Bill Nighy | |
|---|---|
 Nighy at theBerlinale in 2020 | |
| Born | William Francis Nighy (1949-12-12)12 December 1949 (age 75) |
| Alma mater | Guildford School of Acting |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Works | Full list |
| Partner(s) | Diana Quick (1982–2008) |
| Children | Mary Nighy |
| Awards | Full list |
William Francis Nighy (/naɪ/;[1] born 12 December 1949) is an English actor. Known forhis work in numerous stage, television and film productions, he has receivedseveral awards including aBritish Academy Film Award and aGolden Globe Award, and also has had nominations for anAcademy Award, aTony Award and aLaurence Olivier Award.
Nighy started his career with theEveryman Theatre, Liverpool, and made his London debut with theRoyal National Theatre starting withThe Illuminatus! in 1977. He gained acclaim for his roles inDavid Hare'sPravda in 1985,Harold Pinter'sBetrayal in 1991,Tom Stoppard'sArcadia in 1993, andAnton Chekhov'sThe Seagull in 1994. He received aLaurence Olivier Award for Best Actor nomination for his role inBlue/Orange in 2001. He acted onBroadway in the David Hare playsThe Vertical Hour (2006) andSkylight (2015), earning aTony Award for Best Actor in a Play nomination for the latter.
Nighy's early film roles include the comediesStill Crazy (1998),Guest House Paradiso (1999) andBlow Dry (2001). He rose to international stardom with his role inLove Actually (2003), which earned him aBAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor. He went on to portray Viktor in theUnderworld film series (2003–2009) andDavy Jones in thePirates of the Caribbean film series (2006–2007). His other films includeShaun of the Dead (2004),The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005),The Constant Gardener (2005),Notes on a Scandal (2006),Hot Fuzz (2007),Valkyrie (2008),Wild Target (2010),Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010),The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012),About Time (2013),Emma (2020), andLiving (2022), the last of which earned him a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Actor.
Nighy has gained acclaim for his roles in television, earning aBAFTA Award for his role in BBC One seriesState of Play (2003), and aGolden Globe Award for Best Actor for the BBC filmGideon's Daughter (2007). He is also known for his roles inThe Girl in the Café (2006), theBBC's Worricker trilogy which includesPage Eight (2012),Turks & Caicos (2014), andSalting the Battlefield (2014), and theBBC'sOrdeal by Innocence (2018).
William Francis Nighy was born on 12 December 1949 inCaterham,Surrey, the son of Alfred Martin Nighy (1913–1976) and Catherine Josephine, (née Whittaker) (1915–2003).[2] His father managed a car garage after working in the familychimney sweeping business;[3] his mother was apsychiatric nurse of Irish descent born inGlasgow,Scotland.[4]
Nighy was brought up as aRoman Catholic and served as analtar boy;[5] however, he gave up "being a practising Catholic" as a teenager. He has two elder siblings, Martin and Anna. He attended theJohn Fisher School, a Roman Catholic grammar school inPurley, where he was nicknamed "Knucks" because of his hands.[6] It was at John Fisher that he gained his first experience as an actor, with his "reasonable" memory earning him longer lines in the plays.[7]
As a child Nighy was known by many to be insecure and shy; as a teenager he became an avid reader, particularly enjoying the works ofErnest Hemingway andF. Scott Fitzgerald. He left school at the age of 15, without qualifications, and later with a friend travelled to Paris[8] hoping and failing "to write a novel".[9]
Nighy worked variously in a local employment office and as a messenger forThe Croydon Advertiser andThe Field.[10][9] He then applied for a place atRADA,[11] but was rejected and instead enrolled at theGuildford School of Dance and Drama to train for the stage.[12]
After working in various regional theatre productions during his early twenties in theatres such as theCambridge Arts Theatre and Edinburgh'sTraverse Theatre, a friend of Nighy's suggested that he audition for theEveryman Theatre inLiverpool.[13] During his audition he asked to start again about five times, according to fellow actorJonathan Pryce, who said that "either he was a very good actor, or a madman".[14] During his time at the Everyman he worked alongside fellow actorsJulie Walters andPete Postlethwaite, and writersKen Campbell andWilly Russell. He was also a member of the travelling theatre group Van Load, which included one of Nighy's most frequent collaborators, writer and directorDavid Hare.
