Kenneth Charles Branagh (born December 10, 1960) is an Emmy Award-winning, Academy Award-nominated Northern Irish actor and film director. Events 1041 - Empress Zoe of Byzantium elevates her adoptive son to the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire as Michael V Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Belfast ( is the capital city of Northern Ireland and the seat of government in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of Emma Thompson (born April 15 1959 is an Academy Award - Emmy Award - BAFTA Award - and Golden Globe -winning Anglo-Scottish Actress Events 1041 - Empress Zoe of Byzantium elevates her adoptive son to the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire as Michael V Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works A film director, or filmmaker, is a person who directs the making of a Film.

Personal life

Branagh, second of three children, was born in Belfast to working-class Protestant parents Frances (née Harper) and William Branagh, who was a plumber and carpenter, and ran a company that specialised in fitting partitions and suspended ceilings. Belfast ( is the capital city of Northern Ireland and the seat of government in Northern Ireland. Working class is a term used in academic Sociology and in ordinary conversation to describe depending on context and speaker those employed in specific fields or types Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. A carpenter (builder is a skilled craftsman who performs carpentry - a wide range of Woodworking that includes constructing buildings, ^[1][2] He was educated at Grove Primary School. Grove Primary School is a co-educational non-denominational primary school in north Belfast, Northern Ireland. ^[3] At the age of nine, he relocated with his family to Reading in England to escape "the Troubles". Reading (ˈrɛdɪŋ as Redding) is a town in England, located at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, midway between England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland ^[4][5]

Branagh is Honorary President of NICVA (the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action. Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action is the national infrastructure body for the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland. ) He received an honorary Doctorate in Literature from Queen's University of Belfast in 1990. Queen's University Belfast is a university in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He is also a patron for the charity Over The Wall. ^[6]

He speaks Italian and is a lifelong supporter of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. Tottenham Hotspur, ˈtɒʔnəm is an English professional football club which currently plays in the Premier League. ^[7] He was married to Emma Thompson from August 20, 1989 until 1995. Emma Thompson (born April 15 1959 is an Academy Award - Emmy Award - BAFTA Award - and Golden Globe -winning Anglo-Scottish Actress Events 636 - Battle of Yarmouk: Arab forces led by Khalid ibn al-Walid take control of Syria and Palestine Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) For several years after divorcing Thompson he was in a well-publicized relationship with Helena Bonham Carter, with whom he also starred and directed in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Helena Bonham Carter (born 26 May 1966 is an Oscar and Golden Globe -nominated English actress. Frankenstein (also known by its promotional title Mary Shelley's Frankenstein) is a 1994 Film directed by Kenneth Branagh In 2003 he married film art director Lindsay Brunnock,^[8] to whom he was introduced by Bonham Carter in 1997. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[9]

Career

Stage work

Branagh achieved some early measure of success in his native Northern Ireland for his role as the title character in the BBC's Play for Today^[10] series known as the Billy Plays, written by Graham Reid and set in Belfast. Play for Today was a British television anthology drama series produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984 For the Australian field hockey player see Graham Reid Graham Reid (born 1945 He has worked on both stage and screen. In Theatre, the stage (sometimes referred to as the deck in Stagecraft) is a designated space for the Performance of theatrical productions

He received acclaim in the UK for his stage performances, first winning the 1982 SWET Award for Best Newcomer, for his role as Judd in Julian Mitchell's Another Country, immediately after leaving RADA. The Society of London Theatre (previously The Society of West End Theatre) is an umbrella organization for West End theatre in London. Julian Mitchell (born May 1, 1935 in Epping, Essex) is an English Playwright, Screenwriter and occasional Another Country is a play by written by English playwright Julian Mitchell that premiered in 1981 at the Greenwich Theatre in south-east London He and David Parfitt founded the Renaissance Theatre Company in 1987, following success with several productions on the London 'Fringe', including Branagh's full-scale production of Romeo and Juliet at the Lyric Studio, co-starring with Samantha Bond. David Parfitt (born July 8, 1958, Sunderland) is a Film producer and Actor. The Renaissance Theatre Company was founded in 1987 by Kenneth Branagh and David Parfitt as a development of the work they had been doing periodically on the London Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the Samantha Bond (born November 27, 1961) is an English actress best known for her role as Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond The first major Renaissance production was Branagh's Christmas 1987 staging of Twelfth Night at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, starring Richard Briers as Malvolio and Frances Barber as Viola, and with an original score by Scottish actor, musician and composer Patrick Doyle, who two years later was to compose the music for Branagh's film of Henry V. Twelfth Night Or What You Will is a Comedy by William Shakespeare, based on the Short story "Of Apolonius and Silla" by Riverside Studios is one of West London 's leading centres for contemporary and international dramatic performance film exhibitions and television production Richard David Briers, CBE (born 14 January 1934 is an English Actor whose career has encompassed the theatre television film and radio Frances Barber (born on 13 May 1958 in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England) is an English actress with a long and distinguished Patrick Doyle (born April 6, 1953, Uddingston, South Lanarkshire, Scotland) is an Academy Award nominated Scottish Henry V is a 1989 film directed by Kenneth Branagh, and based upon the Shakespeare play about the famous English King

