Actor
Ben Kingsley
Born 31 December 1943 · Snainton, North Riding of Yorkshire, England, UK
Sir Ben Kingsley is an English actor who began on the stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company before moving into film. He is best known for playing Mahatma Gandhi, a role that made him an international star. His career spans serious drama, villains and blockbusters across five decades.
Key films
Gandhi (1982)
His star-making title role as Mahatma Gandhi, which won him the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Schindler's List (1993)
Played Itzhak Stern, Schindler's accountant, in Spielberg's Holocaust drama, a landmark of his dramatic work.
Sexy Beast (2001)
Menacing turn as gangster Don Logan, a villain role that redefined his screen image.
Hugo (2011)
Played early filmmaker Georges Méliès in Scorsese's tribute to the origins of cinema.
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Played the Mandarin, showing his move into major superhero blockbusters.
Key awards
- 1983: Academy Award for Best Actor (Gandhi)
- 1983: BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Gandhi)
- 1983: Golden Globe Award for Best Actor, Drama (Gandhi)
- 2002: Knighted (Knight Bachelor) for services to British film
- 2013: Britannia Award
On Cinespective
Full filmography · 167
- 1972Fear Is the Key · as RoyaleActor
- 1973Hard Labour · as NaseemActor
- 1975Antony and Cleopatra · as ThidiasActor
- 1978Thank You, Comrades · as Roberto CibrarioActor
- 1979Every Good Boy Deserves Favour · as IvanovActor
- 1982Gandhi · as Mahatma GandhiActor
- 1982The Merry Wives of Windsor · as Frank FordActor
- 1983Betrayal · as RobertActor
- 1983Mr. Attenborough and Mr. Gandhi · as SelfActor
- 1984Camille · as DuvalActor
- 1985Harem · as SelimActor
- 1985Turtle Diary · as William SnowActor
- 1985Silas Marner · as Silas MarnerActor
- 1985To Be Hamlet · as SelfActor
- 1987Maurice · as Lasker-JonesActor
- 1988Without a Clue · as Dr. John WatsonActor
- 1988Pascali's Island · as Basil PascaliActor
- 1988Lenin: The Train · as LeninActor
- 1988Testimony · as Dmitri ShostakovichActor
- 1989Slipstream · as AvatarActor
- 1989Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story · as Simon WiesenthalActor
- 1989The Making of SlipstreamActor
- 1990Cellini: A Violent Life · as GovernorActor
- 1990The Children · as Martin BoyneActor
- 1990Romeo.Juliet · as Father Capulet (voice)Actor
- 1990The Fifth Monkey · as CundaActor
- 1991Bugsy · as Meyer LanskyActor
- 1991Necessary LoveActor
- 1991The War That Never Ends · as PericlesActor
- 1991Rabbit Ears - The Tiger and the Brahmin · as Narrator (voice)Actor
- 1991Rabbit Ears - Moses the Lawgiver · as Narrator (voice)Actor
- 1992Sneakers · as CosmoActor
- 1992Freddie As F.R.O.7. · as Freddie (voice)Actor
- 1993Schindler's List · as Itzhak SternActor
- 1993Dave · as Vice-President NanceActor
- 1993Searching for Bobby Fischer · as Bruce PandolfiniActor
- 1993The King and I: Recording a Hollywood Dream · as Self / The King (voice)Actor
- 1994Death and the Maiden · as Dr. Roberto MirandaActor
- 1994Liberation · as Narrator (voice)Actor
- 1994Michael Caine: Breaking the Mold · as SelfActor
- 1995Species · as Xavier FitchActor
- 1995Joseph · as PotipharActor
- 1996Twelfth Night · as FesteActor
- 1997The Assignment · as AmosActor
- 1997Photographing Fairies · as Rev. TempletonActor
- 1997Weapons of Mass Distraction · as Julian MessengerActor
- 1998The Tale of Sweeney Todd · as Sweeney ToddActor
- 1998Crime and Punishment · as Magistrate PorfiryActor
- 1999Alice in Wonderland · as Major CaterpillarActor
- 1999The Confession · as Harry FertigActor
- 1999Parting Shots · as Renzo LocatelliActor
- 1999A Force More Powerful · as NaratorActor
- 2000Rules of Engagement · as Ambassador MourainActor
- 2000What Planet Are You From? · as GraydonActor
- 2001A.I. Artificial Intelligence · as Specialist (voice)Actor
- 2001Sexy Beast · as Don LoganActor
- 2001The Triumph of Love · as HermocratesActor
- 2001Islam: Empire of Faith · as Self - NarratorActor
- 2001Ben Kingsley Talks About "Gandhi" · as Self - IntervieweeActor
- 2001The Making of Sexy Beast · as SelfActor
- 2002Tuck Everlasting · as Man in the Yellow SuitActor
- 2002Spooky House · as The Great ZamboniActor
- 2003House of Sand and Fog · as BehraniActor
- 2003Unlikely Heroes · as NarratorActor
- 2003The Making of ‘Sneakers’ · as SelfActor
- 2003The Many Lives of Richard AttenboroughActor
- 2003Helena: First Pilgrim to the Holy Land · as NarratorActor
- 2004Suspect Zero · as Benjamin O'RyanActor
- 2004Thunderbirds · as The HoodActor
- 2004Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaust · as SelfActor
- 2004No Strings Attached: The Making of Thunderbirds · as SelfActor
- 2005Oliver Twist · as FaginActor
- 2005A Sound of Thunder · as Charles HattonActor
- 2005Mrs. Harris · as Herman TarnowerActor