Nighy made his London stage debut at theNational Theatre in an epic staging ofKen Campbell andChris Langham'sIlluminatus!, after he met Campbell at a bar in London. When Nighy told him that he was an actor, Campbell hired him on the spot. It opened the newCottesloe Theatre on 4 March 1977. He was cast in two David Hare premieres,A Map of The World andPravda, also at the National. Nighy starred in three episodes of the British anthology seriesPlay For Today from 1978 to 1982. He playedSamwise Gamgee in the 1981BBC Radio dramatisation ofThe Lord of the Rings (credited as William Nighy), and was heard in the 1980s BBC Radio version ofYes Minister.
After Nighy made his debut, he steadily gained acclaim with his performances in David Hare'sPravda in 1985,William Shakespeare'sKing Lear in 1986 andAnton Chekov'sThe Seagull in 1994. At the National Theatre, he acted in productions alongsideAnthony Hopkins,Judi Dench,Harriet Walter,Rufus Sewell andChiwetel Ejiofor. Nighy's most acclaimed stage performances were in National Theatre productions. As Bernard Nightingale, an unscrupulous university don, inTom Stoppard'sArcadia (1993), he engaged in witty exchanges withFelicity Kendal, who played Hannah Jarvis, an author.
Nighy played Jerry inHarold Pinter'sBetrayal in 1991 at theAlmeida Theatre. He played a consultant psychiatrist inJoe Penhall'sBlue/Orange (2000), for which he received anOlivier Award nomination for Best Actor. It transferred to the West End at theDuchess Theatre the following year. In 1997, he starred as restaurant entrepreneur Tom Sergeant inDavid Hare'sSkylight, which had premiered in 1995 and was moved to theVaudeville Theatre.[15][16] He played a libidinous young disc jockey, Vincent Fish, in the 1980 comedy seriesAgony, where he was the occasional lover of the lead character, played byMaureen Lipman. He also starred in two episodes of the BBC seriesPerformance in 1991 and 1993.
One of Nighy's early major screen appearances was the BBC serialThe Men's Room (1991). He claimed that the serial, anAnn Oakley novel adapted byLaura Lamson, was the job that launched his career.[17] He received some recognition by American audiences for his acclaimed character portrayal of fifty-year-old rock star Ray Simms in the 1998 filmStill Crazy. In 1999 he gained further prominence in the UK with the starring role in "The Photographer", an episode of the award-winning BBC-TVmockumentary comedy seriesPeople Like Us, playing Will Rushmore, amiddle aged man who has abandoned his career and family in the deluded belief that he can achieve success as acommercial photographer. Since 1999, Nighy has playedSimon Brett's fictional amateur sleuthCharles Paris at least 17 times onBBC Radio 4.[18]
In 2003, Nighy played the role of theVampire ElderViktor in the American productionUnderworld. (He returned to that role in the sequelUnderworld: Evolution in 2006, and again in the prequelUnderworld: Rise of the Lycans in 2009.) In the same year he portrayed Billy Mack, an irreverentrock'n'roll legend, in the British ensemble romantic comedy filmLove Actually, for which he was awarded theBAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor.[19] At theBAFTA Television Awards in April 2004, he won the Best Actor award forState of Play. He also appeared in the comedyShaun of the Dead. In early 2004,The Sunday Times reported that Nighy was on theshortlist for the role of theNinth Doctor in the 2005 revival of the BBC television seriesDoctor Who.[20]Christopher Eccleston ultimately filled the role. In 2005, he appeared asSlartibartfast in the film adaptation ofThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
