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
- Mr. Jones as Lloyd George
- Hatton Garden as Brian Reader
- Born a King as Lord Curzon
2018
- Egon Schiele: Dangerous Desires as Leopold Czihaczek
2017
- Strike as Dennis Creed
- The White Princess as John Morton
- Bancroft as Charlie Haverstock
- Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool as Joe Turner
- Joe Orton Laid Bare as Himself
- Dark Ditties Presents: The Offer as The Host
2016
- War and Peace as Uncle Mikhail
- Neil Gaiman's Likely Stories
2014
- Inside No. 9 as Rupert
- Maleficent as King Henry
- 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
- Suspension of Disbelief as Bullock
- Panto! as Jerry
2011
- Death in Paradise as Father John
- 5 Days of War as Michael Stilton
- The Night Watch as Horace Mundy
- National Theatre Live: The Cherry Orchard as Firs
- 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
- Heroes and Villains
- Lilies
- Sinking of the Lusitania: Terror at Sea as Captain Turner
- Heroes & Villains: Napoleon as General Carteaux
- The Man from Montevideo as Gary Solway
2006
- A Good Year as Sir Nigel
- The Line of Beauty as Sir Maurice Tipper
- Hannibal: Rome's Worst Nightmare as Narrator
- The Chatterley Affair as Older Keith
- The Lavender List as Harold Wilson
2005
- Rome as Gnaeus Pompey Magnus
- Mangal Pandey - The Rising as Mr. Kent
2004
- Agatha Christie's Marple as Rex Fortescue
- Hustle as Francis Owen
- New Tricks
- Layer Cake as Jimmy Price
- Trauma as DC Jackson
- Man Dancin' as D.I. Walter 'Pancho' Villers
- The Genius of Mozart as Leopold Mozart
- Hannibal: The Man Who Hated Rome as Narrator
2003
- Murder Investigation Team as Ray Morgan
- Blackball as Chairman Collins
- Pollyanna as Mr. Pendleton
- Killing Hitler as Brigadier Sir Stewart Menzies
- Sparkling Cyanide as George Barton
2002
- Believe Nothing as DI Aldiss
- Dickens as John Forster
- Two Men Went To War as Sgt. Peter King
- Night Flight as Ted Atwell
- The Voynich Mystery as Narrator
2001
- Women Talking Dirty as George
2000
- Gangster No. 1 as Tommy
- Kevin & Perry Go Large as Vicar
- Without Motive as DCS Derek Henderson
- Shiner as Gibson
- Born Romantic as Barney
- The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Espionage Escapades as Colonel Schmidt
- Lady Audley's Secret as Sir Michael Audley
- The Most Fertile Man in Ireland as Da
1999
- The Murder of Stephen Lawrence as Michael Mansfield QC
- The Last Yellow as Len
1998
- Our Mutual Friend as Silas Wegg
- RPM as Biggerman
- Vigo as The Producer
1997
- Midsomer Murders as Jude Langham
- The Boxer as Matt MaGuire
- Midnight Man as Brigadier Charles Ferguson
1996
- The Tenant of Wildfell Hall as Reverend Michael Millward
- Bed of Roses as Simon
- On Dangerous Ground as Brigadier Charles Ferguson
- Deep in the Heart as Robert Flaherty
1995
- Kavanagh Q.C. as Roy Lawrence
1994
- Requiem Apache as Tony
1993
- Royal Celebration as Douglas
- Tale of a Vampire as Edgar
- The Vision Thing as Dick Naughton
1992
- Heartbeat as Charlie Wallace
- The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles as Colonel Schmidt
- Between the Lines as DCI Stubbs
- Monkey Boy as Hennessey
- A Little Bit of Lippy as Reggie Titherington
1991
- Murder Most Horrid as Insp Salford
- Chimera as Hennessey
- Under Suspicion as Frank Vance
- Prospero's Books as Sebastian
1990
- Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit as Pastor Finch
1989
- Rules of Engagement as Martin Goodman
- Just Another Secret as Brosch
- A Master of the Marionettes as Teddy
1988
- The Play on One as Peter
- Hellbound: Hellraiser II as Dr. Philip Channard / Channard Cenobite
- Chocolat as Jonathan Boothby
- Stealing Heaven as Vice Chancellor Suger
- Normal Service as Peter
- The Party as Joe Shawcross
- The Black and Blue Lamp as Supt. Cherry
1987
- Inspector Morse as Cedric Downes
- The Birthday Party as Stanley Webber
- Making Waves as Joe Nash
1986
- Casualty as James Lawrence
- Lovejoy as Litvak
- Dead Man's Folly as Insp. Bland
- A Sort of Innocence
1985
- Theatre Night as Stanley
- Lady Windermere's Fan as Lord Darlington
- 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
- A Genius Like Us: A Portrait of Joe Orton as Self
1981
- Brideshead Revisited as Sergeant Block
- The Sin Bin as Alan Grieves
- The Caretaker as Aston
1980
- Cribb as Francis Mostyn-Smith
- Therese Raquin as Camille Raquin
- The Merchant of Venice as Gratiano
- 'Tis Pity She's a Whore as Giovanni
- Donkeys' Years as Bill Taylor
1979
- Minder as Walter
- Danger UXB as Sapper Salt
1978
- Strangers as Willie Bruce
- 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
- New Scotland Yard as David Collins
- Brother Sun, Sister Moon as Paolo
1971
- Budgie as Inky Ballantine
- Up Pompeii as Christian
1970
- Play for Today as Alan Grieves
- From a Bird's Eye View as Tim O'Donovan
- Fragment of Fear as Joe
- All the Way Up as Tom Midway
1969
- Otley as Kid
- Sling Your Hook as Roland
1968
- Oliver! as Noah Claypole
1967
- ITV Playhouse as Private Seaton
- Death of a Private as Young intellectual
1965
- BBC Play of the Month as Antonio
1960
- Coronation Street as Roy