Branagh became a major presence in the media and on the British stage when Renaissance collaborated with Birmingham Rep for a 1988 touring season of three Shakespeare plays under the umbrella title of Renaissance Shakespeare on the Road, which also played a repertory season at the Phoenix Theatre in London. Birmingham Repertory Theatre (commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep) is a Theatre and theatre company based on Centenary Square in It featured directorial debuts for Judi Dench with Much Ado About Nothing (starring Branagh and Bond as Benedick and Beatrice), Geraldine McEwan with As You Like It, and Derek Jacobi directing Branagh in the title role in Hamlet, with Sophie Thompson as Ophelia. Dame Judith Olivia Dench, CH, DBE, FRSA, (born 9 December, 1934) usually known as Judi Dench, is an English Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy by William Shakespeare. First published in 1600 it is likely to have been first performed in the autumn or winter Geraldine McEwan (born Geraldine McKeown on 9 May 1932) is a BAFTA award -winning English actress, with a diverse and successful As You Like It is a Pastoral Comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published Sir Derek George Jacobi CBE (ˈdʒækəbi born 22 October, 1938) is an English Actor and Film director, knighted Hamlet is a Tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601 Sophie Thompson (born 1 January 1962) is an award-winning British actress perhaps best known for playing Stella Crawford in EastEnders Critic Milton Shulman for the Evening Standard wrote: "On the positive side Branagh has the vitality of Olivier, the passion of Gielgud, the assurance of Guinness, to mention but three famous actors who have essayed the role. Milton Shulman ( September 1, 1913 – May 24, 2004) was a Canadian author film and theatre critic On the negative side, he has not got the magnetism of Olivier, nor the mellifluous voice quality of Gielgud nor the intelligence of Guinness. "^[11]

A year later in 1989 Branagh co-starred with Emma Thompson in the Renaissance revival of Look Back in Anger. Look Back in Anger (1956 is a John Osborne play and 1958 movie about a love triangle involving an intelligent but disaffected young man (Jimmy Porter Judi Dench directed both the theatre and television productions, presented first in Belfast then at the London Coliseum and Lyric Theatre. The Coliseum Theatre (also known as the London Coliseum) is on St

More recently, in 2002, Branagh starred in the Crucible Theatre , Sheffield as Richard III and in 2003 in the Royal National Theatre's production of David Mamet's Edmond. The Crucible Theatre is a theatre built in 1971 and located in the city centre of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Sheffield ( is a city and Metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591 The Royal National Theatre, located on the South Bank in the London Borough of Lambeth, England. David Alan Mamet (born November 30, 1947) is an American Author, Essayist, Playwright, Screenwriter and Edmond is a one-act play written by David Mamet. It Premiered at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago on June 4 1982 Branagh directed The Play What I Wrote in England in 2001^[12] and directed a Broadway production in 2003. The Play Wot I Wrote or The Play What I Wrote is a musical Farce written by Hamish McColl, Sean Foley and Eddie Braben Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located ^[13][14]

Film work

Branagh as Henry V (far right)

Laurence Fishburne (left) and Branagh as Othello and Iago respectively, in a scene from the 1995 film version of Othello. Henry V (16 September 1386 &ndash 31 August 1422 was one of the most significant English warrior kings of the 15th century Laurence John Fishburne III (born July 30, 1961) is an American award-winning Actor of screen and stage, as well as Othello is a 1995 film based on William Shakespeare 's Tragedy of the same name.

Branagh is probably best known for his film adaptations of the works of William Shakespeare, beginning with Henry V in 1989, Much Ado About Nothing, Love's Labour's Lost, and Hamlet, with As You Like It following in 2006. William Shakespeare ( baptised Henry V is a 1989 film directed by Kenneth Branagh, and based upon the Shakespeare play about the famous English King Much Ado About Nothing is a 1993 film based on William Shakespeare's play. Love's Labour's Lost is a 2000 adaptation of the comic play of the same name by William Shakespeare, directed by and starring Hamlet is a 1996 film version of William Shakespeare 's classic play of the same name, adapted and directed by Kenneth Branagh As You Like It is a film released in 2006, directed by Kenneth Branagh. As You Like It premiered in theatres in Europe, but was sent directly to television in the U. S. , where it had its U. S. premiere on HBO in August of 2007. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Although Branagh played the role of Iago on the 1995 Othello, he did not direct the film; it was directed by Oliver Parker. Othello is a 1995 film based on William Shakespeare 's Tragedy of the same name. See Also Ol Parker, also a film director Oliver Parker (born 6 September 1960) is an English Film director Othello is the one Shakespeare film that Branagh has appeared in which was directed by someone else.

