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Kenneth Branagh

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Biography

Perhaps the best-known Shakespeare interpreter of the late 20th century, Kenneth Branagh began his career in a golden haze of critical exultation. First a star pupil at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, one of Britain's most prestigious drama schools, then a promising newcomer on the London stage, then hailed as "the next Olivier" for his 1989 screen adaptation of Henry V, Branagh could for a long time do no wrong. Unfortunately, a string of bad luck, catalyzed by his disastrous Mary Shelley's Frankenstein in 1994, began to tarnish the halo that had hovered above the actor/director's head. However, his lavish, four-hour adaptation of Hamlet in 1996 did much to further his status as a man who knew his Bard, helping to alleviate some of the disappointments that both preceded and came after it.

Although his accent suggests otherwise, Branagh originally hails from Northern Ireland, not England. Born in Belfast on December 10, 1960, to a working-class family, he was raised in the strife-ridden section of Northern Ireland until he was nine. Leaving Belfast to escape the Troubles, his family relocated to Reading, England, where Branagh spent the remainder of his childhood and adolescence. By turns bookish and athletic -- and assuming an English accent at school while remaining Irish at home -- Branagh became interested in acting at the age of 15, after seeing Derek Jacobi perform Hamlet (Jacobi and Branagh would later collaborate numerous times both in film and on the stage). Immersing himself in all things theatrical, he was accepted at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) in London when he was 18.

For Branagh, RADA formed the beginning of a brilliant career: the young actor drew repeated acclaim, particularly for his titular performance in a production of Hamlet, and won the school's coveted Bancroft Award for his work. On graduation, he went on to further success on the West End stage, where he starred opposite Rupert Everett in a 1982 production of Another Country. For his portrayal of a conflicted schoolboy, the actor won the Society of West End Theatres' Most Promising Newcomer Award. The following year, he further ascended his adopted country's theatrical ranks, securing a coveted membership in the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Branagh continued to enjoy almost consistent critical appreciation during his tenure with the company, garnering particular praise for his lead performance in a production of Henry V. However, he became increasingly unhappy with the RSC's bureaucratic organization and stuffiness, and in 1987 quit the company to form the Renaissance Theatre Company with his friend David Parfitt. The idea for the company came to Branagh while he was making the acclaimed Masterpiece Theatre adaptation of Fortunes of War in 1987. That production was one of many he did for television during his time with the RSC, and it had the additional advantage of introducing him to co-star Emma Thompson, whom he would marry in 1989 and cast in almost all his films until their 1995 divorce.

Although Renaissance struggled at first -- its premiere effort, a production of Public Enemy, met with across-the-board disapproval -- it gained a reputation for quality work, and soon counted such vaunted performers as Judi Dench, Richard Briers, and Derek Jacobi among its ranks. Many of these actors would comprise the cast of Branagh's directorial debut, Henry V. The 1989 film, a sober, mud-saturated affair that served as a stark contrast to Olivier's 1944 version, which was intended to boost England's national pride, brought Branagh international acclaim and recognition. He was soon being hailed by many a publication as "the next Olivier," a title which he repeatedly stated made him uncomfortable. The next Olivier or not, Branagh was nominated for Best Director and Best Actor Academy Awards for his work, and went on to win other honors including British Academy and National Board of Review Best Director awards.

Riding high on this unqualified success, Branagh rather cheekily published his autobiography, Beginning, at the advanced age of 28. Although it was labeled a little premature and more than a little ego-driven, the book further played into Branagh's mystique, which was heightened in 1991 with his Hollywood debut. That year, he directed and starred opposite Thompson in Dead Again, a stylish, Hitchcock-inspired romantic thriller. The film was both a critical and commercial success, and Branagh and Thompson were soon being labeled "the royal couple of British cinema." Branagh's next effort, the 1992 ensemble comedy Peter's Friends, was of comparatively lackluster character. Starring Branagh, Thompson, Rita Rudnick, and comedians Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, it won some positive reviews but was largely regarded as a disappointment. Fortunately for Branagh, he had more luck that year with the Bard, turning out a sun-soaked, giddy adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing which found favor with audiences and critics alike. That same year, he garnered additional acclaim, directing the short film Swan Song and winning an Best Live Action Short Academy Award nomination for his work.

