Kenneth Cranham

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

164

Gender

Male

Birthday

1944-12-12 (80 years old)

Place of Birth

Dunfermline - Scotland - UK

Kenneth Cranham

Biography

Scottish born actor Kenneth Cranham is one of the most recognisable character actors in Britain. Having trained at the National Youth Theatre and RADA, Cranham first came to prominence as Noah Claypole in the 1968 Carol Reed musical Oliver! In the late '70s, Cranham memorably played Sapper Salt in Euston Films' Danger UXB, before taking the title role in the popular postwar set period comedy drama Shine on Harvey Moon. His most famous film role from around this time was Dr. Philip Channard in Hellraiser II. In more recent years he has starred in the HBO series Rome, as well as the films Hot Fuzz, Layer Cake, Valkyrie, Made in Dagenham, Maleficent and Film Stars Don't Die In Liverpool. Among many stage credits are West End productions of Entertaining Mr Sloane, Loot, An Inspector Calls (both transferring to Broadway), The Ruffian on the Stair, The Birthday Party and Gaslight (at the Old Vic). For his role as Inspector Goole in An Inspector Calls, he was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award. In 2016, Cranham won the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Play for his role as Andre in Florian Zeller's The Father. The play originated at the Theatre Royal Bath's Ustinov Studio in the Autumn of 2014, before touring the country and transferring to the West End in the Summer of 2015, and returning to the Duke of York's Theatre in Spring 2016. The play received an unprecedented five star review from every leading national press publication, and Cranham's performance was described as "the performance of his life" His first wife was actress Diana Quick. He has two daughters: Nancy Cranham with actress Charlotte Cornwell, and Kathleen Cranham with his second wife, actress Fiona Victory, whom he met on the set of Shine on Harvey Moon.

Known For

  • Midsomer Murders

    Midsomer Murders

  • Coronation Street

    Coronation Street

  • Death in Paradise

    Death in Paradise

  • Casualty

    Casualty

  • Minder

    Minder

  • Heartbeat

    Heartbeat

  • Play for Today

    Play for Today

  • Merlin

    Merlin

  • Agatha Christie's Marple

    Agatha Christie's Marple

  • Crown Court

    Crown Court

  • BBC Play of the Month

    BBC Play of the Month

  • Rome

    Rome

  • New Tricks

    New Tricks

  • Natural World

    Natural World

  • Inside No. 9

    Inside No. 9

  • Hustle

    Hustle

  • Maleficent

    Maleficent

  • Inspector Morse

    Inspector Morse

  • Trying

    Trying

  • Strike

    Strike

  • Lovejoy

    Lovejoy

  • Dalziel & Pascoe

    Dalziel & Pascoe

  • Van der Valk

    Van der Valk

  • Moving On

    Moving On

  • The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles

    The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles

  • Hot Fuzz

    Hot Fuzz

  • Valkyrie

    Valkyrie

  • The Spanish Princess

    The Spanish Princess

  • Between the Lines

    Between the Lines

  • Murder Most Horrid

    Murder Most Horrid

  • Kavanagh Q.C.

    Kavanagh Q.C.

  • Shine on Harvey Moon

    Shine on Harvey Moon

  • Sinking of the Lusitania: Terror at Sea

    Sinking of the Lusitania: Terror at Sea

  • The White Princess

    The White Princess

  • Brideshead Revisited

    Brideshead Revisited

  • Prospero's Books

    Prospero's Books

  • Official Secrets

    Official Secrets

  • War and Peace

    War and Peace

  • Enemy at the Door

    Enemy at the Door

  • Budgie

    Budgie

  • Reilly: Ace of Spies

    Reilly: Ace of Spies

  • Hannibal: Rome's Worst Nightmare

    Hannibal: Rome's Worst Nightmare

  • The Legend of Hercules

    The Legend of Hercules

  • National Theatre Live: The Cherry Orchard

    National Theatre Live: The Cherry Orchard

  • Brother Sun, Sister Moon

    Brother Sun, Sister Moon

  • Gangster No. 1

    Gangster No. 1

  • Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool

    Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool

  • Leviathan: The Story of Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II

    Leviathan: The Story of Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II

  • Night Flight

    Night Flight

  • Heroes & Villains: Napoleon

    Heroes & Villains: Napoleon

  • Sling Your Hook

    Sling Your Hook

  • Tess of the D'Urbervilles

    Tess of the D'Urbervilles

  • Born a King

    Born a King

  • A Good Year

    A Good Year

  • Trauma

    Trauma

  • The Murder of Stephen Lawrence

    The Murder of Stephen Lawrence

  • The Play on One

    The Play on One

  • The Play on One

    The Play on One

  • Layer Cake

    Layer Cake

  • Royal Celebration

    Royal Celebration

  • Mr. Jones

    Mr. Jones

  • Chocolat

    Chocolat

  • The Vision Thing

    The Vision Thing

  • Lady Windermere's Fan

    Lady Windermere's Fan

  • Murder Investigation Team

    Murder Investigation Team

  • Under Suspicion

    Under Suspicion

  • The Merchant of Venice

    The Merchant of Venice

  • Requiem Apache

    Requiem Apache

  • Danger UXB

    Danger UXB

  • Danger UXB

    Danger UXB

  • Man Dancin'

