Kenneth Branagh

Biography

Kenneth Charles Branagh was born on December 10, 1960, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, to parents William Branagh, a plumber and carpenter, and Frances (Harper), both born in 1930. He has two siblings, William Branagh, Jr. (born 1955) and 'Joyce Branagh' (qv) (born 1970). When he was nine, his family escaped The Troubles by moving to Reading, Berkshire, England. At 23, Branagh joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he took on starring roles in "Henry V" and "Romeo and Juliet". He soon found the RSC too large and impersonal and formed his own, the Renaissance Theatre Company, which now counts Prince Charles as one of its royal patrons. At 29, he directed _Henry V (1989)_ (qv), where he also co-starred with his then-wife, 'Emma Thompson (I)' (qv). The film brought him Best Actor and Best Director Oscar nominations. In 1993, he brought Shakespeare to mainstream audiences again with his hit adaptation of _Much Ado About Nothing (1993)_ (qv), which featured an all-star cast that included 'Denzel Washington' (qv) and 'Keanu Reeves' (qv). At 30, he published his autobiography and, at 34, he directed and starred as "Victor Frankenstein" in the big-budget adaptation of 'Mary Shelley (I)' (qv)'s novel, _Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994)_ (qv), with 'Robert De Niro' (qv) as the monster himself. In 1996, Branagh wrote, directed and starred in a lavish adaptation of _Hamlet (1996)_ (qv). His superb film acting work also includes a wide range of roles such as in _Celebrity (1998)_ (qv), _Wild Wild West (1999)_ (qv), _The Road to El Dorado (2000)_ (qv), _Valkyrie (2008)_ (qv) and his stunning portrayal of 'Laurence Olivier' (qv) in _My Week with Marilyn (2011)_ (qv), where once again he offered a great performance that was also nominated for an Academy Award.