Krishna Pandit Bhanji

nickname

Ben Kingsley, Sir Ben Kingsley

Sun sign

Capricorn

Place of birth

Snainton, North Yorkshire Riding, England

Residence

Spelsbury, Oxfordshire, UK

nationality

training

Sir Ben Kingsley went to Manchester Grammar School . Coincidentally, the actor had Robert Powell as a classmate at this school.

After completing school, Sir Ben Kingsley went on to study at the University of Salford and Pendleton College . Pendleton College later housed the Ben Kingsley Theatre.

occupation

actor

family

• Father – Rahimtulla Harji Bhanji (Doctor)
• Mother – Anna Lyna Mary (née Goodman) (actress and model)
• Siblings – Older brother (doctor), two younger sisters

Manager

Sir Ben Kingsley is affiliated with Independent Talent Group Ltd. (Talent Agency), London, United Kingdom.

Build

Average

Height

5 feet 8 inches or 173 cm

weight

163 lbs or 74 kg

girlfriend/spouse

Sir Ben Kingsley has been romantically linked to –

1. Angela Morant (1965-1972) – British actress Angela Morant and Sir Kingsley began dating in 1965 and married in 1966. They have two children together, Jasmine Bhanji and Thomas Alexis Bhanji. The couple separated and divorced in 1972.
2. Alison Sutcliffe (1977-1992) – British theater director, Alison Sutcliffe and Sir Ben Kingsley met in 1977 and began dating shortly thereafter. They married on July 1, 1978. The couple also have two children, Edmund Kingsley (b. 1982) and Ferdinand Kingsley (b. 1988). This marriage also ended in February 1992.
3. Alexandra Christmann (2002-2005) – Sir Kingsley started datingGerman-born Alexandra Christmann was born in 2002 and married on October 3, 2003. The actor was “deeply shocked” after photos of their kiss surfaced on the internet. A quick divorce followed on February 8, 2005.
4. Daniela Lavender (2005-Present) – Brazilian actress and Britain’s Shakespeare Company member Daniela Lavender began dating Sir Ben Kingsley in 2005. They were married on September 3, 2007 at Eynsham Hall in North Leigh, Oxfordshire.

race/ethnicity

multiracial

Ben Kingsley’s father is Indian Gujarati of Ismaili Muslim Khoja descent. His mother was a British woman of Russian and German-Jewish descent from her father’s side.

hair colour

Bald

eye color

dark brown

sexual orientation

Just

distinguishing features

• shaved head
• Animated voice quality
• Ability to portray different characters

shoe size

Sir Ben Kingsley’s exact shoe size is not known. However, it is speculated that he wears a size 9 (US) shoe.

brand promotion

Sir Ben Kingsley was introduced in –

• Sky Movies TV commercial for BSkyB Satellite Television in 2004.
• “British Villains” starring Tom Hiddleston and Mark Strong for Jaguar ‘s TV commercial .
• A 2012 Prada promotional film starring Helena Bonham Carter.

Religion

Sir Ben Kingsley has Jewish and Muslim Christian roots. However, he states that he is not Jewish, although there is a connection through his mother’s side. His own religious beliefs are not known.

Known for

Sir Ben Kingsley is most famous for his role as Mohandas Gandhi in the film Gandhi (1982).

He was also known for his roles in Schindler’s List (1993), Sexy Beast (2000), Lucky Number Slevin (2006), Shutter Island (2010), Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010), Hugo (2011) and Iron Man 3 (2013).

first movie

Sir Ben Kingsley first appeared as a royale in the 1972 film Fear is the Key .

He also appeared in a made-for-TV film called 1973 Unhappiness .

First TV show

Sir Ben Kingsley first appeared as Roy in the ITV sitcom Pardon the Expression one-episode ‘The Switched On Scene.’

First stage show

In 1967 Sir Ben Kingsley starred in William Shakespeare’s play As You Like It produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company at London’s West End theatre, the Aldwych Theatre.

Personal trainer

Sir Ben Kingsley does not have a personal trainer. He maintains his figure and body weight through healthy eating. He is not known to be doing any specific fitness training.

Kingsley reportedly lost 20 pounds while filming the 1982 film Gandhi. It is reported that he followed a strict vegetarian diet that Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi followed in real life.

Ben Kingsley favorite things

• Person – His wife Daniela
• Place – Oxfordshire (home)
• Odor – sandalwood
• pet – cat
• Writer – Elie Wiesel
• Restaurant – Douyria in Ouarzazate, Morocco
• Food – Lamb Tagine in Tagine Pot, Guerrouane (Moroccan Rose)

Ben Kingsley Facts

1. Sir Ben Kingsley has been in the industry for over 40 years. He has won an Oscar, two Golden Globe Awards, two BAFTA, a Grammy and a Screen Actors Guild Award for his acting skills.
2. Sir Ben Kingsley belongs to an Indian Gujarati family on his father’s side. His grandfather was an extremely successful spice trader who settled in Zanzibar.
3. He changed his real name in fear that the name might put hurdles in the way of his career. So he took his stage name from his father’s nickname “Benji” and his paternal grandfather’s nickname “King Clove”.
4. Sir Ben Kingsley was knighted on December 31, 2001 (at the age of 58 ^th birthday). He was honored with the Order of the British Empire in 2002 Queen’s New Year Honours.
5. He won a Grammy Award for Best Oral or Nonmusical Recording in 1984 for The Words of Gandhi.
6. Sir Kingsley received the prestigious Indian civil honor Padma Shri in 1984.
7. Sir Kingsley was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in May 2010 .
8. In April 2013 he received the Fellowship Award at The Asian Awards in London .
9. He was appointed chairman of the jury at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1998.
10. In 2006, his performance as Don Logan in ‘Sexy Beast’ (2000) was included in Premiere magazine ‘s list of 100 Greatest Performances of All Time .
11. Sir Ben Kingsley was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters at the University of Hull, Scarborough Campus on 18 July 2008.