Ben Kingsley Quick Info | |
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Height | 5 ft 8 in |
Weight | 74 kg |
Date of Birth | December 31, 1943 |
Zodiac Sign | Capricorn |
Eye Color | Dark Brown |
Ben Kingsley is an English actor who is best known for portraying roles such as Mahatma Gandhi in Gandhi, Harry Fertig in The Confession, Don Logan in Sexy Beast, Massoud Behrani in House of Sand and Fog, Dr. John Cawley in Shutter Island, and Itzhak Stern in Schindler’s List. He has also appeared in a variety of other TV shows and films such as Testimony — The Story of Shostakovich, Searching for Bobby Fischer, Freddie as F.R.O.7, A Violent Life, Twelfth Night, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Tuck Everlasting, Lucky Number Slevin, Oliver Twist, The Love Guru, 1001 inventions and the library of secrets, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Teen Patti, Iron Man 3, Ender’s Game, The Physician, The Ottoman Lieutenant, The Jungle Book, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Coronation Street, The Love School, Weapons of Mass Distraction, Anne Frank: The Whole Story, and many more. For his acting skills, Ben has been honored with numerous awards such as the Academy Award, Britannia Award, British Academy Film Award, and Critics’ Choice Movie Award.
Born Name
Krishna Pandit Bhanji
Nick Name
Ben Kingsley, Sir Ben Kingsley, Cupid (Childhood nickname)
Sun Sign
Capricorn
Born Place
Snainton, North Riding of Yorkshire, England
Residence
Spelsbury, Oxfordshire, UK
Nationality
Education
Sir Ben Kingsley went to Manchester Grammar School. Coincidentally, the actor had Robert Powell as a classmate in this school.
After completing schooling, Sir Ben Kingsley went to study at the University of Salford and Pendleton College. Pendleton College, later, became home to the Ben Kingsley Theatre.
Occupation
Actor
Family
- Father – Rahimtulla Harji Bhanji (Medical Doctor)
- Mother – Anna Lyna Mary (born Goodman) (Actress and Model)
- Siblings – Older Brother (Medical Doctor), Two younger sisters
Manager
Sir Ben Kingsley is attached with Independent Talent Group Ltd. (Talent Agency), London, UK.
Build
Average
Height
5 ft 8 in or 173 cm
Weight
163 lbs or 74 kg
Girlfriend / Spouse
Sir Ben Kingsley has been romantically linked with –
- Angela Morant (1965-1972) – The British actress, Angela Morant and Sir Kingsley started dating in 1965 and got married in 1966. They have two children together, Jasmin Bhanji and Thomas Alexis Bhanji. The couple separated and divorced in 1972.
- Alison Sutcliffe (1977-1992) – The British theater director, Alison Sutcliffe and Sir Ben Kingsley first met in 1977 and shortly after that started dating. They got married on July 1, 1978. The couple also has two children, Edmund Kingsley (born 1982) and Ferdinand Kingsley born 1988). This marriage also saw an end in February 1992.
- Alexandra Christmann (2002-2005) – Sir Kingsley, then, started dating the German-born lady, Alexandra Christmann in 2002 and got married on October 3, 2003. The actor was “deeply shocked” after the photographs of her kissing another man surfaced on the internet. It followed a quick divorce on February 8, 2005.
- Daniela Lavender (2005-Present) – The Brazilian actress and member of the British Shakespeare Company, Daniela Lavender started dating Sir Ben Kingsley in 2005. They got married on September 3, 2007, at Eynsham Hall, in North Leigh, Oxfordshire.
Race / Ethnicity
Multiracial
Ben Kingsley’s father was Indian Gujarati with Ismaili Muslim Khoja descent. His mother was British with Russian and German-Jewish descent from her father’s side.
Hair Color
Bald
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Shaved head
- Animated vocal quality
- Ability to portray various characters
Shoe Size
The exact shoe size of Sir Ben Kingsley is not known. However, it is speculated that he wears a 9 (US) size shoe.
Brand Endorsements
Sir Ben Kingsley has been featured in –
- Sky Movies TV commercial for BSkyB Satellite Television service in 2004.
- “British Villains” with Tom Hiddleston, and Mark Strong for the TV commercial of Jaguar.
- A promotional movie for Prada in 2012 alongside Helena Bonham Carter.
Religion
Sir Ben Kingsley has Jewish and Muslim-Christian roots. However, he proclaims that he is not Jewish, even though, there is a connection through his mother’s side. His own religious beliefs are not known.