Things began to go bad in 1994 with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, which Branagh both directed and starred in. Winning a dubious honor as one of the year's worst movies, Frankenstein had many doubting the director's hitherto golden touch. An adaptation of Othello the following year, in which Branagh also cast himself as Iago, received a similarly lackluster reception, and the director's other film that year, In the Bleak Midwinter, went largely unseen. Branagh bounced back to a degree the following year with his all-star, uncut adaptation of Hamlet; weighing in at four hours and featuring a peroxided Branagh as the Danish prince, Julie Christie as Gertrude, Kate Winslet as Ophelia, Derek Jacobi as Claudius, and actors like Robin Williams, Charlton Heston, and Jack Lemmon in other roles, it was hardcore Shakespeare for the masses. Although many potential audience members were scared off by the film's length, it won a number of positive reviews, and Branagh garnered a Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award nomination.

Unfortunately, Branagh's subsequent efforts met with either disdain or indifference. Falling into the latter category were The Proposition, The Theory of Flight, and Robert Altman's The Gingerbread Man, which cast him as, respectively, a priest, an eccentric inventor, and a philandering Southern lawyer. Woody Allen's Celebrity settled thornily into the former category, with Branagh earning almost unanimous critical scorn for his portrayal of the film's neurotic, Allen-esque protagonist. Many critics noted that he seemed to be trying to out-Allen Allen, with unfortunate results.

In 1999, Branagh embraced a dastardly, camp sensibility to play the villain of the big-budget Western fantasy Wild Wild West. He did manage to win some of the only positive comments that critics had for the film. Off the screen, he was still keeping busy with Shakespeare, adapting Love's Labour's Lost into a 1930s musical featuring the likes of Alicia Silverstone, Matthew Lillard, and Nathan Lane. ~ Rebecca Flint, All Movie Guide

