Kenneth Cranham

**Kenneth Cranham CBE** (born 12 December 1944) is a versatile Scottish actor, influential in film, television, radio and stage. Cranham honed his acting skills at the National Youth Theatre and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 1966 with a RADA Diploma. His most notable screen roles were in films such as *Oliver!*, *Up Pompeii*, *Hellbound: Hellraiser II*, *Chocolat*, *Layer Cake*, *Gangster No. 1*, *Hot Fuzz*, *Maleficent*, and *Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool*. Known for his talent on stage, he has twice been nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Actor, winning it in 2016, for his performance in The Father. His performance was described as 'the performance of his life' by Michael Coveney of WhatsOnStage.com. In addition to his film and stage roles, Cranham has had considerable success in television, featuring in series such as *Budgie*, *Boon*, *Minder*, *Merlin*, *Rome*, *Death in Paradise*, *War & Peace*, and *The White Princess*. He also starred in the title role in the popular 1980s comedy drama *Shine on Harvey Moon*. For BBC Radio 4's Afternoon Play, he has played DS Max Matthews in The Interrogation, and starred as Thomas Gradgrind in BBC Radio's 2007 adaptation of Dickens' *Hard Times*. An active figure in the acting world from 1963 to the present, Cranham was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2023 for his services to drama.