- 2005Nos Bastidores de Hollywood · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2005Peace Is Every Step · as NarratorActor
- 2006Lucky Number Slevin · as The RabbiActor
- 2006BloodRayne · as KaganActor
- 2006C.S. Lewis: Dreamer of Narnia · as SelfActor
- 200650 Films to See Before You Die · as SelfActor
- 2006Mais Bastidores de Hollywood · as SelfActor
- 2006The Life and Faith of CS LewisActor
- 2006The Road to Damascus: The Reinvention of Bugsy Siegel · as SelfActor
- 2007The Last Legion · as AmbrosinusActor
- 2007You Kill Me · as Frank FalenczykActor
- 2007The Ten Commandments · as Narrator (voice)Actor
- 2007I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life & Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal · as SelfActor
- 2008TransSiberian · as GrinkoActor
- 2008The Love Guru · as Guru TugginmypuddhaActor
- 2008The Wackness · as Dr. SquiresActor
- 2008Elegy · as David KepeshActor
- 2008War, Inc. · as Walken / The ViceroyActor
- 2008Fifty Dead Men Walking · as FergusActor
- 2009Journey to Mecca · as NarratorActor
- 2010Shutter Island · as Dr. CawleyActor
- 2010Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time · as NizamActor
- 2010Teen Patti · as Perci TrachtenbergActor
- 20101001 Inventions and the Library of Secrets · as Al-Jazari / LibrarianActor
- 2010Winston Churchill: Walking with Destiny · as NarratorActor
- 2010Aral, the Lost SeaActor
- 2011Hugo · as Georges MélièsActor
- 2011The Desert of Forbidden Art · as VoiceActor
- 2012The Dictator · as TamirActor
- 2012The Mechanical Man at the Heart of 'Hugo' · as SelfActor
- 2012Shoot the Moon: The Making of 'Hugo' · as SelfActor
- 2012Sacha Baron Cohen: Role of a Lifetime · as SelfActor
- 2012It Is No Dream: The Life Of Theodor Herzl · as NarratorActor
- 2012The Cinemagician, Georges Méliès · as SelfActor
- 2012Falls the Shadow: The Life and Times of Athol Fugard · as SelfActor
- 2013Iron Man 3 · as Trevor SlatteryActor
- 2013Ender's Game · as Mazer RackhamActor
- 2013The Physician · as Ibn SinaActor
- 2013A Common Man · as The ManActor
- 2013A Birder's Guide to Everything · as Lawrence KonradActor
- 2013Muse of Fire · as SelfActor
- 2014Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb · as MerenkahreActor
- 2014Exodus: Gods and Kings · as NunActor
- 2014The Boxtrolls · as Snatcher (voice)Actor
- 2014Stonehearst Asylum · as Silas LambActor
- 2014Marvel One-Shot: All Hail the King · as Trevor Slattery / The MandarinActor
- 2014Learning to Drive · as DarwanActor
- 2014Walking with the Enemy · as Regent Miklos HorthyActor
- 2014War Story · as AlbertActor
- 2014Richard Attenborough: A Life in Film · as SelfActor
- 2015The Walk · as Papa RudyActor
- 2015Self/less · as DamianActor
- 2015Knight of Cups · as Storyteller (voice)Actor
- 2015Life · as Jack WarnerActor
- 2015Robot Overlords · as Robin SmytheActor
- 2015Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer's Curse · as Drago (Voice)Actor
- 2015Unity · as Narrator (voice)Actor
- 2015Knights of Classic Drama at the BBC · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2016The Jungle Book · as Bagheera (voice)Actor
- 2016Collide · as GeranActor
- 2016Of Dogs and Men · as The Caller (voice)Actor
- 2017War Machine · as President KarzaiActor
- 2017Security · as CharlieActor
- 2017Spielberg · as SelfActor
- 2017The Ottoman Lieutenant · as WoodruffActor
- 2017An Ordinary Man · as The GeneralActor
- 2018Operation Finale · as Adolf EichmannActor
- 2018Backstabbing for Beginners · as PashaActor
- 2018Intrigo: Death of an Author · as HendersonActor
- 2018Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché · as SelfActor
- 2018Who Killed British Cinema? · as SelfActor
- 2018Inside the Operation · as SelfActor
- 2018An Oral History of: Schindler's List · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2019Night Hunter · as CooperActor
- 2019The Red Sea Diving Resort · as Ethan LevinActor
- 2019Spider in the Web · as AderethActor
- 2019The Medicine Buddha · as Narrator (voice)Actor
- 2021Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings · as Trevor SlatteryActor
- 2021Locked Down · as MalcolmActor
- 2022Dalíland · as DalíActor
- 2022Robin Williams: Laugh Until You Cry · as SelfActor
- 2023The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar · as Imdad Khan / CroupierActor
- 2023Poison · as Dr. GanderbaiActor
- 2023Jules · as Milton RobinsonActor
- 2024The Killer's Game · as Zvi RabinowitzActor
- 2024The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More · as Imdad Khan / The Dealer / Dr. Ganderbai (archive footage)Actor
- 2025The Thursday Murder Club · as IbrahimActor
- 2025William Tell · as King AlbrechtActor
- 2025The King of Kings · as High Priest Caiaphas (voice)Actor
- 2026Deep Water · as RichActor
- 2026Young Washington · as Robert DinwiddieActor
- 2026Desert Warrior · as Emperor Kisra IIActor
- 2027Sonic the Hedgehog 4 · as (voice)Actor
Filmography data from TMDB. The profile text is a draft written for Cinespective.