Kenneth Branagh Fun Facts, Quotes and Tweets
14th October 2015
Fact: Sir Kenneth Branagh has been appointed an ambassador for a movie charity in his native Northern Ireland. The Belfast-born actor/director will become a leading light in the Into Film organisation - a lottery-backed charity which uses film as an educational tool for children and young adults. He says, "I'm delighted to be an ambassador for Into Film in Northern Ireland, and keen to highlight what a wonderful resource it can be for young people in a country very close to my heart."
25th June 2014
Fact: Actors Annette Bening, Ellen Burstyn, Lucy Liu, John Lithgow and Nathan Lane and director Oliver Stone were among the stars in the audience for Kenneth Branagh's final Macbeth performance at New York's Park Avenue Armory on Sunday night (22Jun14). The production of the classic Shakespeare play came to an end after a sold-out limited run, which lasted less than three weeks.
14th January 2014
Quote: "I knew that I was available. I knew that I was cheap. I knew that I would know where the actor was at all times. I knew that he would give me no trouble - in fact it was very easy because he gets on very well with the director, so it ended up working out fine." Sir Kenneth Branagh on his dual role as actor and director in his new film Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.
9th May 2013
Fact: Game Of Thrones star Richard Madden has landed the coveted role of Prince Charming in Kenneth Branagh's movie adaptation of the classic fairytale Cinderella. The actor, who plays Robb Stark in the cult Tv fantasy drama, will romance Downton Abbey's Lily James in the new blockbuster, which also features Cate Blanchett as the titular character's wicked stepmother.
5th April 2013
Quote: "She said she had often seen these presented, and it was a thrill. She was amazed at how bright and polished it was and also how heavy it was." Sir Kenneth Branagh reveals Queen Elizabeth II was thrilled after he handed her an honorary British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award on Thursday (04Apr13) in recognition of her support for the industry.
3rd March 2013
Fact: Actor and filmmaker Kenneth Branagh is returning to his stage roots and testing theatrical superstitions by performing William Shakespeare's Macbeth in a deconsecrated Manchester, England, church. Eleven years after he played Richard Iii at the Sheffield Crucible, Branagh will lead the cast of the play in July (13) as part of the Manchester International Festival.
19th February 2013
Quote: "He was a national treasure, a great actor and a wonderful man. He was greatly loved and he will be deeply missed." Actor/director Sir Kenneth Branagh adds his tribute to Richard Briers, who died aged 79 on Sunday (17Feb13) after battling chronic lung condition emphysema.
24th January 2012
Fact: Kenneth Branagh's Best Supporting Actor nod has landed him a new Oscars record - he becomes the first person nominated in five different categories: Supporting Actor (My Week With Marilyn), Actor (Henry V), Director (Henry V), Screenplay (Hamlet) and Short Film (Swan Song). The Brit has never won.
15th January 2012
Quote: "I keep an eye on my nostril hairs. You get to a certain age and nostril hairs and eyebrows... or indeed ear hair (become a problem)... There are machines that help you deal with these things but you can't do it too close to the event... because with the slip of a hand in a nervous moment, you could be one eyebrow down." Kenneth Branagh on his pre-awards show grooming.
13th May 2011
Quote: "I get kind of emotional about it. The fact that the cinema is full of people makes me a little weepy." Kenneth Branagh on sneaking into a Los Angeles cinema to watch film fans watch his new blockbuster Thor.
13th May 2011
Quote: "Here, you have the rainbow bridge in outer space and not only know they're going to pay for it, but demand that you put it in." Moviemaker Kenneth Branagh had no financial restrictions as he made Thor with a $150 million (£93.8 million) budget.
13th May 2011
Quote: "There's a young prince who is supposed to be king, who is suspected by his father of not being up to the job. He does something provocative that ends up in a battle, and he earns his maturity and wisdom and responsibility by paying a price... You could say that I sort of made a version of Thor with my first picture, Henry V." Kenneth Branagh insists he was the perfect choice to direct blockbuster Thor.
6th May 2011
Quote: "He's a darling fellow, he's as big as a house and built like a concrete shipyard, as we say back home, and very, very fetching with his kit off." Moviemaker Kenneth Branagh on his Thor star Chris Hemsworth.
5th May 2011
Quote: "If you wanna edit it in 3D you're gonna have to put the glasses on. It feels a little silly... wearing dark glasses indoors, but that's what has to happen." Director Kenneth Branagh on making new movie Thor in 3D.
26th April 2011
Quote: "I nearly had a heart attack. (But) you want to do your best for Ken, he brings that out." Actor Chris Hemsworth was terrified after director Kenneth Branagh asked him to prepare for his Thor role by reciting a speech from Shakespeare play Henry V.
6th March 2011
Fact: Moviemaker/actor Kenneth Branagh has signed on to direct a new film about the 1930s University of Washington's men's rowing team. The project is an adaptation of Daniel James Brown's The Boys in the Boat about the heroic 'Huskies' team which won gold at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, defeating Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's German team.
1st September 2010
Fact: DAME Judi Dench, Kenneth Branagh and Michelle Williams are to team up to bring Colin Clark's memoirs to the big screen in My Week With Marilyn. Clark was responsible for looking after Marilyn Monroe while she was in London visiting acting legend Laurence Olivier in 1957.
9th April 2009
Quote: "I am a bit of a slogger. Kenneth Branagh sprang from the cradle fully formed. I have to work at it. Every single part I have ever played has been difficult." Veteran thespian SIR Ian McKellen still finds acting hard.
5th October 2007
Quote: "I'm not good in small spaces and whenever I go into an elevator I keep my fingers crossed. It's not my idea of fun." Actor/director Kenneth Branagh hates riding in an elevator.
Kenneth Branagh
