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After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Kenneth Branagh (writer,
director, producer) made his West End acting debut in "Another Country," winning the
Society of West End Theatre's Award for most promising newcomer. A string of stage
roles quickly followed, including the RSC productions of "Henry V," "Love's Labour's Lost"
and "Hamlet."
He co-founded the Renaissance Theatre Company with fellow actor David Parfitt in
1985. Under this creative banner, Branagh in his various roles of writer, actor and director
produced a number of projects, including "Public Enemy," "Twelfth Night," "The Life of
Napoleon," "Much Ado About Nothing," "As You Like It," "Hamlet," "Look Back In Anger,"
"Uncle Vanya," "King Lear," "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Coriolanus."
In 1989 he made his first foray into cinema with "Henry V"; an immediate success,
the film won a catalogue of international awards, including Academy Award® nominations
for Best Actor and Director. As a result, Branagh was welcomed into Hollywood and
invited to direct and star in the supernatural thriller "Dead Again." Following this success,
he returned to England and assembled the riotous comedy "Peter's Friends," featuring an
ensemble of the country's finest comic acting talent, including Emma Thompson, Stephen
Fry, Hugh Laurie, Imelda Staunton and Tony Slattery. The film subsequently went on to
win the Evening Standard Peter Sellers Award for Comedy. Branagh returned to
Shakespeare with his film version of "Much Ado About Nothing," starring Denzel
Washington, Michael Keaton, Keanu Reeves and Emma Thompson. The film was a
popular and critical hit and was invited to screen in competition at the Cannes Film
Festival.
His next film project, "Frankenstein,"
starring Robert De Niro, was a visionary take
on Mary Shelley's classic of gothic romantic literature. His 1996 black-and-white film "In
The Bleak Midwinter" opened the Sundance Film Festival and went on to win a prestigious
Osello d'Oro at the Venice Film Festival. Next Branagh embarked on one of his most
ambitious films to date, a full-length version of "Hamlet" shot in 70mm. An international
success, the film received four Academy Award® nominations. In 2000 he made a 1930s
musical version of "Love's Labours Lost," his fourth Shakespeare film adaptation. He
recently directed a film adaptation of Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute," and completed
directing an update of the Tony award-winning "Sleuth," scripted by Harold Pinter and
starring Michael Caine and Jude Law.
Branagh's other film credits include acting roles in Pat O'Connor's "A Month In The
Country," Oliver Parker's "Othello," Robert Altman's "The Gingerbread Man," Woody
Allen's "Celebrity," Danny Boyle's "Alien Love Triangle," Paul Greengrass' "The Theory Of
Flight," Barry Sonnenfeld's "Wild, Wild West" and Philip Noyce's "Rabbit-Proof Fence." In
2001, he earned an Emmy® for Best Actor and a Golden Globe nomination for his
performance in HBO Films' "Conspiracy," and he also garnered acclaim for the title role in
"Shackleton." The same year, he directed the smash stage comedy "The Play What I
Wrote" in London's West End and returned to the stage at the Sheffield Crucible as
"Richard III," as well as commencing filming on the second Harry Potter film, "Harry Potter
and the Chamber Of Secrets," playing Gilderoy Lockhart. The following year he received
rave reviews in David Mamet's "Edmond" at the National Theatre. Branagh also starred in
"Five Children and It," adapted from E. Nesbit's novel, which premiered at the Toronto Film
Festival. He earned an Emmy® nomination for his portrayal of U.S. President Franklin D.
Roosevelt in HBO Films' "Warm Springs."
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HBO Store
As You Like It DVD Starring Bryce Dallas Howard and Alfred Molina. Shop Now!
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