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

Death in Paradise

Coronation Street

Casualty

Minder

Agatha Christie's Marple

New Tricks

Play for Today

All Movies (100)

• Mr. Jones2019 · as Lloyd George
• Official Secrets2019 · as Judge Hyam
• Born a King2019 · as Lord Curzon
• Egon Schiele: Dangerous Desires2018 · as Leopold Czihaczek
• Joe Orton Laid Bare2017 · as Himself
• Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool2017 · as Joe Turner
• Dark Ditties Presents: The Offer2017 · as The Host
• Leviathan: The Story of Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II2015 · as Self
• Maleficent2014 · as King Henry
• The Legend of Hercules2014 · as Lucius
• Closed Circuit2013 · as Cameron Fischer
• Flying Blind2013 · as Victor
• Panto!2012 · as Jerry
• Suspension of Disbelief2012 · as Bullock
• Graffiti Wars2011 · as Narrator (Voice)
• National Theatre Live: The Cherry Orchard2011 · as Firs
• 5 Days of War2011 · as Michael Stilton
• The Night Watch2011 · as Horace Mundy
• Made in Dagenham2010 · as Monty Taylor
• Harold Pinter: A Celebration2010 · as Self
• Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen2009 · as MJ O'Loughlin
• Valkyrie2008 · as Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel
• Heroes & Villains: Napoleon2007 · as General Carteaux
• The Man from Montevideo2007 · as Gary Solway
• Sinking of the Lusitania: Terror at Sea2007 · as Captain Turner
• Hot Fuzz2007 · as James Reaper
• A Good Year2006 · as Sir Nigel
• Hannibal: Rome's Worst Nightmare2006 · as Narrator
• The Chatterley Affair2006 · as Older Keith
• The Lavender List2006 · as Harold Wilson
• Mangal Pandey - The Rising2005 · as Mr. Kent
• Layer Cake2004 · as Jimmy Price
• Trauma2004 · as DC Jackson
• Hannibal: The Man Who Hated Rome2004 · as Narrator
• Man Dancin'2004 · as D.I. Walter 'Pancho' Villers
• Sparkling Cyanide2003 · as George Barton
• Blackball2003 · as Chairman Collins
• Killing Hitler2003 · as Brigadier Sir Stewart Menzies
• Pollyanna2003 · as Mr. Pendleton
• Two Men Went To War2002 · as Sgt. Peter King
• Night Flight2002 · as Ted Atwell
• The Voynich Mystery2002 · as Narrator
• Women Talking Dirty2001 · as George
• Shiner2000 · as Gibson
• Born Romantic2000 · as Barney
• The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Espionage Escapades2000 · as Colonel Schmidt
• Gangster No. 12000 · as Tommy
• The Most Fertile Man in Ireland2000 · as Da
• Lady Audley's Secret2000 · as Sir Michael Audley
• Kevin & Perry Go Large2000 · as Vicar
• The Murder of Stephen Lawrence1999 · as Michael Mansfield QC
• The Last Yellow1999 · as Len
• Vigo1998 · as The Producer
• RPM1998 · as Biggerman
• The Boxer1997 · as Matt MaGuire
• Midnight Man1997 · as Brigadier Charles Ferguson
• Deep in the Heart1996 · as Robert Flaherty
• On Dangerous Ground1996 · as Brigadier Charles Ferguson
• Bed of Roses1996 · as Simon
• Requiem Apache1994 · as Tony
• The Vision Thing1993 · as Dick Naughton
• Royal Celebration1993 · as Douglas
• Tale of a Vampire1993 · as Edgar
• Monkey Boy1992 · as Hennessey
• A Little Bit of Lippy1992 · as Reggie Titherington
• Under Suspicion1991 · as Frank Vance
• Prospero's Books1991 · as Sebastian
• A Master of the Marionettes1989 · as Teddy
• Just Another Secret1989 · as Brosch
• Hellbound: Hellraiser II1988 · as Dr. Philip Channard / Channard Cenobite
• The Black and Blue Lamp1988 · as Supt. Cherry
• Stealing Heaven1988 · as Vice Chancellor Suger
• Chocolat1988 · as Jonathan Boothby
• The Party1988 · as Joe Shawcross
• Normal Service1988 · as Peter
• The Birthday Party1987 · as Stanley Webber
• Making Waves1987 · as Joe Nash
• Dead Man's Folly1986 · as Insp. Bland
• Lady Windermere's Fan1985 · as Lord Darlington
• The Dumb Waiter1985 · as Gus
• A Genius Like Us: A Portrait of Joe Orton1982 · as Self
• The Caretaker1981 · as Aston
• The Sin Bin1981 · as Alan Grieves
• The Merchant of Venice1980 · as Gratiano
• 'Tis Pity She's a Whore1980 · as Giovanni
• Donkeys' Years1980 · as Bill Taylor
• Butterflies Don't Count1978 · as Tom
• Joseph Andrews1977 · as The Wicked Squire
• Robin and Marian1976 · as Jack's Apprentice
• Vampira1974 · as Paddy
• The Changeling1974 · as Antonio
• Achilles Heel1973 · as Gordon
• Brother Sun, Sister Moon1972 · as Paolo
• Up Pompeii1971 · as Christian
• Fragment of Fear1970 · as Joe
• All the Way Up1970 · as Tom Midway
• Sling Your Hook1969 · as Roland
• Otley1969 · as Kid
• Oliver!1968 · as Noah Claypole
• Death of a Private1967 · as Young intellectual