Best Known For
Sir Ben Kingsley is famously known for his role as Mohandas Gandhi in the film Gandhi (1982).
He has also been known for his roles in Schindler’s List (1993), Sexy Beast (2000), Lucky Number Slevin (2006), Shutter Island (2010), Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010), Hugo (2011), and Iron Man 3 (2013).
First Film
Sir Ben Kingsley first appeared as Royale in the 1972 film Fear is the Key.
He also appeared in a TV movie in 1973 titled A Misfortune.
First TV Show
Sir Ben Kingsley first appeared as Roy in the ITV sitcom Pardon the Expression in an episode “The Switched-On Scene.”
First Stage Show
In 1967, Sir Ben Kingsley acted in William Shakespeare’s play ‘As You Like It,’ produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company at London West End theatre, Aldwych Theatre.
Personal Trainer
Sir Ben Kingsley does not have a personal trainer. He maintains his figure and body weight through a healthy diet. He is not known to take any special physical fitness training.
Kingsley had reportedly lost 20 lbs during the shooting of the 1982 film ‘Gandhi.’ It is reported that he followed a strict vegetarian diet that Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi used to follow in real life.
Ben Kingsley Favorite Things
- Person – His wife Daniela
- Place – Oxfordshire (at home)
- Smell – Sandalwood
- Pet – Cat
- Writer – Elie Wiesel
- Music/Band – Florence and the Machine
- Restaurant – Douyria in Ouarzazate, Morocco AND Lilly’s in Ouarzazate, Morocco
- Food – Lamb Tagine served in a tagine pot, Guerrouane (Moroccan Rose)
- Accent – 1930s and ‘40s British
- Charity – The Prince’s Trust
- Movie – Never Take No for an Answer (1951)
Source – The Guardian, Bon Appetit, UsMagazine.com
Ben Kingsley Facts
- Sir Ben Kingsley has been in the industry for more than 40 years. He has won one Oscar, two Golden Globe Awards, two BAFTA, one Grammy, and one Screen Actors Guild Award for his acting skills.
- Sir Ben Kingsley belongs to an Indian Gujarati family from his paternal side. His grandfather was an extremely successful spice trader, who was settled in Zanzibar.
- He changed his real name in fear that the name might put hurdles in the path of his career. So, he took his stage name from his father’s nickname ‘Benji’ and his paternal grandfather’s nickname ‘King Clove.’
- Sir Ben Kingsley was knighted on December 31, 2001 (on his 58th birthday). He was given the honor of the Order of the British Empire in the 2002 Queen’s New Year Honours.
- He won a Grammy Award in 1984 for Best Spoken Word or Nonmusical Recording for ‘The Words of Gandhi.’
- Sir Kingsley received the prestigious Indian civilian honor ‘Padma Shri’ in 1984.
- A star was awarded to Sir Kingsley in May 2010 on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- In April 2013, he received the Fellowship Award at The Asian Awards in London.
- He was appointed the head of the jury at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1998.
- In 2006, his performance as Don Logan in ‘Sexy Beast’ (2000) was ranked #97 by the Premiere Magazine in the list of 100 Greatest Performances of All Time.
- Sir Ben Kingsley has been awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from the University of Hull, Scarborough Campus on July 18, 2008, on their degree ceremony.
- He has done voiceover work in video games for characters such as Storyteller in Kiyeko and the Lost Night and Victor Frolatti in Ceremony of Innocence.
- Ben admires Jewish Austrian Holocaust survivor Simon Wiesenthal for sharing his life story.
- He runs his own production company called Lavender Pictures.
- Unlike some people, he has never ever taken anything from a film/ TV series set.
- If he has to eat one food daily, he would prefer eating vegetable curry since it has a variety.
- He greatly admires Royal Navy.
- Sir Ben Kingsley’s preferred transportation mode is by the aircraft carrier.
- His secret talents include Landscape design and gardening.
- He likes gardening so much that he desires he had a natural talent for growing plants.
- Even on off days, he doesn’t prefer to be lazy. He remains as productive as possible.
- Russian Orthodox choir is the type of music he prefers listening to.
- He loved spending time with Richard Attenborough when he was filming Gandhi (1982).
- He keeps his Oscar awards in the library.
- Ben loves drinking tea.
- He likes to have English, Yorkshire, Kenya, and Irish breakfasts.
- In his life, Ben Kingsley got starstruck just once.