturday Night Theatre
Terry
1969
Series
Lovejoy
Litvak
1986
Series
ScreenPlay
Supt. Cherry
1986
Series
ScreenPlay
Reggie Titherington
1986
Series
ScreenPlay
Dick Naughton
1986
Series
The Spanish Princess
John Morton
2019
Series
Between the Lines
DCI Stubbs
1992
Series
War and Peace
Uncle Mikhail
2016
Series
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
Colonel Schmidt
1992
Series
The Play on One
Peter
1988
Series
The Play on One
Joe Shawcross
1988
Series
The Play on One
Teddy Rose
1988
Series
The White Princess
John Morton
2017
Film
A Good Year
Sir Nigel
2006
Film
Layer Cake
Jimmy Price
2004
Series
Moving On
Mike
2009
Series
Kavanagh Q.C.
Roy Lawrence
1995
Film
Valkyrie
Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel
2008
Series
Strangers
Willie Bruce
1978
Series
Strangers
DCI Jim Lennard
1978
Series
Brideshead Revisited
Sergeant Block
1981
Series
Murder Most Horrid
Insp Salford
1991
Series
Budgie
Inky Ballantine
1971
Series
Upstairs Downstairs
Sgt Ashworth
2010
Series
Reilly: Ace of Spies
Lenin
1983
Series
New Scotland Yard
David Collins
1972
Film
Mr. Jones
Lloyd George
2019
Film
Under Suspicion
Frank Vance
1991
Film
Oliver!
Noah Claypole
1968
Film
The Legend of Hercules
Lucius
2014
Film
Hellbound: Hellraiser II
Dr. Philip Channard / Channard Cenobite
1988
Film
Official Secrets
Judge Hyam
2019
Series
Shine on Harvey Moon
Harvey Moon
1982
Series
Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Mr Clare
2008
Series
Danger UXB
Sapper Salt
1979
Series
Danger UXB
L / Corporal Salt
1979
Series
In the Flesh
Vicar Oddie
2013
Series
Enemy at the Door
Jack Foster
1978
Series
Bancroft
Charlie Haverstock
2017
Series
The Line of Beauty
Sir Maurice Tipper
2006
Series
Cribb
Francis Mostyn-Smith
1980
Film
The Boxer
Matt MaGuire
1997
Series
Murder Investigation Team
Ray Morgan
2003
Film
5 Days of War
Michael Stilton
2011
Series
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Reverend Michael Millward
1996
Series
Believe Nothing
DI Aldiss
2002
Film
Closed Circuit
Cameron Fischer
2013
Film
Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool
Joe Turner
2017
Series
Heroes and Villains
2007
Film
Made in Dagenham
Monty Taylor
2010
Series
Theatre Night
Stanley
1985
Series
Finding Alice
Gerry
2021
Series
Our Mutual Friend
Silas Wegg
1998
Series
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
Pastor Finch
1990
Film
Robin and Marian
Jack's Apprentice
1976
Series
Lilies
2007
Series
Lilies
Health Inspector
2007
Film
Kevin & Perry Go Large
Vicar
2000
Series
Neil Gaiman's Likely Stories
Dean Smith
2016
Series
Hatton Garden
Brian Reader
2019
Series
Chimera
Hennessey
1991
Film
Chocolat
Jonathan Boothby
1988
Film
Bed of Roses
Simon
1996
Film
Brother Sun, Sister Moon
Paolo
1972
Film
Gangster No. 1
Tommy
2000
Series
Boy Meets Girl
Tom Last
1967
Series
From a Bird's Eye View
Tim O'Donovan
1970
Series
37 Days
John Burns
2014
Series
Therese Raquin
Camille Raquin
1980
Film
Killing Hitler
Brigadier Sir Stewart Menzies
2003
Series
Dickens
John Forster
2002
Film
Suspension of Disbelief
Bullock
2012
Film
Stealing Heaven
Vice Chancellor Suger
1988
Film
Hannibal: Rome's Worst Nightmare
Narrator
2006
Film
Blackball
Chairman Collins
2003
Film
Dead Man's Folly
Insp. Bland
1986
Film
Graffiti Wars
Narrator (Voice)
2011
Film
The Party
Joe Shawcross
1988