Filmography

Following the Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) (TV) .... Narrator
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) .... Gilderoy Lockhart
Tramp and the Dictator, The (2002) (voice) .... Himself/Narrator
Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) .... Mr. Neville
Judi Dench: A BAFTA Tribute (2002) (TV) .... Himself
Shackleton (2002) (TV) .... Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton, Expedition Leader
Alien Love Triangle (2001) .... Steven Chesterman
Beasts Within, The (2001) (TV) (voice) .... Narrator (UK version)
... aka Science Special: The Beasts Within (2001) (TV) (UK)
... aka Science of Walking with Beasts: Part Two, The (2001) (TV) (Australia)
Triumph of the Beasts (2001) (TV) (voice) .... Narrator (UK version)
... aka Science Special: Triumph of the Beasts (2001) (TV) (UK)
... aka Science of Walking with Beasts: Part One, The (2001) (TV) (Australia)
"Walking with Beasts" (2001) TV Series .... Narrator (UK version)
... aka "Walking with Prehistoric Beasts" (2001) (USA: US version)
Conspiracy (2001) (TV) .... SS-Obergruppenfuhrer (General) Reinhard Heydrich, Chief of the Reich Main Security Office, Deputy Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia
Ballad of Big Al, The (2001) (TV) (voice) .... Narrator (UK version)
... aka Allosaurus: A 'Walking with Dinosaurs' Special (2001) (TV)
Behind the Scenes: Road to El Dorado (2000) (V)
Richard Briers: A Good Life (2000) (TV) .... Himself
Schneider's 2nd Stage (2000)
William Shakespeare (2000) .... Actor/Director
Big Al Uncovered (2000) (TV) .... Narrator (UK version)
... aka Science of Big Al, The (2000) (TV) (UK)
Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces (2000) (TV) (voice) .... Himself/Narrator
How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog (2000) .... Peter McGowan
Book That Wrote Itself, The (2000) (uncredited) .... Himself
Road to El Dorado, The (2000) (voice) .... Miguel
Love's Labour's Lost (2000) .... Berowne
... aka Peines d'amour perdues (2001) (France)
Periwig-Maker, The (1999) (voice) .... Periwig-Maker
... aka Perückenmacher, Der (1999) (Germany)
Galapagos: The Enchanted Voyage (1999) (voice) .... Narrator
Making of 'Walking with Dinosaurs', The (1999) (TV) (voice) .... Narrator
"Walking with Dinosaurs" (1999) TV Series .... Narrator (UK version)
... aka "Dinosaurier - Im Reich der Giganten" (1999) (Germany)
Wild Wild West (1999) .... Dr. Arliss Loveless
"Cold War" (1998) (mini) TV Series (voice) .... Narrator
Dance of Shiva, The (1998) .... Col. Evans
Universal Horror (1998) (TV) .... Narrator
Theory of Flight, The (1998) .... Richard
Celebrity (1998) .... Lee Simon
Proposition, The (1998) .... Father Michael McKinnon
Gingerbread Man, The (1998) .... Rick Magruder
"Great Composers" (1997) TV Series .... Narrator
100 Years of Horror: The Frankenstein Family (1996) (V) .... Himself
"Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood" (1996) (mini) TV Series (voice) .... Narrator
Making Hamlet (1996) (V) .... Himself
Kennedy Center Honors, The (1996) (TV) .... Himself
Hamlet (1996) .... Hamlet
... aka William Shakespeare's Hamlet (1996)
Looking for Richard (1996) .... Himself
Shadow of a Gunman (1995) (TV) .... Donal Davoren
... aka Performance: Shadow of a Gunman (1995) (TV) (UK: series title)
Othello (1995) .... Iago
Anne Frank Remembered (1995) (TV) (voice) .... Narration
It's Alive: The True Story of Frankenstein (1994) (TV) .... Himself
Frankenstein (1994) .... Victor Frankenstein
... aka Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994)
Much Ado About Nothing (1993) .... Seigneur Benedick
Swing Kids (1993) (uncredited) .... Herr Knoff, Gestapo
Symphony for the Spire (1992) .... Himself (performing excerpts from 'Henry V')
... aka HRH The Prince of Wales' Symphony for the Spire (1992) (UK: complete title)
... aka Spectacle of Music and Theatre in Aid of the Salisbury Cathedral Spire Appeal, A (1992) (UK: subtitle)
Peter's Friends (1992) .... Andrew Benson
Dead Again (1991) .... Roman Strauss/Mike Church
Discovering Hamlet (1990) .... Himself/Hamlet
Look Back in Anger (1989) (TV) .... Jimmy Porter
Henry V (1989) .... Henry V
"Thompson" (1988) TV Series .... Various roles
"Fortunes of War" (1987) (mini) TV Series .... Guy Pringle
Lady's Not for Burning, The (1987) (TV) .... Thomas Mendip
Month in the Country, A (1987) .... James Moon
Strange Interlude (1987) (TV) .... Gordon Evans
High Season (1987) .... Rick
Ghosts (1986) (TV) .... Oswald
Coming Through (1985) .... D.H. Lawrence
Coming to Terms for Billy, A (1984) (TV) .... Billy Martin
"Boy in the Bush" (1984) (mini) TV Series .... Jack Grant
To the Lighthouse (1983) (TV) .... Charles Tansley
Easter 2016 (1982) (TV)
... aka Play for Tomorrow: Easter 2016 (1982) (TV) (UK: series title)
Too Late to Talk to Billy (1982) (TV) .... Billy
... aka Play for Today: Too Late to Talk to Billy (1982) (TV) (UK: series title)
"Maybury" (1981) (mini) TV Series .... Robert Clyde Moffat

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