Kenneth Cranham

Born: 1944-12-12 in Dunfermline - Scotland - UK

Known For: Acting

Biography

Scottish born actor Kenneth Cranham is one of the most recognisable character actors in Britain. Having trained at the National Youth Theatre and RADA, Cranham first came to prominence as Noah Claypole in the 1968 Carol Reed musical Oliver! In the late '70s, Cranham memorably played Sapper Salt in Euston Films' Danger UXB, before taking the title role in the popular postwar set period comedy drama Shine on Harvey Moon. His most famous film role from around this time was Dr. Philip Channard in Hellraiser II. In more recent years he has starred in the HBO series Rome, as well as the films Hot Fuzz, Layer Cake, Valkyrie, Made in Dagenham, Maleficent and Film Stars Don't Die In Liverpool. 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 Laurence Olivier Award. In 2016, Cranham won the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Play for his role as Andre in Florian Zeller's The Father. The play originated at the Theatre Royal Bath's Ustinov Studio in the Autumn of 2014, before touring the country and transferring to the West End in the Summer of 2015, and returning to the Duke of York's Theatre in Spring 2016. The play received an unprecedented five star review from every leading national press publication, and Cranham's performance was described as "the performance of his life" His first wife was actress Diana Quick. He has two daughters: Nancy Cranham with actress Charlotte Cornwell, and Kathleen Cranham with his second wife, actress Fiona Victory, whom he met on the set of Shine on Harvey Moon.

Filmography

2021

Finding Alice as Gerry

2020

Trying as Barry

2019

The Spanish Princess as John Morton
Official Secrets as Judge Hyam
Born a King as Lord Curzon
Mr. Jones as Lloyd George
Hatton Garden as Brian Reader

2014

Maleficent as King Henry
Inside No. 9 as Rupert
The Legend of Hercules as Lucius
37 Days as John Burns

2013

In the Flesh as Vicar Oddie
Closed Circuit as Cameron Fischer
Flying Blind as Victor

2012

Panto! as Jerry
Suspension of Disbelief as Bullock

2011

Death in Paradise as Father John
5 Days of War as Michael Stilton
National Theatre Live: The Cherry Orchard as Firs
The Night Watch as Horace Mundy
Graffiti Wars as Narrator (Voice)

2010

Made in Dagenham as Monty Taylor
Harold Pinter: A Celebration as Self

2009

Moving On as Mike
The Addictions of Sin: WH Auden in His Own Words as W H Auden
Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen as MJ O'Loughlin

2008

Merlin as Aulfric
Valkyrie as Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel
Tess of the D'Urbervilles as Mr Clare

2007

Hot Fuzz as James Reaper
Sinking of the Lusitania: Terror at Sea as Captain Turner
Heroes & Villains: Napoleon as General Carteaux
Heroes and Villains
Lilies
The Man from Montevideo as Gary Solway

2006

A Good Year as Sir Nigel
Hannibal: Rome's Worst Nightmare as Narrator
The Line of Beauty as Sir Maurice Tipper
The Lavender List as Harold Wilson

2005

Rome as Gnaeus Pompey Magnus

2004

Agatha Christie's Marple as Rex Fortescue
New Tricks
Hustle as Francis Owen
Trauma as DC Jackson
Layer Cake as Jimmy Price
The Genius of Mozart as Leopold Mozart
Man Dancin' as D.I. Walter 'Pancho' Villers
Hannibal: The Man Who Hated Rome as Narrator

2003

Sparkling Cyanide as George Barton
Blackball as Chairman Collins
Murder Investigation Team as Ray Morgan
Killing Hitler as Brigadier Sir Stewart Menzies
Pollyanna as Mr. Pendleton

2002

Night Flight as Ted Atwell
Two Men Went To War as Sgt. Peter King
Believe Nothing as DI Aldiss
Dickens as John Forster
The Voynich Mystery as Narrator

2001

Women Talking Dirty as George

2000

Born Romantic as Barney
Kevin & Perry Go Large as Vicar
Shiner as Gibson
Gangster No. 1 as Tommy
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Espionage Escapades as Colonel Schmidt
Without Motive as DCS Derek Henderson
Sins as Gilbert
The Most Fertile Man in Ireland as Da
Lady Audley's Secret as Sir Michael Audley

1999

The Murder of Stephen Lawrence as Michael Mansfield QC
The Last Yellow as Len

1998

RPM as Biggerman
Vigo as The Producer
Our Mutual Friend as Silas Wegg

1997

Midsomer Murders as Jude Langham
Midnight Man as Brigadier Charles Ferguson
The Boxer as Matt MaGuire

1996

Dalziel & Pascoe as Tommy Collingwood
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall as Reverend Michael Millward
On Dangerous Ground as Brigadier Charles Ferguson
Bed of Roses as Simon
Deep in the Heart as Robert Flaherty

1995

Kavanagh Q.C. as Roy Lawrence

1994

Requiem Apache as Tony

1993

Royal Celebration as Douglas
The Vision Thing as Dick Naughton
Tale of a Vampire as Edgar

1992

Heartbeat as Charlie Wallace
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles as Colonel Schmidt
Between the Lines
Monkey Boy as Hennessey
A Little Bit of Lippy as Reggie Titherington

1991

Under Suspicion as Frank Vance
Murder Most Horrid as Inspector Salford
Prospero's Books as Sebastian
Chimera as Hennessey

1990

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit as Pastor Finch

1989

Just Another Secret as Brosch
A Master of the Marionettes as Teddy
Rules of Engagement as Martin Goodman

1988

Hellbound: Hellraiser II as Dr. Philip Channard / Channard Cenobite
The Play on One as Joe Shawcross
The Black and Blue Lamp as Supt. Cherry
The Party as Joe Shawcross
Chocolat as Jonathan Boothby
Stealing Heaven as Vice Chancellor Suger
Normal Service as Peter

1987

Inspector Morse as Cedric Downes
Making Waves as Joe Nash
The Birthday Party as Stanley Webber

1986

Casualty as James Lawrence
Lovejoy as Litvak
Dead Man's Folly as Insp. Bland
A Sort of Innocence

1985

Lady Windermere's Fan as Lord Darlington
Theatre Night as Stanley
The Dumb Waiter as Gus

1983

Natural World
Reilly: Ace of Spies as Lenin

1982

Shine on Harvey Moon as Harvey Moon
The Bell as Nick Fawley

1981

Brideshead Revisited as Sergeant Block
The Sin Bin as Alan Grieves
The Caretaker as Aston

1980

Donkeys' Years as Bill Taylor
The Merchant of Venice as Gratiano
Therese Raquin as Camille Raquin
'Tis Pity She's a Whore as Giovanni

1979

Minder as Walter
Danger UXB as Sapper Salt

1978

Enemy at the Door as Jack Foster
Butterflies Don't Count as Tom

1977

Joseph Andrews as The Wicked Squire

1976

Robin and Marian as Jack's Apprentice

1974

Vampira as Paddy
The Changeling as Antonio

1973

Achilles Heel as Gordon

1972

Crown Court as John Tucker
Van der Valk as Dirk Boutsen
Brother Sun, Sister Moon as Paolo

1971

Budgie as Inky Ballantine
Up Pompeii as Christian

1970

Play for Today as Alan Grieves
All the Way Up as Tom Midway
Fragment of Fear as Joe
From a Bird's Eye View as Tim O'Donovan

1969

Otley as Kid
Sling Your Hook as Roland

1968

Oliver! as Noah Claypole

1967

Death of a Private as Young intellectual

1965

BBC Play of the Month as Antonio

1960

Coronation Street as Roy