All TV Shows (80)

• Finding Alice2021 · as Gerry
• Trying2020 · as Barry
• Hatton Garden2019 · as Brian Reader
• The Spanish Princess2019 · as John Morton
• Bancroft2017 · as Charlie Haverstock
• Strike2017 · as Dennis Creed
• The White Princess2017 · as John Morton
• Neil Gaiman's Likely Stories2016 · as Dean Smith
• War and Peace2016 · as Uncle Mikhail
• 37 Days2014 · as John Burns
• Inside No. 92014 · as Rupert
• In the Flesh2013 · as Vicar Oddie
• Death in Paradise2011 · as Father John
• Upstairs Downstairs2010 · as Sgt Ashworth
• Moving On2009 · as Mike
• The Addictions of Sin: WH Auden in His Own Words2009 · as W H Auden
• Merlin2008 · as Aulfric
• Tess of the D'Urbervilles2008 · as Mr Clare
• Heroes and Villains2007
• Lilies2007
• Lilies2007 · as Health Inspector
• The Line of Beauty2006 · as Sir Maurice Tipper
• Rome2005 · as Gnaeus Pompey Magnus
• Agatha Christie's Marple2004 · as Rex Fortescue
• The Genius of Mozart2004 · as Leopold Mozart
• Hustle2004 · as Francis Owen
• New Tricks2004
• Murder Investigation Team2003 · as Ray Morgan
• Believe Nothing2002 · as DI Aldiss
• Dickens2002 · as John Forster
• Without Motive2000 · as DCS Derek Henderson
• Our Mutual Friend1998 · as Silas Wegg
• Midsomer Murders1997 · as Jude Langham
• The Tenant of Wildfell Hall1996 · as Reverend Michael Millward
• Kavanagh Q.C.1995 · as Roy Lawrence
• Between the Lines1992 · as DCI Stubbs
• Heartbeat1992 · as Charlie Wallace
• The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles1992 · as Colonel Schmidt
• Murder Most Horrid1991 · as Insp Salford
• Chimera1991 · as Hennessey
• Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit1990 · as Pastor Finch
• Rules of Engagement1989 · as Martin Goodman
• The Play on One1988 · as Peter
• The Play on One1988 · as Joe Shawcross
• The Play on One1988 · as Teddy Rose
• Inspector Morse1987 · as Cedric Downes
• A Sort of Innocence1986
• Casualty1986 · as James Lawrence
• ScreenPlay1986 · as Supt. Cherry
• ScreenPlay1986 · as Reggie Titherington
• ScreenPlay1986 · as Dick Naughton
• Lovejoy1986 · as Litvak
• Theatre Night1985 · as Stanley
• Natural World1983
• Reilly: Ace of Spies1983 · as Lenin
• The Bell1982 · as Nick Fawley
• Shine on Harvey Moon1982 · as Harvey Moon
• Brideshead Revisited1981 · as Sergeant Block
• Cribb1980 · as Francis Mostyn-Smith
• Therese Raquin1980 · as Camille Raquin
• Minder1979 · as Walter
• Danger UXB1979 · as Sapper Salt
• Danger UXB1979 · as L / Corporal Salt
• Strangers1978 · as Willie Bruce
• Strangers1978 · as DCI Jim Lennard
• Enemy at the Door1978 · as Jack Foster
• Against the Crowd1975 · as Geoff Smailes
• Crown Court1972 · as John Tucker
• Van der Valk1972 · as Dirk Boutsen
• New Scotland Yard1972 · as David Collins
• Budgie1971 · as Inky Ballantine
• Play for Today1970 · as Alan Grieves
• Play for Today1970 · as Tom
• From a Bird's Eye View1970 · as Tim O'Donovan
• ITV Saturday Night Theatre1969 · as Terry
• ITV Playhouse1967 · as Private Seaton
• Boy Meets Girl1967 · as Tom Last
• BBC Play of the Month1965 · as Antonio
• Thirty-Minute Theatre1965 · as Charlie
• Coronation Street1960 · as Roy