Highest rated as cast or director
Dunkirk
2017
Conspiracy
2001
Hamlet
1996
Henry V
1989
Shackleton
2002 · 1 Season
Wallander
2008 · 4 Seasons
Biography
Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh (born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Born in Belfast and raised primarily in Reading, Berkshire, Branagh trained at RADA in London and served as its president from 2015 to 2024. His accolades include an Academy Award, four BAFTAs, two Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and an Olivier Award. He was appointed a Knight Bachelor in 2012 and was given Freedom of the City in his native Belfast in 2018. In 2020, he was ranked in 20th place on The Irish Times's list of Ireland's greatest film actors. Branagh has directed and starred in several film adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays, including Henry V (1989), Much Ado About Nothing (1993), Othello (1995), Hamlet (1996), and As You Like It (2006). He was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor and Best Director for Henry V and Best Adapted Screenplay for Hamlet. He directed Swan Song (1992), which earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. He also directed Peter's Friends (1992), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994), Thor (2011), and Cinderella (2015). For his semi-autobiographical film Belfast (2021), he was nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Director and won Best Original Screenplay. Branagh directed and starred as Hercule Poirot in the Hercule Poirot film series (2017–present). He has also acted in Celebrity (1998), Wild Wild West (1999), The Road to El Dorado (2000), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), and Valkyrie (2008). His portrayal of Laurence Olivier in My Week with Marilyn (2011) earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He played supporting roles in Christopher Nolan's films Dunkirk (2017), Tenet (2020), and Oppenheimer (2023). Branagh has starred in the BBC1 series Fortunes of War (1987), the Channel 4 series Shackleton (2002), the television film Warm Springs (2005), and the BBC One series Wallander (2008–2016). He received a Primetime Emmy Award and an International Emmy Award for Best Actor for portraying SS leader Reinhard Heydrich in the HBO film Conspiracy (2001).
Acted in 85
2020s
- 2027
- 2026
Maverick: The Epic Adventures of David Lean
David Lean (voice)
Atonement
Michael Reid
- 2025
- 2023
- 2022
- 2020
2010s
- 2018
- 2017
- 2016
Branagh Theatre Live: The Entertainer
Archie Rice
- 2015
Branagh Theatre Live: The Winter's Tale
Leontes
- 2014
- 2013
National Theatre Live: Macbeth
Macbeth
- 2012
Stars in Shorts
Mark Snow
London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony: Isles of Wonder
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
- 2011
Discovering Hamlet
Hamlet (archive footage)
Prodigal
Mark Snow
2000s
- 2009
- 2008
10 Days to War
Colonel Tim Collins · 1 episode
Alien Love Triangle
Steven Chesterman
- 2007
- 2005
- 2004
Five Children and It
Uncle Albert
- 2002
- 2001
- 2000
The Book That Wrote Itself
Kenneth Branagh
1990s
- 1999
The Periwig-Maker
Periwig-maker (voice)
The Theory of Flight
Richard
- 1998
The Dance of Shiva
Colonel Evans
Cold War
TV
The Proposition
Father Michael McKinnon
The Gingerbread Man
Rick Magruder
- 1996
- 1995
Othello
Iago
Shadow of a Gunman
Donal Davoren
Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood
TV
Anne Frank Remembered
Narration (voice)
- 1994
- 1993
- 1992
Symphony for the Spire
Movie
- 1991
1980s
- 1989
Look Back in Anger
Jimmy Porter
- 1988
Strange Interlude
Gordon Evans · 3 episodes
- 1987
Ghosts
Oswald Alving
Lorna
Billy Martin
The Lady's Not For Burning
Thomas Mendip
- 1985
Coming Through
D.H. Lawrence
- 1984
A Coming to Terms for Billy
Billy Martin
The Boy in the Bush
Jack Grant · 4 episodes
- 1983
A Matter of Choice for Billy
Billy Martin
To the Lighthouse
Charles Tansley
- 1982
Easter 2016
Student
Too Late to Talk to Billy
Billy Martin
- 1981
1970s
- 1970
1960s
- 1967
Directed 24
2020s
- 2023
- 2022
- 2021
- 2020
2010s
- 2018
- 2017
- 2016
Branagh Theatre Live: Romeo and Juliet
Director
- 2015
Branagh Theatre Live: The Winter's Tale
Director
- 2014
- 2013
National Theatre Live: Macbeth
Stage Director
- 2011
2000s
- 2007
- 2006
The Magic Flute
Director
- 2000
1990s
- 1996
- 1995
- 1994
- 1993
- 1992
- 1991
1980s
- 1989
- 1988
Twelfth Night, or What You Will
Stage Director, Director
Produced 15
2020s
- 2023
- 2022
- 2021
- 2020
2010s
- 2018
- 2017
- 2013
2000s
- 2008
- 2007
- 2006
The Magic Flute
Producer
- 2000
1990s
- 1994
- 1993
- 1992
Wrote 8
2020s
- 2021
2000s
- 2006
The Magic Flute
Screenplay, Adaptation
- 2000
1990s
- 1996
- 1995
- 1993
1980s
- 1989
Other crew 1
2000s
- 2005
Walking with Monsters
Acting Double
Appearances61
2020s
- 2025
Tea with Judi Dench featuring Kenneth Branagh
Self
- 2022
Peter O'Toole: Along the Sky Road to Aqaba
Self
- 2020
Looking at the World in a New Way: The Making of ‘Tenet’
Self
2010s
- 2019
Lost Lives
Narrator
- 2018
Marvel Studios: The First 10 Years - More Than a Hero
Self
- 2016
- 2015
- 2014
- 2011
Thor: From Asgard to Earth
Self
- 2010
With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story
Self
2000s
- 2009
A Night at the Movies: The Gigantic World of Epics
Self
A Night at the Movies: The Suspenseful World of Thrillers
Self
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
Narrator (voice)
- 2007
Stephen Fry: 50 Not Out
Self
James Ellis: An Actor's Life
Himself
- 2006
- 2005
Walking with Monsters
Narrator (voice)
Walking with Monsters
Narrator (voice) · 3 episodes
The Goebbels Experiment
Narrator (voice)
- 2004
The Magic Touch of Harry Potter
Self - Gilderoy Lockhart
Cecil B. DeMille: American Epic
Narrator (voice)
- 2003
World War I in Colour
Narrator · 6 episodes
- 2002
The Tramp and the Dictator
Narrator (voice)
- 2001
The Beasts Within
Narrator (voice)
Triumph of the Beasts
Narrator (voice)
Walking with Beasts
Narrator · 6 episodes
- 2000
The Ballad of Big Al
Narrator · 2 episodes
Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces
Self / Narrator
The Making of Walking with Dinosaurs
Narrator
Altman on His Own Terms
Self
1990s
- 1999
Wild Wild West: Evil Devices
Himself
IMAX: Galapagos 3D
Narrator
Walking with Dinosaurs
Self - Narrator (voice) · 6 episodes
It's a Whole New West: The Making of 'Wild, Wild West'
Self
- 1998
Universal Horror
Narrator
- 1997
- 1996
Looking for Richard
Self - Interviewee
- 1994
It's Alive: The True Story of Frankenstein
Self
- 1993
- 1990
Discovering Hamlet
Himself / Hamlet
1980s
- 1988
Thames Wallah
Narrator
- 1982
