Ben Kingsley Net Worth

Ben Kingsley's Quotes

• In an ideal way, in an ideal world, myself and the director are one. And as you rightly say, in an ideal world, you can't see the horizon between sky and sea. I felt that the times with Spielberg [Steven Spielberg] on Schindler's List (1993), we were moving as one creature.
• [on winning the Oscar for Best Actor in Gandhi (1982)] If I knew I was going to win, I would not have gone dressed as a waiter.
• As an actor, there's no autonomy, unless you're prepared to risk the possibility of starving.
• Hopefully, as I get older in the business, I make my choices more accurately, and I perhaps know from either the script or the first meeting that it isn't going to work.
• All the great writers root their characters in true human behavior.

Interesting Facts about Ben Kingsley

1. Attended and graduated from Manchester Grammar School in Manchester, England.
2. He was awarded Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire in the 2002 Queen's New Year's Honours List for his services to drama.
3. Derived his stage name from his grandfather's nickname "Clove King". His grandfather was a spice trader in Zanzibar.
4. Kingsley's father, Rahimtulla Harji Bhanji, was a Kenyan-born physician of Gujrati Indian descent. Kingsley's mother, Anna Lyna Mary (Goodman) Bhanji, was an English fashion model and actress; she appeared in films in the 1920s and 1930s. Kingsley's maternal grandfather was believed by the family to have been of Russian Jewish or German Jewish descent, while Kingsley's maternal grandmother was of English background, and worked in the garment district of East London. His mother was born outside of marriage, and was raised by her own mother.
5. His paternal family was from the Indian state of Gujarat, the same state Mohandas K. Gandhi was from.
6. Has four children: Jasmin Bhanji and Thomas Alexis Bhanji, with Angela Morant; and Edmund Kingsley and Ferdinand Kingsley, with Alison Sutcliffe.
7. Made his London stage debut in 1966 as the narrator of "A Smashing Day" produced by The Beatles manager, Brian Epstein. He wrote the music for the production as well as sang and played guitar for same. After one performance, John Lennon and Ringo Starr came backstage and told him that he should go into music and that if he didn't, "he would regret it for the rest of his life." He was subsequently offered a deal by the same publishers who handled The Beatles, but he chose to remain an actor. The next year, he was invited to join the Royal Shakespeare Company and his choice was made.
8. Was listed as a potential nominee on both the 2005 and 2006 Razzie Award nominating ballots. He was suggested in the Worst Supporting Actor category on the 2005 ballot for his role in the film Thunderbirds (2004). And he was suggested again the next year in the Worst Supporting Actor category of the 2006 Razzie nominating ballot for his performance in the film A Sound of Thunder (2005). He failed to receive either nomination. The very next year (2007) though, he got a Worst Supporting Actor Razzie Nomination for his performance in the film BloodRayne (2005).
9. Head of the 'Official Competition' jury at the 48th Berlin International Film Festival in 1998.
10. Was originally cast as Ephraim in Munich (2005), but later had to withdraw from the project due to scheduling conflicts. The role went to Geoffrey Rush.
11. His performance as Don Logan in Sexy Beast (2000) is ranked #97 on Premiere magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).
12. Has three films on the American Film Institute's 100 Most Inspiring Movies of All Time: Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993) at #96, Gandhi (1982) at #29, and Schindler's List (1993) at #3.
13. At the age of ten, he went busking outside a cinema with his friend Shirley Edwards in Llanelli, South Wales.
14. On September 3, 2007, he married his fourth wife Daniela Lavender at Eynsham Hall in North Leigh, Oxfordshire.
15. Is one of eight actors of Asian descent nominated for an Academy Award in an acting category. The others are Miyoshi Umeki, Sessue Hayakawa, Mako, Haing S. Ngor, Pat Morita, Ken Watanabe and Rinko Kikuchi.
16. The initials of his professional name are a reversal of the initials of his birth name.
17. He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6931 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on May 27, 2010. Offering their support at the event were his son Edmund Kingsley, wife Daniela Lavender, friends Bruce Willis and Jerry Bruckheimer.
18. Was awarded the Grammy Award for "Best Spoken Word or Non-Musical Recording" for "The Words of Gandhi" (1984).
19. Received an honorary degree (Doctor of Letters) from the University of Hull, Scarborough Campus, degree ceremony on July 18, 2008.
20. As of 2014, has appeared in four films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Gandhi (1982), Bugsy (1991), Schindler's List (1993) and Hugo (2011). Of those, Gandhi (1982) and Schindler's List (1993) won in the category.