Ben Kingsley's Real Name: Krishna Pandit Bhanji

Quick answer: Ben Kingsley was born Krishna Pandit Bhanji on December 31, 1943, in Yorkshire, England. He won the Academy Award for best actor for playing the title role in Gandhi (1982). His other well-known roles include Schindler's List, Sexy Beast, House of Sand and Fog, and Iron Man 3 (Library of Congress; Britannica).

Real name and early life

The Library of Congress name authority files him as "Kingsley, Ben, 1943-." It lists the cross-references "Bhanji, Krishna Pandit, 1943-" and "Krishna Pandit Bhanji, 1943-." One LOC citation reads "Sir Ben Kingsley, CBE (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji; 31 December 1943 in Snainton, Scarborough, North Riding of Yorkshire, England)." Britannica gives his original name as "Krishna Bhanji" and his birthplace as Scarborough, Yorkshire.

Britannica describes him as being of English and Indian descent. He began acting in amateur theater in Manchester, joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1967, and made his Broadway debut with the company in 1971. He worked steadily on television from 1966, including early appearances on Coronation Street, and on stage, most notably as Hamlet.

Career highlights

Kingsley made his film debut in Fear Is the Key (1972) but did not return to the screen until he was cast as Mohandas K. Gandhi in Richard Attenborough's Gandhi (1982). To prepare, he practiced yoga and adopted a vegetarian diet. Critics noted his strong resemblance to Gandhi. He won the Oscar for best actor, and Britannica says the role remains one of his most acclaimed.

He played Meyer Lansky in Bugsy (1991), which earned him a supporting actor nomination. In 1993 he played a chess coach in Searching for Bobby Fischer and the Jewish accountant Itzhak Stern in Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List. He also appeared in Roman Polanski's Death and the Maiden (1994) and played the jester Feste in Twelfth Night (1996).

His menacing gangster in Sexy Beast (2000) brought a third Oscar nomination, and his Iranian immigrant in House of Sand and Fog (2003) a fourth. He worked with Martin Scorsese on Shutter Island (2010) and Hugo (2011), playing film pioneer Georges Méliès in the latter. He played Iron Man's archenemy in Iron Man 3 (2013), appeared in Ender's Game and The Dictator, and voiced a villain in The Boxtrolls (2014). LOC records him as "Sir Ben Kingsley," reflecting his knighthood.

Name notes for searchers

Ben Kingsley is a stage name; his birth name was Krishna Pandit Bhanji. Britannica shortens it to Krishna Bhanji. Library records list both forms so searches for either reach the actor.