Sir Ben Kingsley is one of the most distinguished actors of his generation. Born Krishna Pandit Bhanji in Scarborough, Yorkshire, to a Gujarati Indian father and English mother, he took the stage name Ben Kingsley early in his career.
He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his extraordinary portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi in Richard Attenborough's Gandhi (1982) — one of the most acclaimed performances in cinema history. The film also won the Oscar for Best Picture.
Since Gandhi, he has delivered memorable performances in Schindler's List, Bugsy, Sexy Beast (for which he received another Oscar nomination), House of Sand and Fog, and many more. He was knighted in 2002 for services to the film industry. Sir Ben is a unique bridge between British, Indian and international cinema.