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Kenneth Branagh

Acting 65 years old Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK ★ 3.6
Born: December 10, 1960

Biography

Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh (born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Born in Belfast and raised primarily in Reading, Berkshire, Branagh trained at RADA in London and served as its president from 2015 to 2024. His accolades include an Academy Award, four BAFTAs, two Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and an Olivier Award. He was appointed a Knight Bachelor in 2012 and was given Freedom of the City in his native Belfast in 2018. In 2020, he was ranked in 20th place on The Irish Times's list of Ireland's greatest film actors.

Branagh has 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), and As You Like It (2006). He was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor and Best Director for Henry V and Best Adapted Screenplay for Hamlet. He directed Swan Song (1992), which earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. He also directed Peter's Friends (1992), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994), Thor (2011), and Cinderella (2015). For his semi-autobiographical film Belfast (2021), he was nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Director and won Best Original Screenplay.

Branagh directed and starred as Hercule Poirot in the Hercule Poirot film series (2017–present). He has also acted in Celebrity (1998), Wild Wild West (1999), The Road to El Dorado (2000), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), and Valkyrie (2008). His portrayal of Laurence Olivier in My Week with Marilyn (2011) earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He played supporting roles in Christopher Nolan's films Dunkirk (2017), Tenet (2020), and Oppenheimer (2023).

Branagh has starred in the BBC1 series Fortunes of War (1987), the Channel 4 series Shackleton (2002), the television film Warm Springs (2005), and the BBC One series Wallander (2008–2016). He received a Primetime Emmy Award and an International Emmy Award for Best Actor for portraying SS leader Reinhard Heydrich in the HBO film Conspiracy (2001).

External Links

🎬 IMDb

Known For

Avengers: Infinity War
Avengers: Infinity War Asgardian Distress Call (voice) (uncredited) 2018
Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer Niels Bohr 2023
Valkyrie
Valkyrie Henning von Tresckow 2008
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Gilderoy Lockhart 2002
Tenet
Tenet Sator 2020

Jimmy's Seen (7)

Dunkirk
Dunkirk Commander Bolton 2017
A Haunting in Venice
A Haunting in Venice Producer 2023
Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer Niels Bohr 2023
Avengers: Infinity War
Avengers: Infinity War Asgardian Distress Call (voice) (uncredited) 2018
Tenet
Tenet Sator 2020
Die Hard
Die Hard Self 1988
Avengers: Infinity War
Avengers: Infinity War Asgardian Distress Call (voice) (uncredited) 2018

Filmography

Acting Credits (145)

