Kenneth Branagh
Biography
Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh is a British actor and filmmaker born on December 10, 1960, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He was raised primarily in Reading, Berkshire, and received his professional training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, where he later served as president from 2015 to 2024. Branagh was appointed a Knight Bachelor in 2012 and received the Freedom of the City of Belfast in 2018. His professional accolades include an Academy Award, four BAFTAs, two Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and an Olivier Award. In 2020, he was ranked 20th on The Irish Times list of Ireland's greatest film actors. He is the son of William and Frances Branagh and has two siblings.
Career overview
Kenneth Branagh is widely recognized for his work as an actor, director, and writer. He is particularly noted for his film adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays, which include Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, Othello, and As You Like It. His extensive filmography also features appearances in various other motion pictures, such as My Week with Marilyn, Dunkirk, and Belfast. Throughout his career, Branagh has established himself as a prominent figure in both film and theatre, maintaining a significant presence in the industry with over 160 known credits. His contributions to the arts have been recognized through numerous international awards and honors, reflecting his versatility and longevity in the entertainment field. By balancing roles in classic literary adaptations with contemporary cinema, Branagh has sustained a career that spans several decades, earning critical acclaim for his performances and directorial efforts alike. His work continues to be studied and cited for its impact on modern interpretations of Shakespearean drama and broader cinematic storytelling.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- The Thomas Crown Affair (2027)
- The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026) as Stuart
- Mayday (2026) as Nikolai Ustinov
- Maverick: The Epic Adventures of David Lean (2026) as David Lean (voice)
- Atonement (2026) as Michael Reid
- The King of Kings (2025) as Charles Dickens (voice)
- The American Revolution (2025) as (voice)
- Tea with Judi Dench (2025) as Self
- Oppenheimer (2023) as Niels Bohr
- BLUE EYE SAMURAI (2023) as Abijah Fowler (voice)
- A Haunting in Venice (2023) as Hercule Poirot
- A Haunting in Venice (2023) Director
- A Haunting in Venice (2023) Producer
- Death on the Nile (2022) as Hercule Poirot
- Death on the Nile (2022) Director
- Death on the Nile (2022) Producer
- Remembers… (2022) as Self
- This England (2022) as Boris Johnson
- Fireheart (2022) as Shawn Nolan (voice)
- Denzel Washington: A Model American (2022) as Self
- Peter O'Toole: Along the Sky Road to Aqaba (2022) as Self
- Belfast (2021) Producer
- Belfast (2021) Director
- Belfast (2021) Writer
- Tenet (2020) as Sator
- Artemis Fowl (2020) Director
- Artemis Fowl (2020) Producer
- Looking at the World in a New Way: The Making of ‘Tenet’ (2020) as Self
- The Kelly Clarkson Show (2019) as Self
- Lost Lives (2019) as Narrator
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018) as Asgardian Distress Call (voice) (uncredited)
- All Is True (2018) as William Shakespeare
- All Is True (2018) Director
- All Is True (2018) Producer
- Dunkirk (2017) as Commander Bolton
- Murder on the Orient Express (2017) as Hercule Poirot
- Murder on the Orient Express (2017) Director
- Murder on the Orient Express (2017) Producer
- Branagh Theatre Live: The Entertainer (2016) as Archie Rice
- Mindhorn (2016) as Himself
- Branagh Theatre Live: Romeo and Juliet (2016) Director
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2015) as Self
- Cinderella (2015) Director
- Branagh Theatre Live: The Winter's Tale (2015) as Leontes
- Branagh Theatre Live: The Winter's Tale (2015) Director
- Late Night with Seth Meyers (2014) as Self
- Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) as Viktor Cherevin
- Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) Director
- Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe (2014) as Self
- Thor: The Dark World (2013) Producer
- National Theatre Live: Macbeth (2013) as Macbeth
- National Theatre Live: Macbeth (2013) Stage Director
- Stars in Shorts (2012) as Mark Snow
- London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony: Isles of Wonder (2012) as Isambard Kingdom Brunel
- Marvel Studios: Building a Cinematic Universe (2012) as Self
- Thor (2011) Director
- My Week with Marilyn (2011) as Sir Laurence Olivier
- Prodigal (2011) as Mark Snow
- Discovering Hamlet (2011) as Hamlet (archive footage)
- Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope (2011) as Self
- Thor: From Asgard to Earth (2011) as Self
- With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story (2010) as Self
- The Boat That Rocked (2009) as Dormandy
- 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year (2009) as Narrator (voice)
- A Night at the Movies: The Suspenseful World of Thrillers (2009) as Self
- A Night at the Movies: The Gigantic World of Epics (2009) as Self
- Wallander (2008) as Kurt Wallander
- Wallander (2008) Executive Producer
- Valkyrie (2008) as Henning von Tresckow
- 10 Days to War (2008) as Colonel Tim Collins
- Alien Love Triangle (2008) as Steven Chesterman
- The Graham Norton Show (2007) as Self
- The Graham Norton Show (2007) as Self - Guest
- Sleuth (2007) as Other Man on T.V.
