His first role on the big screen garnered him international fame: In 1982, British actor Ben Kingsley played Mahatma Gandhi. Many more films followed, not all of them successful. Sir Ben Kingsley turns 75 on December 31.
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From Gandhi to B-movies: Sir Ben Kingsley at 75
Oscar-winning actor Sir Ben Kingsley has played a wide range of characters in his day: From a comic book villain to a war hero to Gandhi. The unusual roles showcase his enormous talent.
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Krishna Pandit Bhanji
The actor we know as Ben Kingsley was born as Krishna Pandit Bhanji on December 31, 1943 in Scarborough, England. His mother was an actress with Russian-Jewish roots. His father, a doctor of Indian descent, advised the budding actor to adopt a stage name to increase his chances at auditions, which he did when he was 19. At the same time, he took on his trademark close shave hairdo.
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An Oscar für "Gandhi" (1982)
After a series of non-noteworthy appearances on television productions, Kingsley took on the role of the main character in Sir Richard Attenborough's biopic, "Gandhi." The role was an international breakthrough and arguably his greatest success to date. Kingsley took home numerous awards, including an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his portrayal of the leader of the popular movement.
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"Schindler's List" (1993)
A decade later, another historic role brought attention to the actor's multitude of talents. Portraying Itzhak Stern, the bookkeeper for industrialist Oskar Schindler, Kingsley supported Liam Neeson in telling the story of how Schindler was able to save 1,000 Jewish slave laborers from Nazi camps. Stern was said to have created the legendary list of people who were needed for Schindler's services.
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The father of diarist "Anne Frank" (2001)
As Otto Frank, Ben Kingsley was tasked with bringing to life the role of a father trying desperately to keep his family alive — and hidden — during the horrors of the Holocaust. Based on an unofficial biography and not on the diaries kept by Anne Frank, Otto's daughter, the miniseries was not authorized by the Frank family. Still, it's a moving portrayal of a family in desperate times.
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A comic book villain
At first glance, it might appear the role of Mandarin that Kingsley played in the Iron Man series was less difficult. In "Iron Man 3," Kingsley played Robert Downey Jr.'s nemesis. The character was not based on any historic figure but was said to simply be evil personified. The series based on the Marvel Comics superhero was one of the biggest box office success stories in cinema history.
... or at least, the character he played in Martin Scorsese's 2010 thriller "Shutter Island" was hard to see through. In the movie, Kingsely is paired up against Leonardo di Caprio (left), who plays a US marshal investigating a murderer who's gone missing from a clinic for the insane.
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Who's afraid of the B-movie wolf?
Even a decorated Hollywood star can make awkward choices when it comes to choosing roles. Kingsley was nominated twice times for the Golden Raspberry, an anti-award, such as for his role in the vampire film "BloodRayne" by trash filmmaker Uwe Boll. In "Self/less" (above) his film character wants to live forever and so chooses to have his consciousness transferred into another body: a flop.
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Knighted: Sir Kingsley
Whether or not Queen Elizabeth II is a fan of trash flicks is not up for discussion here. But she does seem to be a fan of Kingsley's work, honoring the actor with a knighthood in 2002. He's seen holding his medal here with acting colleague Lynn Redgrave. Rumors swirl about whether or not the good sir allows the use of his "Sir" title.
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Black pants and a dark bow tie, white jacket and shirt. "I looked like a demented wine waiter," Ben Kingsley later joked about his choice of wardrobe on Oscar night in 1983 when he won the best actor Oscar for his portrayal of Indian freedom fighter Mahatma Gandhi in Richard Attenborough's Gandhi.
The film was the international breakthrough for an actor who had previously performed onstage and in the British soap Coronation Street. Born Krishna Bhanji, he discovered his love for acting when he was very young. When he was 19, his Kenyan-born Indian father told him to get a stage name to increase his chances at auditions. Soon, Ben Kingsley belonged to the ensemble of the renowned Royal Shakespeare Company.
Singing or acting?
His life could have taken a very different turn, as the notoriously quirky actor once told the British newspaper Telegraph. The Beatles' publisher Dick James had offered him a contract after he had heard him sing and play the guitar on stage, he said. John Lennon and Ringo Starr had also reportedly been thrilled by Kingsley's performance. He, however, chose acting.
After his Oscar success in Gandhi, Kingsley played Soviet composer Dimitri Shostakovich, who fell from grace under Stalin. In 1988, he ventured into the comedy world in Without a Clue, a Sherlock Holmes parody also starring Michael Caine. Kingsley's parents were unimpressed by their son's great successes. In fact, Kingsley told British media after the death of his mother in 2000 that they were "indifferent," and that he had not had a particularly loving childhood.
Film flops
His feeling for a good story wasn't always as reliable as his timing in front of the camera. In retrospect, Kingsley wasn't always happy with the roles he agreed to play, and a glance at his filmography shows that sometimes, he was right to doubt the wisdom of his choices.
Acclaimed actor Ben Kingsley as Mahatma Gandhi Image: picture-alliance/Everett Collection
Kingsley was nominated twice times for a Golden Raspberry, the anti-prize for terrible film work that is awarded the night before the Oscars, including for three films simultaneously in 2009 Yet all in all, the number of films not worth seeing is on par with excellent works.
Brisk business
Unlike many other actors, Kingsley never disappeared from the scene. In 2006 he appeared in the crime thriller Lucky Number Slevin alongside Morgan Freeman, Bruce Willis and Josh Hartnett. In 2010 he took on the role of clinic director in Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island, and a year later — again under Scorsese — he played in the historic adventure drama Hugo. In 2013 he played the Mandarin in Iron Man 3.
An actor has to keep working, he told The Guardian in 2009. "I've got many dependents. There has to be cash flow going towards Ben! Sometimes, it was irresponsible not to take the money, but the director was a dog."
That hasn't marred the respect and generally high esteem the actor enjoys. In 2002, Queen Elizabeth knighted Ben Kingsley.
Ever since, he has kept his colleagues on the film sets on their toes as he insists they address him as Sir Ben.