In 2005, he acted in theFernando Meirelles-directed dramaThe Constant Gardener alongsideRalph Fiennes andRachel Weisz.[21] He also starred in the one-off BBC One comedy-dramaThe Girl in the Café alongsideKelly MacDonald for which he received a nomination for theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film.[22] In February 2006, he appeared in scriptwriterStephen Poliakoff's one-off dramaGideon's Daughter. Nighy played the lead character, Gideon, a successful events organiser who begins to lose touch with the world around him. This performance won him aGolden Globe Award forBest Actor in a Mini-series or TV Film in January 2007. Also in 2006, Nighy made his Broadway debut alongsideJulianne Moore in theDavid Hare playThe Vertical Hour, directed bySam Mendes at theMusic Box Theatre.[23] David Rooney ofVariety gave the production a mixed review, writing that "Stuffed with stimulating insights, it's never dull but ultimately feels as messy and unresolved as the conflict behind its central debate. Sam Mendes' production does have one reason for unstinting recommendation, however, in Bill Nighy's fascinatingly eccentric performance."[24]
In 2006, Nighy played the principal villain,Davy Jones, inPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest with his face entirely obscured bycomputer-generated makeup. He voiced the character with aScots accent. He reprised the role in the 2007 sequel,Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, in which his real face was briefly revealed in one scene. He also provided the narration for the Animal Planet seriesMeerkat Manor. In 2006 he played the role of Richard Hart in theRichard Eyre-directed dramaNotes on a Scandal, alongsideJudi Dench andCate Blanchett. For the role he was nominated for aLondon Film Critics' Circle award.[25] Nighy also appeared as GeneralFriedrich Olbricht, one of the principal conspirators, in the 2008 filmValkyrie. He had played anSS officer in the 1985Hitler's SS: Portrait in Evil. He starred in the filmWild Target in 2010.[26] In July 2009, he announced that he would playRufus Scrimgeour inHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1.[27] Nighy had already worked with directorDavid Yates twice, and with the majority of theHarry Potter cast in previous films. He has said of his role as Rufus Scrimgeour that it meant he was no longer the only English actor not to be inHarry Potter.[27]
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In 2010, he made a small cameo inDoctor Who, in the episode titled "Vincent and the Doctor". Nighy voiced Grandsanta in the 2011 animated filmArthur Christmas.[28] In 2012, he starred in the British romantic comedyThe Best Exotic Marigold Hotel acting oppositeJudi Dench,Dev Patel,Tom Wilkinson, andMaggie Smith.[29] Nighy along with the ensemble received a nomination for theScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.[30] That same year he acted in the action filmsWrath of the Titans starringSam Worthington andRalph Fiennes and theremake ofTotal Recall starringColin Farrell.[31] In 2013, he played a role inDarkside,Tom Stoppard's radio drama based onPink Floyd's albumThe Dark Side of the Moon.[32] In 2014 he acted in the historical comedy-drama filmPride and the science-fiction fantasy filmI, Frankenstein.[33][34]
During this time Nighy played MI5 agent Johnny Worricker in a trilogy of films written and directed byDavid Hare;Page Eight (2011),Turks & Caicos (2014), andSalting the Battlefield (2014). Nighy acted in these films alongsideRachel Weisz,Ralph Fiennes,Helena Bonham Carter, andMichael Gambon.[35][36] For his performance inPage Eight he received nominations for theBritish Academy Television Award for Best Single Drama and theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film.[37][38] In 2014, he starred withCarey Mulligan in a revival of David Hare'sSkylight atWyndham's Theatre in London's West End.[39] It had a large international audience via broadcast in theNational Theatre Live series.[40][16] Nighy returned toBroadway starring in the transfer inSkylight alongside Mulligan where they both received nominations for theTony Awards forBest Actor in a Play andBest Actress in a Play respectively.[41] That same year he starred in the sequel toThe Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, titledThe Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015).
