Who is Sir Ben Kingsley

GANDHI

Sir Ben Kingsley's portrayal of Mohandis Gandhi not only propelled his career into unimaginable heights, but the performance mesmerized audiences worldwide, which was quite a feat considering the fact that the film ran four hours with an intermission.
But the part he played did much more. Moviegoers were educated about the man who fought for and won India's independence from British rule by using peaceful resistance. Kingsley educated us about a great and noble man whose role models included Jesus Christ.

DON LOGAN

Ben Kingsley portrayed Don Logan, in The Sexy Beast and this is the role that proved to the world that Kingsley was not a one dimensional actor. His portrayal of Logan would make anyone (except maybe Satan)be ashamed of what they were awestruck by.
Some folks see Don Logan as Kingsley's 'anti-Gandhi'. Watching the slick crime drama, one cannot help but stare as Sir Ben throws his villainous weight around like an experienced construction worker wields a jackhammer. So impressive was Sir Ben in this role, that he earned a nomination for a 'Best Supporting Actor' Academy Award.

MASSOUD AMIR BEHRANI

In the movie The House Of Sand And Fog, Ben Kingsley plays the role of an exiled high ranking Iranian official living in an apartment in Northern California with his wife and son. Kingsley portrays Behrani, a man working menial jobs to save for the American Dream and restore his family's social status. Kingsley's acting in this movie was nothing less than spectacular as what could be seen as the hero in a classic Greek Tragedy. In one of the many heart wrenching scenes, Sir Ben proves his professionalism as this exhausting scene is said to have been filmed in one take.

Sir Ben Kingsley came into this world on the last day of 1943. He was born near Scarborough, Yorkshire, England with the name Krishna Bhanji. Krishna has the hindu meaning of black. Kingsley's mother was Annalyna Mary, an actress/model who was born out of wedlock and did not talk of her family, while Sir Ben's father was a Kenyan Doctor of Indian heritage.

When Krishna was a teenager, he was treated to a performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company where he was spellbound by Ian Holmes in Richard III. He, young Krishna had decided then and there that he would pursue the stage. When his father got wind of this, he told Krishna that he needed to adopt an English name, at which point Krishna took the name of Ben; his father's nickname in college.

Sir Ben was accepted into the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1967 and was quickly recognized by his peers as an astounding talent.

While continuing as a stage actor, Kingsley began to pursue a career in film. His first major film role came in 1982 was the one that defines him to this day in the eyes of many film critics and fans. Sir Ben went through arduous preparation for the role of Mohandis Gandhi, losing a massive amount of weight and reading 23 volumes of Gandhi's works. Ben's immediate reward for this effort was an Academy Award for Best Male Lead Actor.

After receiving the Oscar for his portrayal of Mohandis Gandhi, Kingsley went on to play a variety of roles, and nominations for more awards were never far from his reach. Some of the characters that Sir Ben has been cast for since 1982 include, Silas Marner(Silas Marner), Meyer Lansky(Bugsy), Itzhak Stern(Schindler's List), Moses(Moses).

In 2001, Kingsley received an Academy nomination for best supporting actor for his role as Don Logan in the movie Sexy Beast. This profane, vulgar, egomaniac of a villain amongst thieves was perhaps a shock to most who saw Sir Ben as man whose talents were restricted to more noble parts. Perhaps what threw everyone a curve was how mesmerized they were by Sir Ben's acting. Definitely not liking Don Logan, but not being able to look away; Kingsley once again had us in his capable hands. Through his performance in Sexy Beast, the world could now see what wide range of acting skills he had and continues to demonstrate.

In 2009, Whispers Like Thunder will be released. This film based on a true story has Sir Ben cast as America's first and only Native American Vice President. Once again, Kingsley will demonstrate his ability in range.

I remember going to the theater to see Gandhi, not because I knew who Ben Kingsley was, but because my father had taught me about Gandhi and a whole host of other great men in history. But, if it hadn't been for Kingsley's stellar performance, I doubt if I would have sat for the nearly 4 hours it took to tell the story. To this day I can only name two other long movies about great men that I would sit through; Lawerence Of Arabia and Patton. Both of these movies featured extraordinary performances by the leads.

Unfortunately, I didn't keep tabs on Kingsley. I caught his role as the not so evil bad guy in Sneakers and as Dr. Watson in the spoof Without A Clue. It wasn't until Sexy Beast did I sit up and take notice. Sir Ben was nothing short of riveting (even though I was waiting for his character's demise so I could cheer). Since seeing his portrayal of Don Logan, I have been trying to see all of Sir Ben's movies. I have not been displeased. As a matter of fact, I think he is one of the top three male actors alive. He had me screaming,'Noooooooooo!', at the end of The House Of Sand And Fog, and laughing my arse off in the romantic comedy, You Kill Me.

Just an aside; I openly avow that I hate 'chick flicks', but a strange thing....in the list of my top 10 favorite films you'll find what I think are 'chick flicks'. Casablanca, Hero(Jet Li),An Affair To Remember, and You Kill Me.