The Thomas Crown Affair
The Thomas Crown Affair 2027
Mayday
Mayday Nikolai Ustinov 2026
The Devil Wears Prada 2
The Devil Wears Prada 2 2026
Tea with Judi Dench
Tea with Judi Dench Self 2025
The American Revolution
The American Revolution (voice) 2025
The King of Kings
The King of Kings Charles Dickens (voice) 2025
BLUE EYE SAMURAI
BLUE EYE SAMURAI Abijah Fowler (voice) 2023
A Haunting in Venice
A Haunting in Venice Hercule Poirot 2023
Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer Niels Bohr 2023
Peter O'Toole: Along the Sky Road to Aqaba
Peter O'Toole: Along the Sky Road to Aqaba Self 2022
Denzel Washington: A Model American
Denzel Washington: A Model American Self 2022
This England
This England Boris Johnson 2022
Remembers…
Remembers… Self 2022
Death on the Nile
Death on the Nile Hercule Poirot 2022
Fireheart
Fireheart Shawn Nolan (voice) 2022
Looking at the World in a New Way: The Making of ‘Tenet’
Looking at the World in a New Way: The Making of ‘Tenet’ Self 2020
Tenet
Tenet Sator 2020
Lost Lives
Lost Lives 2019
The Kelly Clarkson Show
The Kelly Clarkson Show Self 2019
All Is True
All Is True William Shakespeare 2018
Avengers: Infinity War
Avengers: Infinity War Asgardian Distress Call (voice) (uncredited) 2018
Murder on the Orient Express
Murder on the Orient Express Hercule Poirot 2017
Dunkirk
Dunkirk Commander Bolton 2017
Branagh Theatre Live: The Entertainer
Branagh Theatre Live: The Entertainer Archie Rice 2016
Mindhorn
Mindhorn Himself 2016
Branagh Theatre Live: The Winter's Tale
Branagh Theatre Live: The Winter's Tale Leontes 2015
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Self 2015
Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe
Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe Self 2014
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Late Night with Seth Meyers Self 2014
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit Viktor Cherevin 2014
National Theatre Live: Macbeth
National Theatre Live: Macbeth Macbeth 2013
Stars in Shorts
Stars in Shorts Mark Snow 2012
Marvel Studios: Building a Cinematic Universe
Marvel Studios: Building a Cinematic Universe Self 2012
London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony: Isles of Wonder
London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony: Isles of Wonder Isambard Kingdom Brunel 2012
My Week with Marilyn
My Week with Marilyn Sir Laurence Olivier 2011
Discovering Hamlet
Discovering Hamlet Hamlet (archive footage) 2011
Thor: From Asgard to Earth
Thor: From Asgard to Earth Self 2011
Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope
Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope Self 2011
Prodigal
Prodigal Mark Snow 2011
With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story
With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story Self 2010
A Night at the Movies: The Gigantic World of Epics
A Night at the Movies: The Gigantic World of Epics Self 2009
A Night at the Movies: The Suspenseful World of Thrillers
A Night at the Movies: The Suspenseful World of Thrillers Self 2009
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year Narrator (voice) 2009
The Boat That Rocked
The Boat That Rocked Dormandy 2009
Valkyrie
Valkyrie Henning von Tresckow 2008
Wallander
Wallander Kurt Wallander 2008
10 Days to War
10 Days to War Colonel Tim Collins 2008
Alien Love Triangle
Alien Love Triangle Steven Chesterman 2008
Sleuth
Sleuth Other Man on T.V. 2007
Stephen Fry: 50 Not Out
Stephen Fry: 50 Not Out Self 2007
James Ellis: An Actor's Life
James Ellis: An Actor's Life Himself 2007
The Graham Norton Show
The Graham Norton Show Self 2007
The Graham Norton Show
The Graham Norton Show Self - Guest 2007
El hormiguero
El hormiguero Self 2006
As You Like It
As You Like It Self (voice) 2006
Walking with Monsters
Walking with Monsters Narrator (voice) 2005
Walking with Monsters
Walking with Monsters Narrator (voice) 2005
Warm Springs
Warm Springs Franklin Delano Roosevelt 2005
The Goebbels Experiment
The Goebbels Experiment Narrator (voice) 2005
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson Self 2005
Five Children and It
Five Children and It Uncle Albert 2004
The Magic Touch of Harry Potter
The Magic Touch of Harry Potter Self 2004
Cecil B. DeMille: American Epic
Cecil B. DeMille: American Epic Narrator (voice) 2004
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show Self 2003
World War 1 in Colour
World War 1 in Colour Narrator 2003
Following the Rabbit-Proof Fence
Following the Rabbit-Proof Fence Himself / Narrator 2003
Real Time with Bill Maher
Real Time with Bill Maher Self 2003