    Man Dancin'

  • Midnight Man

    Midnight Man

  • In the Flesh

    In the Flesh

  • Kevin & Perry Go Large

    Kevin & Perry Go Large

  • Bancroft

    Bancroft

  • 5 Days of War

    5 Days of War

  • The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

    The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

  • Hellbound: Hellraiser II

    Hellbound: Hellraiser II

  • Heroes and Villains

    Heroes and Villains

  • On Dangerous Ground

    On Dangerous Ground

  • Hatton Garden

    Hatton Garden

  • The Boxer

    The Boxer

  • Oliver!

    Oliver!

  • Harold Pinter: A Celebration

    Harold Pinter: A Celebration

  • Our Mutual Friend

    Our Mutual Friend

  • The Line of Beauty

    The Line of Beauty

  • Fragment of Fear

    Fragment of Fear

  • Otley

    Otley

  • Bed of Roses

    Bed of Roses

  • Deep in the Heart

    Deep in the Heart

  • Egon Schiele: Dangerous Desires

    Egon Schiele: Dangerous Desires

  • Sins

    Sins

  • Theatre Night

    Theatre Night

  • Finding Alice

    Finding Alice

  • Flying Blind

    Flying Blind

  • Lilies

    Lilies

  • Lilies

    Lilies

  • Blackball

    Blackball

  • 37 Days

    37 Days

  • From a Bird's Eye View

    From a Bird's Eye View

  • Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

    Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

  • The Night Watch

    The Night Watch

  • Sparkling Cyanide

    Sparkling Cyanide

  • Panto!

    Panto!

  • The Birthday Party

    The Birthday Party

  • The Sin Bin

    The Sin Bin

  • RPM

    RPM

  • Up Pompeii

    Up Pompeii

  • Born Romantic

    Born Romantic

  • Neil Gaiman's Likely Stories

    Neil Gaiman's Likely Stories

  • Vigo

    Vigo

  • Stealing Heaven

    Stealing Heaven

  • All the Way Up

    All the Way Up

  • Chimera

    Chimera

  • The Last Yellow

    The Last Yellow

  • Vampira

    Vampira

  • Donkeys' Years

    Donkeys' Years

  • Shiner

    Shiner

  • Joe Orton Laid Bare

    Joe Orton Laid Bare

  • Robin and Marian

    Robin and Marian

  • Therese Raquin

    Therese Raquin

  • Believe Nothing

    Believe Nothing

  • Just Another Secret

    Just Another Secret

  • Making Waves

    Making Waves

  • The Black and Blue Lamp

    The Black and Blue Lamp

  • The Man from Montevideo

    The Man from Montevideo

  • Rules of Engagement

    Rules of Engagement

  • Closed Circuit

    Closed Circuit

  • The Bell

    The Bell

  • Without Motive

    Without Motive

  • The Addictions of Sin: WH Auden in His Own Words

    The Addictions of Sin: WH Auden in His Own Words

  • The Party

    The Party

  • Dickens

    Dickens

  • Women Talking Dirty

    Women Talking Dirty

  • Dark Ditties Presents: The Offer

    Dark Ditties Presents: The Offer

  • Made in Dagenham

    Made in Dagenham

  • A Sort of Innocence

    A Sort of Innocence

  • A Master of the Marionettes

    A Master of the Marionettes

  • The Genius of Mozart

    The Genius of Mozart

  • Dead Man's Folly

    Dead Man's Folly

  • Suspension of Disbelief

    Suspension of Disbelief

  • Two Men Went To War

    Two Men Went To War

  • The Caretaker

    The Caretaker

  • The Voynich Mystery

    The Voynich Mystery

  • Graffiti Wars

    Graffiti Wars

  • Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen

    Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen

  • The Changeling

    The Changeling

  • The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Espionage Escapades

    The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Espionage Escapades

  • Death of a Private

    Death of a Private

  • Lady Audley's Secret

    Lady Audley's Secret

  • Killing Hitler

    Killing Hitler

  • Pollyanna

    Pollyanna

  • Tale of a Vampire

    Tale of a Vampire

  • Achilles Heel

    Achilles Heel

  • Joseph Andrews

    Joseph Andrews

  • Monkey Boy

    Monkey Boy

  • The Most Fertile Man in Ireland

    The Most Fertile Man in Ireland

  • Hannibal: The Man Who Hated Rome

    Hannibal: The Man Who Hated Rome

  • Butterflies Don't Count

    Butterflies Don't Count

  • The Lavender List

    The Lavender List

  • The Dumb Waiter

    The Dumb Waiter

  • Normal Service

    Normal Service

  • 'Tis Pity She's a Whore

    'Tis Pity She's a Whore

  • A Little Bit of Lippy

    A Little Bit of Lippy