Sir Ben Kingsley was appointed Knight Bachelor in 2002 for his services and actions in the film industry, but his five decade career had much more humble beginnings. Born by the name of Krishna Pandit Bhanji, Kingsley’s career began in theater when he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and spent around 15 years on stage. He then began transitioning between theater and film by taking roles in TV shows and some movies, slowly working more and more in film.
His career really began to change when he starred as Gandhi in the movie of the same name, a critical success that was only helped by his performance. Throughout his career, Kingsley has accumulated many different awards from many different shows, including the Oscars, the BAFTAs, the Golden Globes, and even the Grammys. Kingsley has a large repertoire, and some of his best works can be found here.
8 House of Sand and Fog
House of Sand and Fog is a psychological drama as two parties battle over the ownership of a house in Northern California. Kathy Nicolo is recovering from her time as a drug addict and getting over her husband leaving her, ignoring eviction notices sent her way by mistake because of some business taxes that weren’t paid. She is forcibly evicted because of this error, and her house is set to be auctioned off.
Iranian immigrant Massoud Amir Behrani buys it and intends to fix it and resell it to provide a better life for his family. Desperate for her house, Kathy begins to harass Behrani and his family in order to get it back. Kingsley plays Behrani in this, bringing the character to life and showing off the different facets of this immigrant and former army colonel perfectly. Without him to oppose Kathy, the film wouldn’t have been the same. He was nominated for several best actor awards, including at the Oscars and the Golden Globes.
7 Iron Man 3
After saving New York from destruction comes Iron Man 3, where we see Tony Stark struggling with what he had witnessed and been through. Worried about the safety of everyone now that they know there are aliens out there, he grows dependent on his Iron Man suits and begins to make a lot of them. However, when he tests an enemy known as the Mandarin and gets his house destroyed, he now has to survive on his own with a single, broken suit to protect Pepper and bring the Mandarin down.
Though his role may be small, Kingsley really brings the Mandarin to the screen well. From being the original face of the supposedly dangerous Marvel villain to the reveal that he’s actually an actor who doesn’t know anything, it’s completely believable either way. He even won a Saturn award for best supporting actor.
6 Bugsy
Based on the true story of New York mobster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, Bugsy leaves New York for Hollywood, and falls in love with Virginia Hill. He buys property in Beverly Hills to be near her, and as such, begins to work his way into the crime scene there, mostly around the betting parlors. His plans begin to change, however, when he visits Nevada, the only state where gambling was legal at the time, and gets an idea for a grand hotel, thus starting to bring Las Vegas to life.
Kingsley portrays Meyer Lansky in this film, one of Bugsy’s partners in crime back in New York and the one who leads the hotel after Bugsy’s death. He brings Lanksy to the screen well, showing the softness even a mobster can have for a friend and helping show just who Lanksy was as a person. He was nominated for best supporting actor in both the Oscars and the Golden Globes in Warren Beatty's great historical drama.
5 Death and the Maiden
The mystery film Death and the Maiden is about Paulina Escobar, a woman who is convinced the person her husband has brought home belonged to a group of people who had previously assaulted her. She tries and fails to get him to confess his crime as he claims to be innocent. Though her husband tries to take her side of things he begins to doubt her claims, especially after she makes up a mock trial for their guest and forces him to represent the guest.
Kingsley stars as the guest here, Dr. Roberto Miranda, in a sneaky and tense film that's set up like a great stage play. Alongside a phenomenal Susan Sarandon, Kingsley brings just the right air of mystery to his character to make it unclear who really is telling the truth in this continuous back and forth.
4 Sexy Beast
Sexy Beast is a darkly humorous crime film about a retired ex-gangster forcefully brought back into the folds. Gal Dove is living in peace with his wife after serving his time, but his peace doesn’t last. An old associate, Don Logan, arrives at the villa Dove now resides in to convince him to return to London for one more large job. However, Logan is rather violent, and as Dove insists he is done and doesn’t want a part of the job, he grows increasingly more violent. Now it is up to Dove to try and resist Logan if he wants to maintain the great life he has at the villa, and ends up risking everything in order to protect his wife.
Kingsley plays Don Logan in this film, bringing the character and his violence to the screen in ways only Kingsley could. His character adds just the right amount of conflict it needs to drive the story forward, and is one of the most menacing, explosive characters ever put to film. Sexy Beast is simply one of the best British gangster movies ever made.
3 Hugo
Based on the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Hugo is an adventure drama about a little orphan boy of the same name. He lives alone in a Paris train station, maintaining the clocks in the station as his uncle was supposed to before he disappeared. Though he does this, Hugo’s main task is trying to repair a broken automaton he and his father found, stealing parts to try and do so. When Georges catches him stealing from his toy shop, and Hugo offers to work for him instead of getting in trouble. As he does both jobs, he begins to unravel a strange mystery surrounding the automaton.
Kingsley plays the owner of the toy shop, Georges. He brings just the right balance to the role of the cranky owner who does have a hidden soft spot, especially around the kids. It’s a wonderful performance to experience, a beautiful portrayal of one of the earliest masters of filmmaking, Georges Méliès. Kingsley plays the Trip to the Moon director perfectly, imbuing him with a sense of wonder, wisdom, and sorrow in equal measure in Martin Scorsese's great film.
2 Gandhi
Another biographical drama, Gandhi, tells the tale of Mahatma Gandhi’s life. Gandhi was a leader in India who was loved by many and stood up against the British rule over India but in a unique way. He was insistent on nonviolent resistance, trying to lead his people into passive protests against the British instead of becoming violent and starting a war. Despite his initial dismissal by English officials as they ignored his attempts at protesting their rule, he became world renowned over time and is a great factor in India’s independence.
Kingsley plays Gandhi himself, helping bring his story to life for everyone to see. As the turning point in his career, it’s no surprise that Kingsley’s performance here is top-notch. He won the best actor award at several ceremonies including the Oscars, BAFTAs, and the Golden Globes.
1 Schindler's List
The historical drama Schindler’s List is based on the non-fiction novel Schindler’s Ark. It follows German industrialist Oskar Schindler as he prepares to make a lot of money thanks to the beginning of World War II. He joins the Nazi party for the convenience of it and his work, but staffs his factory with Jewish workers. As the Jews in the nearby ghetto begin to be carted off to concentration camps, Schindler makes arrangements to protect his workers and keep his factory running, saving innocent lives in the process.
Kingsley plays Itzhak Stern, Schindler’s Jewish accountant. He is the reason Schindler staffed his factory with Jews in the first place, and continues to be Schindler’s moral ground as Schindler begins to help save these people from the Nazis. It’s a touching movie that Kingsley and the rest of the actors bring to life in a way only they could, and he delivers one of the best performances of his revered career.