The following year he acted in the war filmTheir Finest (2016) where it premiered at theToronto International Film Festival to positive reviews.[42][43]Peter Bradshaw ofThe Guardian praised Nighy, describing him as "a colossally proportioned scene-stealer".[44] In that year he was in several films, including the British war comedyDad's Army, the animated featureNorm of the North and the horror-mysteryThe Limehouse Golem.[45][46][47] In 2017, acting alongsideEmily Mortimer, he starred in the dramaThe Bookshop, based onthe 1978 novel of the same title byPenelope Fitzgerald.[48] That same year he was in the short filmRed Nose Day Actually, reprising his role of Billy Mack fromLove Actually (2003). Most of the actors from the original film appeared, includingHugh Grant,Liam Neeson,Colin Firth andKeira Knightley.[49] The film aired onBBC One as part of theRed Nose Day 2017 fundraising event.[50] In 2018 he starred in the three-episode BBC One seriesOrdeal by Innocence, an adaptation of the1958 detective novel of the same name byAgatha Christie.[51]
In 2020, he appeared as Mr Woodhouse, Emma's father, inAutumn de Wilde'sEmma (2020) starring alongsideAnya Taylor-Joy.[52] The film received near-universal acclaim.Variety film critic Andrew Barker praised the casting of Nighy as Emma's father, writing that the decision was an "uncontestedlayup of casting".[53] In October 2020, it was announced that Nighy would play the leading role inLiving, an English-language adaptation ofAkira Kurosawa’s 1952 Japanese dramaIkiru, to be directed byOliver Hermanus from a screenplay byKazuo Ishiguro.[54] Shooting began in spring 2021 in locations across the UK, including London andWorthing. The film premiered atSundance in January 2022, where Nighy's performance in particular received high praise.[55] For his performance he went on to receive nominations for theAcademy Award,BAFTA Award,Golden Globe Award, andScreen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor.[56][57][58][59]
In the 2022 TV seriesThe Man Who Fell to Earth Nighy played Thomas Newton, the first alien resident of Earth, who arrived over 40 years ago. This role originally was played by David Bowie in the 1976 film adaptation.[60] Nighy is also the narrator of the Channel 5 travel showThe World's Most Scenic Railway Journeys,[61] a programme that began its fifth series in autumn 2021 with episodes featuring train journeys across Australia and the Welsh borders.[62][63] In 2022, Nighy became a DJ on BBC 6 Music when he stood in forGuy Garvey on the regular Sunday afternoon programmeGuy Garvey's Finest Hour, with Nighy deputising for the Elbow frontman again at the beginning of 2023.[64][65][66][67] He later deputised forIggy Pop on his showIggy Confidential from March to April 2023, and again in December 2023.[68][69][70][71]
Beginning in 1982, Nighy was in a relationship with English actressDiana Quick, after they both played in David Hare'sA Map of The World. They have a daughter, actress and filmmakerMary Nighy, born in 1984, and two grandchildren. The pair separated in 2008.
Nighy hasDupuytren's contracture.[72] The condition can, depending on its severity, cause contractures of the fingers, most commonly the ring and little fingers.[73]
Nighy is a supporter ofCrystal Palace F.C. He is a patron of the Crystal Palace Children's Charity (CPCC)[74] and of the Ann Craft Trust.[75] He is also an honorary patron of the London children's charity Scene & Heard.[76]
Nighy is a patron of theMilton Rooms, a new arts centre inMalton,North Yorkshire, along withImelda Staunton,Jools Holland andKathy Burke.[77]
Nighy is a supporter of theRobin Hood tax campaign, and starred in a video in support of it.[78][79][80]
Nighy supports "total gender equality", noting in an interview he gave during the 2016DIFF film festival that the highlighting of gender inequality problems in the film industry had influenced his choice of film roles.[81] He has also spoken of his role inPride, a film extolling the mutual support between the National Union of Miners and gay rights groups in the UK in the 1980s, as one of his most cherished.[82]
In 2004, Nighy was a guest onDesert Island Discs, presented bySue Lawley. One of his chosen discs was "Won't Get Fooled Again" byThe Who, so that he could practise his hobby ofair guitar while marooned. As his luxury, he chose a boxed set ofblues harpharmonicas and instruction book.[83]
Nighy is noted for hisbespoke navy suits.[84] He was listed as one of the 50 best-dressed over-50s byThe Guardian in March 2013[85] and one ofGQ's 50 best-dressed British men in 2015.[86]
Nighy became a fan of thePokémon franchise during the production ofDetective Pikachu, in which he played Howard Clifford. He has said thatMew is his favourite Pokémon.[87]
For many years, Nighy struggled withsubstance issues, particularlyalcoholism, a topic he rarely discusses, and has been a "sober alcoholic" since 17 May 1992.[88] He gave upsmoking in 2003.[89]
During his twenties Nighy was in a band called the Love Ponies, and subsequently recorded a few songs.[90][91]
Nighy resides inPimlico,London.[92]
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