Kenneth Cranham | |
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![]() Cranham in Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972) | |
Born | Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland | 12 December 1944
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1963–present |
Spouse(s) | Fiona Victory |
Partner | Charlotte Cornwell |
Children | 2 |
Kenneth Cranham CBE (born 12 December 1944) is a Scottish film, television, radio and stage actor. His most notable screen roles were in Oliver! (1968), Up Pompeii (1971), Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988), Chocolat (1988), Layer Cake (2004), Gangster No. 1 (2000), Hot Fuzz (2007), Maleficent (2014), and Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool (2017).
On television he appeared in Budgie (1972), Boon (1989), Minder (1993), Merlin (2008), Rome , Death in Paradise (2013), War & Peace (2016), and The White Princess (2017).
On stage he has twice been nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Play, winning it in 2016, for his performance in The Father .
Cranham was born in Dunfermline, Fife, the son of Lochgelly-born Margaret McKay Cranham (née Ferguson) and Ronald Cranham, a London-born civil servant. [1] [2] Cranham trained at the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain, [3] and at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 1966 with an Acting (RADA Diploma). [4]
He starred in the title role in the popular 1980s comedy drama Shine on Harvey Moon , prior to which he had appeared as Charlie Collins in A Family at War (1971). [5] He also appeared in Oliver! (1968), [5] Up Pompeii (1971), [5] Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972),Danger UXB(1979) Chocolat (1988), [5] Gangster No. 1 (2000), [5] Layer Cake (2004), [5] Hot Fuzz (2007), [5] Maleficent (2014), [5] and Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool (2017). [5] He was cast as the deranged Philip Channard and his Cenobitic alter-ego in the Horror film Hellbound: Hellraiser II . [5]
On television he has appeared in Budgie (1972), [5] Boon (1989), [5] Minder (1993), [5] Rome (2007), [5] Merlin (2008), [5] Death in Paradise (2013), [5] War & Peace (2016), [5] and The White Princess (2017). [5]
Among many stage credits are West End productions of Entertaining Mr Sloane , Loot , An Inspector Calls (both transferring to Broadway), The Ruffian on the Stair , The Birthday Party and Gaslight (at the Old Vic). For his role as Inspector Goole in An Inspector Calls , he was nominated for a Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Play. [6] It took another 23 years before winning the award when in 2016, Cranham won the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Play for his role as Andre in Florian Zeller's The Father . [7] Cranham's performance was described as "the performance of his life" by Michael Coveney of WhatsOnStage.com. [8]
For BBC Radio 4's Afternoon Play , Cranham has played DS Max Matthews in The Interrogation by Roy Williams (2012–present) and starred as Thomas Gradgrind in BBC Radio's 2007 adaptation of Dickens' Hard Times .
His first wife was actress Diana Quick. He has two daughters: Nancy Cranham from a relationship with actress Charlotte Cornwell, and Kathleen Cranham with his second wife, to whom he is still married, actress Fiona Victory. [1]
Cranham was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2023 Birthday Honours for services to drama. [9]
He has also performed a number of readings for BBC Radio.
Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1993 | 1993 Laurence Olivier Awards | Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor | An Inspector Calls | Nominated | [6] |
2015 | Critics’ Circle Theatre Award | Best Actor | The Father | Won | [12] |
2016 | 2016 Laurence Olivier Awards | Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor | Won | [7] [13] | |
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