Notable non-Shakespeare films that Branagh has appeared in include Dead Again and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, both of which he also directed, Wild Wild West, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and the yet-to-be-released Valkyrie, about the 1944 attempted assassination of Adolf Hitler. Dead Again is a 1991 Psychological thriller / Neo-noir directed by Kenneth Branagh, starring Branagh and his then-wife Frankenstein (also known by its promotional title Mary Shelley's Frankenstein) is a 1994 Film directed by Kenneth Branagh Wild Wild West ( 1999) is a Science fiction action-comedy film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, starring Will Smith, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a 2002 Fantasy Adventure Film, and the second film in the popular ''Harry Potter'' Valkyrie is a 2008 historical thriller film directed by Bryan Singer and starring Tom Cruise. Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently vandalized and vandalism is reverted immediately

Branagh has also been involved in several made-for-TV films. Among his most acclaimed portrayals is that of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) in the 2005 film Warm Springs. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by Warm Springs is a 2005 Television movie about American President Franklin D Though the film received sixteen Emmy nominations, winning five (including Best Made-For-Television Film), Branagh did not win the award for his portrayal. He did, however, receive an Emmy award for his performance in the 2001 TV Conspiracy, a depiction of the Wannsee Conference, where Nazi officials conceived the Final Solution. Conspiracy is a BBC / HBO television film which dramatizes the 1942 Wannsee Conference. The Wannsee Conference was a Meeting of senior officials of the Nazi German regime held in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee on Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German The Final Solution ( Die Endlösung) was Nazi Germany 's plan and execution of its systematic Genocide against European Jewry during World Branagh's award winning performance was for the part of Reinhard Heydrich. Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich ( 7 March 1904 &ndash 4 June 1942) was an SS - Obergruppenführer, chief

Branagh has been nominated for four Academy Awards. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. His first two nominations were for Henry V (one each for directing and acting), then one for the 1992 film short subject Swan Song, and again for his work on the screenplay of Hamlet in 1996. Short subject is a format description originally coined in the North American Film industry in the early period of cinema. The year 1996 in film involved some significant events Major releases this year included Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient Included amongst his many other accolades is a nomination for “worst” supporting actor Razzie in 1999 for his performance in the film Wild Wild West. The 20th Golden Raspberry Awards were held on March 25, 2000 at the Sheraton Hotel in Santa Monica California to recognize the worst the Film industry Wild Wild West ( 1999) is a Science fiction action-comedy film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, starring Will Smith, Branagh has co-starred several times with actress Emma Thompson, to whom he was married from 1989 to 1995. Emma Thompson (born April 15 1959 is an Academy Award - Emmy Award - BAFTA Award - and Golden Globe -winning Anglo-Scottish Actress They appeared together in Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, Dead Again, and Peter's Friends. Dead Again is a 1991 Psychological thriller / Neo-noir directed by Kenneth Branagh, starring Branagh and his then-wife Peter's Friends ( 1992) is a British Comedy -drama Film written by Rita Rudner and her husband Martin Bergman,

In 1990, at age 30, Branagh authored an autobiography, which he entitled Beginning,^[15] and has narrated several audio books such as The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis. The Magician's Nephew is a fantasy novel for children written by C Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963 ^[16]

In 1994, Branagh declined an appointment as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. Branagh was the youngest actor to receive the Golden Quill (also known as the Gielgud Award) in 2000. Sir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH ( 14 April, 1904 – 21 May 2000) known as Sir John Gielgud, was an

Branagh at far right, with the rest of the cast of Valkyrie

Branagh began his directing career with Henry V at the age of 29, and from 1989 to 1996 appeared mostly in films he also directed. The commercial failure of Love's Labours Lost in 2000 temporarily ended Branagh's career behind the camera, but he has recently begun directing features again, most recently the thriller Sleuth. Sleuth is a 2007 film directed by Kenneth Branagh based on Harold Pinter 's screenplay adaptation of the Tony Award -winning play

Branagh has begun filming three films based on Henning Mankell's best-selling Wallander crime novels for the BBC. Henning Mankell (born 3 February 1948) is an internationally known Swedish Crime writer, children's author and Playwright Branagh will also serve as the executive producer of Wallander. Wallander is a British television series adapted from Henning Mankell 's Inspector Wallander novels The three 90-minute crime dramas are to be filmed this summer on location in Ystad in southern Sweden, home of fictional detective Kurt Wallander. Ystad is a city with a population of 17286 (2005 in the traditional province of Scania in Kurt Wallander is a fictional Swedish Police inspector created by author Henning Mankell. Mankell's series of books on the life of the enigmatic police inspector have achieved great international success, selling 25 million copies worldwide. ^[17]

