Branagh << BRAN aw >>, Kenneth (1960-…), is a Northern Ireland actor, director, and screenwriter. As an actor, he has excelled in both classical and modern roles. His broad range has made him a popular leading man on the stage and screen. He has appeared in dozens of motion pictures and television programs. Branagh has won many awards, including an Academy Award, for his work.
Kenneth Charles Branagh was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Dec. 10, 1960. He and his family moved to England when he was 9 years old. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1984. In 1987, he cofounded and became co-director of the Renaissance Theatre Company, which disbanded in 1992.
Branagh made his motion-picture debut in an uncredited role in Chariots of Fire (1981). Several years later, he appeared in High Season and A Month in the Country (both 1987). Branagh’s other acting credits include the movies Dead Again (1991); Peter’s Friends and Swing Kids (both 1992); Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994); The Gingerbread Man and Celebrity (both 1998); Wild Wild West (1999); Conspiracy (2001), for which he won an Emmy Award; Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002); Pirate Radio (2009); My Week with Marilyn (2011); Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014); and Murder on the Orient Express (2017). He directed a number of these films.
Branagh also starred in and directed highly praised film adaptations of several plays by William Shakespeare. Such films include Henry V (1989), Much Ado About Nothing (1993), and Hamlet (1996). In addition, Branagh played the title role in the British TV series “Wallander” (2008-2016).
Other films directed by Branagh include In the Bleak Midwinter (also called A Midwinter’s Tale; 1995), As You Like It (2006), Sleuth (2007), Thor (2011), Cinderella (2015), and Belfast (2021). Branagh won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for writing the Belfast screenplay.
Branagh was married to the English actress Emma Thompson from 1989 to 1998. He is the author of the autobiography Beginning (1989). Branagh was knighted in 2012.