- Sleuth (2007) Director
- Sleuth (2007) Producer
- Stephen Fry: 50 Not Out (2007) as Self
- James Ellis: An Actor's Life (2007) as Himself
- El hormiguero (2006) as Self
- As You Like It (2006) as Self (voice)
- As You Like It (2006) Writer
- As You Like It (2006) Director
- As You Like It (2006) Producer
- The Magic Flute (2006) Director
- The Magic Flute (2006) Screenplay
- The Magic Flute (2006) Adaptation
- The Magic Flute (2006) Producer
- The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (2005) as Self
- Warm Springs (2005) as Franklin Delano Roosevelt
- Walking with Monsters (2005) as Narrator (voice)
- Walking with Monsters (2005) Acting Double
- The Goebbels Experiment (2005) as Narrator (voice)
- Walking with Monsters (2005) as Narrator (voice)
- Five Children and It (2004) as Uncle Albert
- Cecil B. DeMille: American Epic (2004) as Narrator (voice)
- The Magic Touch of Harry Potter (2004) as Self
- Real Time with Bill Maher (2003) as Self
- The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2003) as Self
- Listening (2003) Director
- Listening (2003) Writer
- World War I in Colour (2003) as Narrator
- Following the Rabbit-Proof Fence (2003) as Himself / Narrator
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) as Gilderoy Lockhart
- Shackleton (2002) as Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton
- Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) as A. O. Neville
- How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog (2002) as Peter McGowan
- The Tramp and the Dictator (2002) as Narrator (voice)
- Walking with Beasts (2001) as Narrator
- Conspiracy (2001) as Reinhard Heydrich
- Triumph of the Beasts (2001) as Narrator (voice)
- Schneider's 2nd Stage (2001) as Joseph Barnett
- The Beasts Within (2001) as Narrator (voice)
- The Road to El Dorado (2000) as Miguel (voice)
- Love's Labour's Lost (2000) as Berowne
- Love's Labour's Lost (2000) Writer
- Love's Labour's Lost (2000) Director
- Love's Labour's Lost (2000) Screenplay
- Love's Labour's Lost (2000) Producer
- Big Al (2000) as Narrator
- Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces (2000) as Self / Narrator
- Altman on His Own Terms (2000) as Self
- The Book That Wrote Itself (2000) as Kenneth Branagh
- The Making of Walking with Dinosaurs (2000) as Narrator
- Wild Wild West (1999) as Dr. Arliss Loveless
- Walking with Dinosaurs (1999) as Self - Narrator (voice)
- The Theory of Flight (1999) as Richard
- Wild Wild West: Evil Devices (1999) as Himself
- The Periwig-Maker (1999) as Periwig-maker (voice)
- IMAX: Galapagos 3D (1999) as Narrator
- It's a Whole New West: The Making of 'Wild, Wild West' (1999) as Self
- Wild Wild West: Loveless's Ladies (1999) as Himself
- Parkinson (1998) as Self
- Celebrity (1998) as Lee Simon
- Cold War (1998)
- The Gingerbread Man (1998) as Rick Magruder
- The Proposition (1998) as Father Michael McKinnon
- The Dance of Shiva (1998) as Colonel Evans
- Universal Horror (1998) as Narrator
- The View (1997) as Self
- Leute heute (1997) as Self
- Hamlet (1996) as Prince Hamlet
- Hamlet (1996) Director
- Hamlet (1996) Adaptation
- Looking for Richard (1996) as Self - Interviewee
- Anne Frank Remembered (1995) as Narration (voice)
- In the Bleak Midwinter (1995) Director
- In the Bleak Midwinter (1995) Writer
- Othello (1995) as Iago
- Shadow of a Gunman (1995) as Donal Davoren
- Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood (1995)
- Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) as Victor Frankenstein
- Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) Director
- Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) Co-Producer
- It's Alive: The True Story of Frankenstein (1994) as Self
- Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993) as Self - Guest
- Much Ado About Nothing (1993) as Benedick
- Much Ado About Nothing (1993) Producer
- Much Ado About Nothing (1993) Director
- Much Ado About Nothing (1993) Writer
- Swing Kids (1993) as Herr Knopp, Gestapo (uncredited)
- Peter's Friends (1992) as Andrew Benson
- Peter's Friends (1992) Director
- Peter's Friends (1992) Producer
- Symphony for the Spire (1992)
- Swan Song (1992) Director
- Performance (1991) as Donal Davoren
- Dead Again (1991) as Roman Strauss / Mike Church
- Dead Again (1991) Director
- Discovering Hamlet (1990) as Himself / Hamlet
- Henry V (1989) as Henry V
- Henry V (1989) Director
- Henry V (1989) Writer
- Look Back in Anger (1989) as Jimmy Porter
- American Experience (1988) as Narrator (voice)
- Strange Interlude (1988) as Gordon Evans
- Thompson (1988) as Self
- Twelfth Night, or What You Will (1988) Stage Director
- Twelfth Night, or What You Will (1988) Director
- Thames Wallah (1988) as Narrator
- Fortunes of War (1987) as Guy Pringle
- A Month in the Country (1987) as James Moon
- Lorna (1987) as Billy Martin
- High Season (1987) as Rick
- The Lady's Not For Burning (1987) as Thomas Mendip
- Ghosts (1987) as Oswald Alving
- Theatre Night (1985) as Oswald Alving
- Coming Through (1985) as D.H. Lawrence
- The Boy in the Bush (1984) as Jack Grant
- A Coming to Terms for Billy (1984) as Billy Martin
- To the Lighthouse (1983) as Charles Tansley
- A Matter of Choice for Billy (1983) as Billy Martin
- Wogan (1982) as Self
- American Playhouse (1982) as Gordon Evans
- Easter 2016 (1982) as Student
- Too Late to Talk to Billy (1982) as Billy Martin
- Chariots of Fire (1981) as Cambridge Student at Society Day (uncredited)
- Film '72 (1971) as Self
- Play for Today (1970)
- Omnibus (1967)
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) as Self
- Tony Awards (1956) as Self
- The Oscars (1953) as Self
- Golden Globe Awards (1944) as Self - Nominee
- The Goblin as (voice)
- The Making of Dunkirk as Self
- The Last Disturbance of Madeline Hynde Director
- The Last Disturbance of Madeline Hynde Screenplay