Guide Note

Kenneth Branagh is an Irish director, actor, author, and producer with extensive credits on stage, screen, and television. He is widely regarded for popularizing the works of William Shakespeare with his film adaptations of Henry V, Hamlet, and Othello.

Fast Fact

1. Born: December 10, 1960
2. Birth Place: Belfast, Ireland
3. Emmy and Academy Award winner
4. Former WifeEmma Thompson
5. Dated Helena Bonham Carter
6. Current Spouse: Lindsay Brunnock

Kenneth Charles Branagh was born in Belfast, Ireland on December 10, 1960. He attended school in Grove Primary School than at the age of 23 joined the Royal Shakespeare Company. He would later form the Renaissance Theatre Company which is considered one of the premiere Shakespeare troupes with Prince Charles as one of the royal patrons.

Branagh's acting career started in British Television. His breakthrough role was in the Academy Award nominated film Henry V. He would receive an academy award nomination for best actor and director for his work. He would follow that up with the thriller Dead Again, and Much Ado About Nothing. Other Shakespeare adaptations include Othello, Hamlet, Love's Labour's Lost and As You Like It. Other notable performances include Conspiracy, Frankenstein and Warm Springs. He also directed the remake to the thriller Sleuth starring Jude Law and Michael Caine. In 2009, he appears in the Tom Cruise star vehicle Valkyrie.

• 1960: Born
• 1982 - 1984: Play For Today
• 1989: Henry V
• 1991: Dead Again
• 1992: Peter's Friends
• 1993: Swing Kids
• 1993: Much Ado About Nothing
• 1994: Frankenstein
• 1995: Othello
• 1996: Hamlet
• 1998: Celebrity
• 1999: Wild Wild West
• 2000: The Road To El Dorado
• 2002: Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets
• 2006: As You Like It