Filmography

Actor

Discography and audiobooks

• Shakespeare's Richard III (complete) for Naxos Audiobooks
• In the Ravine & Other Short Stories by Anton Chekhov (unabridged) for Naxos Audiobooks
• Mendelssohn's incidental music for A Midsummer Night's Dream (recitant) live recording for Sony Classical, conducted by Claudio Abbado
• The Diary of Samuel Pepys 1660-1669 (abridged) for Hodder Headline Audio Classics
• The Magician's Nephew by C. How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog is a 2000 American Dramedy Film written and directed by Michael Kalesniko and produced Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a 2002 Fantasy Adventure Film, and the second film in the popular ''Harry Potter'' The following Fictional characters are staff members and denizens of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter books written by J Shackleton is a 2002 British Television film broadcast in two parts by Channel 4. Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton, CVO, OBE, (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922 was an Anglo-Irish explorer who was one of the principal figures of the period Warm Springs is a 2005 Television movie about American President Franklin D Valkyrie is a 2008 historical thriller film directed by Bryan Singer and starring Tom Cruise. Henning von Tresckow Henning Hermann Robert Karl von Tresckow ( January 10 1901 &ndash July 21 1944) was a Major General in the The Boat That Rocked is an upcoming ensemble period Comedy film, scheduled for release in 2009. Henry V is a 1989 film directed by Kenneth Branagh, and based upon the Shakespeare play about the famous English King Dead Again is a 1991 Psychological thriller / Neo-noir directed by Kenneth Branagh, starring Branagh and his then-wife The phrase " swan song " is a reference to an ancient belief that the Mute Swan ( Cygnus olor) is completely mute during its lifetime until the moment just Sir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH ( 14 April, 1904 – 21 May 2000) known as Sir John Gielgud, was an Peter's Friends ( 1992) is a British Comedy -drama Film written by Rita Rudner and her husband Martin Bergman, Much Ado About Nothing is a 1993 film based on William Shakespeare's play. Frankenstein (also known by its promotional title Mary Shelley's Frankenstein) is a 1994 Film directed by Kenneth Branagh A Midwinter's Tale (also known as In the Bleak Midwinter) is a 1995 Romantic comedy written and directed by Kenneth Branagh. Hamlet is a 1996 film version of William Shakespeare 's classic play of the same name, adapted and directed by Kenneth Branagh Love's Labour's Lost is a 2000 adaptation of the comic play of the same name by William Shakespeare, directed by and starring The Magic Flute is an English adaptation of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 's singspiel " Die Zauberflöte " directed by Kenneth Branagh. The Magic Flute (German Die Zauberflöte, K 620 is an Opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart As You Like It is a film released in 2006, directed by Kenneth Branagh. Sleuth is a 2007 film directed by Kenneth Branagh based on Harold Pinter 's screenplay adaptation of the Tony Award -winning play Cinema Europe The Other Hollywood was a 1996 documentary produced by David Gill and Silent film historian Kevin Brownlow. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the Walking with Dinosaurs was a six-part Television series produced by the BBC, narrated by Kenneth Branagh, and first aired in the UK Walking with Dinosaurs was a six-part Television series produced by the BBC, narrated by Kenneth Branagh, and first aired in the UK Walking with Beasts is a 2001 six-part Television documentary produced by the BBC in the United Kingdom, narrated by Kenneth Walking with Dinosaurs was a six-part Television series produced by the BBC, narrated by Kenneth Branagh, and first aired in the UK Walking with Beasts is a 2001 six-part Television documentary produced by the BBC in the United Kingdom, narrated by Kenneth Walking with Monsters (also distributed as Before the Dinosaurs Walking With Monsters or Walking with Monsters Life before Dinosaurs) is a three-part Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591 Anton Pavlovich Chekhov ( –) (Анто́н Па́влович Че́хов) was a Russian short-story writer and Playwright, considered to be one A Midsummer Night's Dream is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, suggested by " The Knight's Tale " from Sony BMG Masterworks is a Record label. It is the result of a "restructuring" of Sony BMG Music Entertainment 's classical music division WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Claudio Abbado, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI (born June Samuel Pepys, FRS (23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703 was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament, who is now most famous for The Magician's Nephew is a fantasy novel for children written by C S Lewis for Harper Books

Further reading

• Mark White: Kenneth Branagh faber and faber 2005 ISBN 0-571-22068-1
• Theatre Record and its annual Indexes

References

External links

• Kenneth Branagh at the Internet Movie Database
• Biography
• The Kenneth Branagh Compendium
• Kenneth Branagh interview from Premiere (1996)
• Information regarding Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet