Kenneth Cranham

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

165

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

  • Death in Paradise

    Death in Paradise

  • Coronation Street

    Coronation Street

  • Minder

    Minder

  • Merlin

    Merlin

  • Agatha Christie's Marple

    Agatha Christie's Marple

  • Casualty

    Casualty

  • Heartbeat

    Heartbeat

  • New Tricks

    New Tricks

  • Rome

    Rome

  • Play for Today

    Play for Today

  • Play for Today

    Play for Today

  • Crown Court

    Crown Court

  • Hustle

    Hustle

  • Inspector Morse

    Inspector Morse

  • BBC Play of the Month

    BBC Play of the Month

  • Maleficent

    Maleficent

  • Inside No. 9

    Inside No. 9

  • Strike

    Strike

  • Natural World

    Natural World

  • Hot Fuzz

    Hot Fuzz

  • Dalziel & Pascoe

    Dalziel & Pascoe

  • The Spanish Princess

    The Spanish Princess

  • War and Peace

    War and Peace

  • Van der Valk

    Van der Valk

  • Kavanagh Q.C.

    Kavanagh Q.C.

  • The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles

    The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles

  • Lovejoy

    Lovejoy

  • Trying

    Trying

  • Oliver!

    Oliver!

  • The White Princess

    The White Princess

  • Official Secrets

    Official Secrets

  • Valkyrie

    Valkyrie

  • Moving On

    Moving On

  • Between the Lines

    Between the Lines

  • RPM

    RPM

  • Dark Ditties Presents: The Offer

    Dark Ditties Presents: The Offer

  • Shine on Harvey Moon

    Shine on Harvey Moon

  • A Good Year

    A Good Year

  • Trauma

    Trauma

  • Night Flight

    Night Flight

  • Brideshead Revisited

    Brideshead Revisited

  • Layer Cake

    Layer Cake

  • The Night Watch

    The Night Watch

  • Vigo

    Vigo

  • Budgie

    Budgie

  • Murder Most Horrid

    Murder Most Horrid

  • Panto!

    Panto!

  • Midnight Man

    Midnight Man

  • Otley

    Otley

  • Sparkling Cyanide

    Sparkling Cyanide

  • The Boxer

    The Boxer

  • All the Way Up

    All the Way Up

  • Under Suspicion

    Under Suspicion

  • Bancroft

    Bancroft

  • Born Romantic

    Born Romantic

  • The Legend of Hercules

    The Legend of Hercules

  • Reilly: Ace of Spies

    Reilly: Ace of Spies

  • Hannibal: Rome's Worst Nightmare

    Hannibal: Rome's Worst Nightmare

  • Making Waves

    Making Waves

  • Shiner

    Shiner

  • Vampira

    Vampira

  • Enemy at the Door

    Enemy at the Door

  • Mr. Jones

    Mr. Jones

  • Dead Man's Folly

    Dead Man's Folly

  • Robin and Marian

    Robin and Marian

  • Kevin & Perry Go Large

    Kevin & Perry Go Large

  • Tess of the D'Urbervilles

    Tess of the D'Urbervilles

  • Donkeys' Years

    Donkeys' Years

  • The Murder of Stephen Lawrence

    The Murder of Stephen Lawrence

  • Murder Investigation Team

    Murder Investigation Team

  • Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool

    Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool

  • Brother Sun, Sister Moon

    Brother Sun, Sister Moon

  • 5 Days of War

    5 Days of War

  • Hellbound: Hellraiser II

    Hellbound: Hellraiser II

  • Born a King

    Born a King

  • The Play on One

    The Play on One

  • The Play on One

    The Play on One

  • The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

    The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

  • The Line of Beauty

    The Line of Beauty

  • In the Flesh

    In the Flesh

  • Our Mutual Friend

    Our Mutual Friend

  • Heroes and Villains

    Heroes and Villains

  • Gangster No. 1

    Gangster No. 1

  • Sinking of the Lusitania: Terror at Sea

    Sinking of the Lusitania: Terror at Sea

  • Blackball

    Blackball

  • Lilies

    Lilies

  • Lilies

    Lilies

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

    Leviathan: The Story of Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II

  • Hatton Garden

    Hatton Garden

  • Danger UXB

    Danger UXB

  • Danger UXB

    Danger UXB

  • National Theatre Live: The Cherry Orchard

    National Theatre Live: The Cherry Orchard

  • Egon Schiele: Dangerous Desires

    Egon Schiele: Dangerous Desires

  • Finding Alice

    Finding Alice

  • Made in Dagenham

    Made in Dagenham

  • Suspension of Disbelief

    Suspension of Disbelief

  • Prospero's Books

    Prospero's Books

  • Two Men Went To War

    Two Men Went To War

  • The Merchant of Venice

    The Merchant of Venice

  • From a Bird's Eye View

    From a Bird's Eye View

  • The Last Yellow

    The Last Yellow

  • Lady Windermere's Fan

    Lady Windermere's Fan

  • Heroes & Villains: Napoleon

    Heroes & Villains: Napoleon

  • Killing Hitler

    Killing Hitler

  • Bed of Roses

    Bed of Roses

  • Joe Orton Laid Bare

    Joe Orton Laid Bare

  • Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

    Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

  • Sling Your Hook

    Sling Your Hook

  • Women Talking Dirty

    Women Talking Dirty

  • On Dangerous Ground

    On Dangerous Ground

  • Theatre Night

    Theatre Night

  • Fragment of Fear

    Fragment of Fear

  • Closed Circuit

    Closed Circuit

  • Harold Pinter: A Celebration

    Harold Pinter: A Celebration

  • Just Another Secret

    Just Another Secret

  • Chimera

    Chimera

  • Neil Gaiman's Likely Stories

    Neil Gaiman's Likely Stories

  • 37 Days

    37 Days

  • The Vision Thing

    The Vision Thing

  • The Sin Bin

    The Sin Bin

  • The Party

    The Party

  • Deep in the Heart

    Deep in the Heart

  • Therese Raquin

    Therese Raquin

  • Believe Nothing

    Believe Nothing

  • The Black and Blue Lamp

    The Black and Blue Lamp

  • Without Motive

    Without Motive

  • Royal Celebration

    Royal Celebration

  • Sins

    Sins

  • The Caretaker

    The Caretaker

  • Chocolat

    Chocolat

  • Rules of Engagement

    Rules of Engagement

  • The Bell

    The Bell

  • A Master of the Marionettes

    A Master of the Marionettes

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

    The Addictions of Sin: WH Auden in His Own Words

  • Joseph Andrews

    Joseph Andrews

  • Dickens

    Dickens

  • The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Espionage Escapades

    The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Espionage Escapades

  • The Genius of Mozart

    The Genius of Mozart

  • The Birthday Party

    The Birthday Party

  • Stealing Heaven

    Stealing Heaven

  • Flying Blind

    Flying Blind

  • Pollyanna

    Pollyanna

  • The Changeling

    The Changeling

  • Tale of a Vampire

    Tale of a Vampire

  • Up Pompeii

    Up Pompeii

  • A Sort of Innocence

    A Sort of Innocence

  • Monkey Boy

    Monkey Boy

  • Lady Audley's Secret

    Lady Audley's Secret

  • Normal Service

    Normal Service

  • Requiem Apache

    Requiem Apache

  • The Lavender List

    The Lavender List

  • Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen

    Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen

  • The Most Fertile Man in Ireland

    The Most Fertile Man in Ireland

  • The Dumb Waiter

    The Dumb Waiter

  • The Man from Montevideo

    The Man from Montevideo

  • 'Tis Pity She's a Whore

    'Tis Pity She's a Whore

  • Death of a Private

    Death of a Private

  • Hannibal: The Man Who Hated Rome

    Hannibal: The Man Who Hated Rome

  • Butterflies Don't Count

    Butterflies Don't Count

  • The Voynich Mystery

    The Voynich Mystery

  • Graffiti Wars

    Graffiti Wars

  • A Little Bit of Lippy

    A Little Bit of Lippy

  • Achilles Heel

    Achilles Heel

  • Man Dancin'

    Man Dancin'