Series
Rules of Engagement
Martin Goodman
1989
The Bell
Nick Fawley
1982
Film
The Night Watch
Horace Mundy
2011
A Sort of Innocence
1986
Film
Pollyanna
Mr. Pendleton
2003
Donkeys' Years
Bill Taylor
1980
Film
Women Talking Dirty
George
2001
Film
Harold Pinter: A Celebration
Self
2010
Film
Sinking of the Lusitania: Terror at Sea
Captain Turner
2007
Film
Mangal Pandey - The Rising
Mr. Kent
2005
Series
Without Motive
DCS Derek Henderson
2000
Film
The Murder of Stephen Lawrence
Michael Mansfield QC
1999
Film
Otley
Kid
1969
Film
Born Romantic
Barney
2000
Film
Trauma
DC Jackson
2004
Film
Vampira
Paddy
1974
Film
The Merchant of Venice
Gratiano
1980
Film
Vigo
The Producer
1998
Film
Prospero's Books
Sebastian
1991
Against the Crowd
Geoff Smailes
1975
Series
The Genius of Mozart
Leopold Mozart
2004
Film
Leviathan: The Story of Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II
Self
2015
Film
Shiner
Gibson
2000
Film
Sparkling Cyanide
George Barton
2003
Film
Egon Schiele: Dangerous Desires
Leopold Czihaczek
2018
Film
RPM
Biggerman
1998
Film
Fragment of Fear
Joe
1970
Film
The Sin Bin
Alan Grieves
1981
Film
The Most Fertile Man in Ireland
Da
2000
Film
Up Pompeii
Christian
1971
Film
Midnight Man
Brigadier Charles Ferguson
1997
Film
Born a King
Lord Curzon
2019
Film
Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen
MJ O'Loughlin
2009
Film
Joseph Andrews
The Wicked Squire
1977
Film
Two Men Went To War
Sgt. Peter King
2002
Film
Lady Windermere's Fan
Lord Darlington
1985
Film
The Caretaker
Aston
1981
Night Flight
Ted Atwell
2002
Film
Lady Audley's Secret
Sir Michael Audley
2000
Film
The Black and Blue Lamp
Supt. Cherry
1988
Film
The Chatterley Affair
Older Keith
2006
Film
The Birthday Party
Stanley Webber
1987
Film
All the Way Up
Tom Midway
1970
Film
'Tis Pity She's a Whore
Giovanni
1980
Film
On Dangerous Ground
Brigadier Charles Ferguson
1996
Film
The Voynich Mystery
Narrator
2002
Film
The Changeling
Antonio
1974
Film
Flying Blind
Victor
2013
The Addictions of Sin: WH Auden in His Own Words
W H Auden
2009
Man Dancin'
D.I. Walter 'Pancho' Villers
2004
Film
Tale of a Vampire
Edgar
1993
Film
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Espionage Escapades
Colonel Schmidt
2000
Film
Heroes & Villains: Napoleon
General Carteaux
2007
Film
Joe Orton Laid Bare
Himself
2017
Film
Just Another Secret
Brosch
1989
Film
The Last Yellow
Len
1999
Film
Panto!
Jerry
2012
Film
Butterflies Don't Count
Tom
1978
Film
Sling Your Hook
Roland
1969
Film
National Theatre Live: The Cherry Orchard
Firs
2011
Film
Requiem Apache
Tony
1994
Film
Monkey Boy
Hennessey
1992
Film
A Master of the Marionettes
Teddy
1989
Series
He-Play She-Play
Detective Inspector
1993
Film
Royal Celebration
Douglas
1993
Film
The Man from Montevideo
Gary Solway
2007
Justice in Wonderland
George Carman
2000
Film
A Genius Like Us: A Portrait of Joe Orton
Self
1982
Film
Achilles Heel
Gordon
1973
Film
A Little Bit of Lippy
Reggie Titherington
1992
Film
Making Waves
Joe Nash
1987
The Lavender List
Harold Wilson
2006
Film
The Dumb Waiter
Gus
1985
Film
Death of a Private
Young intellectual
1967
Film
Deep in the Heart
Robert Flaherty
1996
Film
Dark Ditties Presents: The Offer
The Host
2017
Film
Normal Service
Peter
1988
Film
The Vision Thing
Dick Naughton
1993
Film
Hannibal: The Man Who Hated Rome
Narrator
2004