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Gilderoy Lockhart 2002
How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog
How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog Peter McGowan 2002
The Tramp and the Dictator
The Tramp and the Dictator Narrator (voice) 2002
Rabbit-Proof Fence
Rabbit-Proof Fence A. O. Neville 2002
Shackleton
Shackleton Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton 2002
The Beasts Within
The Beasts Within Narrator (voice) 2001
Triumph of the Beasts
Triumph of the Beasts Narrator (voice) 2001
Walking with Beasts
Walking with Beasts Narrator 2001
Conspiracy
Conspiracy Reinhard Heydrich 2001
Schneider's 2nd Stage
Schneider's 2nd Stage Joseph Barnett 2001
Big Al
Big Al Narrator 2000
Lon Chaney: A thousand faces
Lon Chaney: A thousand faces Self / Narrator 2000
The Book That Wrote Itself
The Book That Wrote Itself Kenneth Branagh 2000
The Road to El Dorado
The Road to El Dorado Miguel (voice) 2000
Love's Labour's Lost
Love's Labour's Lost Berowne 2000
The Making of Walking with Dinosaurs
The Making of Walking with Dinosaurs Narrator 2000
Altman on His Own Terms
Altman on His Own Terms Self 2000
Wild Wild West: Evil Devices
Wild Wild West: Evil Devices Himself 1999
Wild Wild West: Loveless's Ladies
Wild Wild West: Loveless's Ladies Himself 1999
The Periwig-Maker
The Periwig-Maker Periwig-maker (voice) 1999
IMAX: Galapagos 3D
IMAX: Galapagos 3D Narrator 1999
Walking with Dinosaurs
Walking with Dinosaurs Self - Narrator (voice) 1999
Wild Wild West
Wild Wild West Dr. Arliss Loveless 1999
It's a Whole New West: The Making of 'Wild, Wild West'
It's a Whole New West: The Making of 'Wild, Wild West' Self 1999
The Theory of Flight
The Theory of Flight Richard 1999
The Dance of Shiva
The Dance of Shiva Colonel Evans 1998
Universal Horror
Universal Horror Narrator 1998
Cold War
Cold War 1998
Celebrity
Celebrity Lee Simon 1998
The Proposition
The Proposition Father Michael McKinnon 1998
The Gingerbread Man
The Gingerbread Man Rick Magruder 1998
Parkinson
Parkinson Self 1998
The View
The View Self 1997
Leute heute
Leute heute Self 1997
Hamlet
Hamlet Prince Hamlet 1996
Looking for Richard
Looking for Richard Self - Interviewee 1996
Othello
Othello Iago 1995
Shadow of a Gunman
Shadow of a Gunman Donal Davoren 1995
Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood
Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood 1995
Anne Frank Remembered
Anne Frank Remembered Narration (voice) 1995
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Victor Frankenstein 1994
It's Alive: The True Story of Frankenstein
It's Alive: The True Story of Frankenstein Self 1994
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien Self - Guest 1993
Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing Benedick 1993
Swing Kids
Swing Kids Herr Knopp, Gestapo (uncredited) 1993
Peter's Friends
Peter's Friends Andrew Benson 1992
Symphony for the Spire
Symphony for the Spire 1992
Performance
Performance Donal Davoren 1991
Dead Again
Dead Again Roman Strauss / Mike Church 1991
Discovering Hamlet
Discovering Hamlet Himself / Hamlet 1990
Look Back in Anger
Look Back in Anger Jimmy Porter 1989
Henry V
Henry V Henry V 1989
Thompson
Thompson Self 1988
American Experience
American Experience Narrator (voice) 1988
Thames Wallah
Thames Wallah Narrator 1988
Strange Interlude
Strange Interlude Gordon Evans 1988
Fortunes of War
Fortunes of War Guy Pringle 1987
A Month in the Country
A Month in the Country James Moon 1987
High Season
High Season Rick 1987
Ghosts
Ghosts Oswald Alving 1987
Lorna
Lorna Billy Martin 1987
The Lady's Not For Burning
The Lady's Not For Burning Thomas Mendip 1987
Coming Through
Coming Through D.H. Lawrence 1985
Theatre Night
Theatre Night Oswald Alving 1985
A Coming to Terms for Billy
A Coming to Terms for Billy Billy Martin 1984
The Boy in the Bush
The Boy in the Bush Jack Grant 1984
A Matter of Choice for Billy
A Matter of Choice for Billy Billy Martin 1983
To the Lighthouse
To the Lighthouse Charles Tansley 1983
Easter 2016
Easter 2016 Student 1982
Wogan
Wogan Self 1982
Too Late to Talk to Billy
Too Late to Talk to Billy Billy Martin 1982
Chariots of Fire
Chariots of Fire Cambridge Student at Society Day (uncredited) 1981
Play for Today
Play for Today 1970
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Self 1962
The Oscars
The Oscars Self 1953
Golden Globe Awards
Golden Globe Awards Self - Nominee 1944
Atonement
Atonement Michael Reid
The Goblin
The Goblin (voice)

Directing Credits (28)

Writing Credits (12)

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