Photo
- Caption: Ben Kingsley as The Great Zamboni in Spooky House (2000)
- Description:
ACTOR - "The Great Zamboni"
On January 1, 2002, in recognition of Ben Kingsley's role as one of the world's most renowned actors, Britain's Queen Elizabeth honored him with a knighthood.
BEN KINGSLEY'S acceptance into the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1967 was the foundation for a career that is as impressive in the theater as it is on film, but it is on the big screen that he has made his biggest impact. In 1982, he starred in his first major film, "Gandhi." That role won him an Oscar and proved to be the catalyst for his undoubted talents. In addition to winning the Academy Award for Best Actor, he also won the British Film and Television Arts Award for Best Actor and Best Newcomer.
In recent years, KINGSLEY received universal acclaim for his role of Itzhak Stern in STEVEN SPIELBERG'S epic portrayal of the Holocaust, "Schindler's List." He followed that role with the compelling part of alleged torturer Dr. Roberto Miranda in ROMAN POLANSKI'S "Death and the Maiden," co-starring SIGOURNEY WEAVER. He was nominated for two Emmys, as Best Supporting Actor in Turner Network Television's "Joseph" and as Best Actor for his portrayal of Anne Frank's father in the ABC miniseries "Anne Frank." His most recent nomination is for Best Supporting Actor in the upcoming Academy Awards for his sizzling performance as cockney gangster Don Logan in "Sexy Beast," for which he has already won the best actor award at the British Independent Film Awards and best supporting actor award at the Critics' Choice Awards. He has also received two Golden Globe Award nominations and two Screen Actors Guild nominations for best supporting actor for "Sexy Beast" and best actor for "Anne Frank."
KINGSLEY decided to become a professional actor at the age of 20. It was a pivotal moment as he had also been offered a singing contract by Beatles manager BRIAN EPSTEIN. Although acting won out, music has remained a part of the actor's distinguished career. He wrote the music for the British Production of "The Tempest" and BRECHT'S "Baal" and recently did a recording of "The King and I" with JULIE ANDREWS.
In addition to getting an Oscar nomination for his role as gangster Meyer Lansky in "Bugsy," KINGSLEY also won acclaim for his performance in the emotional title role in "Pascali's Island" and as Pandolfini in "Searching for Bobby Fischer." He portrayed Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal in the TVS/HBO production "Murderers Among Us" and as Dr. Watson in "Without a Clue" opposite MICHAEL CAINE.
The extraordinarily versatile actor has played such a multitude of roles that it is virtually impossible to put him into a box. Says KINGSLEY of his acting approach, "I always try to make whatever character I'm playing a completely whole human being with integrity, morality, or the lack thereof. I try to give the audience an opportunity to look at the screen and recognize some element of the person." - Actor/Actress/Director: Ben Kingsley
- Movie: Spooky House ( photos )
- Id: 10951585
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