Bill Nighy

Bill Nighy

74 · Born: Dec 12, 1949

Personal Details

Born Dec 12, 1949 Caterham, Surrey, England, UK
Parents
  • Catherine Josephine Whittaker
  • Alfred Martin Nighy
Relatives
  • Anna Nighy (Sibling)
  • Martin Nighy (Sibling)

Biography

William Francis Nighy (born 12 December 1949) is an English actor. Known for his work on screen and stage, he has received numerous awards, including two BAFTA Awards, a Golden Globe Award and nominations for an Academy Award and a Tony Award. Nighy started his career with the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool and made his London debut with the Royal National Theatre starting with The Illuminatus! in 1977. There he gained acclaim for his roles in David Hare's Pravda in 1985, Harold Pinter's Betrayal in 1991, Tom Stoppard's Arcadia in 1993, and Anton Chekov's The Seagull in 1994. He received a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor nomination for his performance in Blue/Orange in 2001. He made his Broadway debut in Hare's The Vertical Hour in 2006, and returned in the 2015 revival of Hare's Skylight earning a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play nomination. Early film roles include in the comedies Still Crazy (1998), and Blow Dry (1999) before his breakout role in Love Actually (2003) which earned him a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor. He soon gained recognition portraying Davy Jones in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series (2006-2007), and Viktor in the Underworld film series (2003-2009). Other films include Shaun 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), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012), About Time (2013), Emma (2020), and Living (2022), the last of these earning him his first career Academy Award nomination. Nighy has gained acclaim for his roles in television earning a British Academy Television Award for Best Actor for his performance in BBC One series State of Play (2003), and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for the BBC film Gideon's Daughter (2007). He's also known for his roles in HBO's The Girl in the Café (2006) and PBS's Page Eight (2012).

Career

2024
10 Lives
10 Lives as Professor Craven (voice)
The Beautiful Game
The Beautiful Game as Mal
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The First Omen
The First Omen as Lawrence
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Dragonkeeper
Dragonkeeper as Danzi (voice)
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Role Play
Role Play as Bob
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Gracie and Pedro: Pets to the Rescue
The Wild Robot
The Wild Robot as Longneck (voice)
2023
Role Play
Role Play as Bob
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Spectre of the Bear
Spectre of the Bear as Bennett (voice)
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Bloody Fury
Bloody Fury as Bloody's Consciousness (voice)
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2022
Living
Living as Williams
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The Man Who Fell to Earth
The Man Who Fell to Earth as Thomas Jerome Newton
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2021
Buckley's Chance
Buckley's Chance as Spencer
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World's Most Scenic River Journeys
World's Most Scenic River Journeys as Narrator
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2020
Emma.
Emma. as Mr. Woodhouse
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Minamata
Minamata as Robert "Bob" Hayes
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Castlevania
Castlevania as Saint Germain (voice)
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2019
The Kindness of Strangers
The Kindness of Strangers as Timofey
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Sometimes Always Never
Sometimes Always Never as Alan
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StarDog and TurboCat
StarDog and TurboCat as Sinclair (voice)
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Pokémon: Detective Pikachu
Pokémon: Detective Pikachu as Howard Clifford
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Hope Gap
Hope Gap as Edward
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The World's Most Scenic Railway Journeys
The World's Most Scenic Railway Journeys as Narrator (voice)
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2018
Ordeal by Innocence
Ordeal by Innocence as Leo Argyll
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2017
Their Finest
Their Finest as Ambrose Hilliard / Uncle Frank
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The Bookshop
The Bookshop as Mr. Brundish
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2016
Norm of the North
Norm of the North as Socrates (voice)
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The Limehouse Golem
The Limehouse Golem as John Kildare
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Dad's Army
Dad's Army as Sergeant Wilson
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2015
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel as Douglas Ainslie
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2014
I, Frankenstein
I, Frankenstein as Naberius
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Pride
Pride as Cliff
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Turks & Caicos
Turks & Caicos as Johnny Worricker
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Skylight
Skylight as Tom Sergeant
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Salting the Battlefield
Salting the Battlefield as Johnny Worricker
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2013
Dangerous Edge: A Life of Graham Greene
Dangerous Edge: A Life of Graham Greene as Graham Greene (voice)
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Jack the Giant Slayer
Jack the Giant Slayer as General Fallon
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About Time
About Time as Dad
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2012
Wrath of the Titans
Wrath of the Titans as Hephaestus
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The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel as Douglas Ainslie
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Total Recall
Total Recall as Matthias
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London: The Modern Babylon
London: The Modern Babylon as Spoken Quotations (voice)
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2011
Rango
Rango as Rattlesnake Jake (voice)
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Chalet Girl
Chalet Girl as Richard Madsen
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Page Eight
Page Eight as Johnny Worricker
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Astonish Me
Astonish Me as The Professor
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Arthur Christmas
Arthur Christmas as Grandsanta (voice)
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2010
Wild Target
Wild Target as Victor Maynard
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 as Rufus Scrimgeour
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Doctor Who
Doctor Who as Dr Black
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2009
Astro Boy
Astro Boy as Dr. Elefun (voice)
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Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans as Viktor
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G-Force
G-Force as Leonard Saber
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The Boat That Rocked
The Boat That Rocked as Quentin
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Glorious 39
Glorious 39 as Alexander Keyes
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2008
Slapper
Slapper as Arnold Percy
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Valkyrie
Valkyrie as Friedrich Olbricht
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2007
Hot Fuzz
Hot Fuzz as Met Chief Inspector
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Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
2006
Stormbreaker
Stormbreaker as Alan Blunt
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Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Underworld: Evolution
Underworld: Evolution as Viktor
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Flushed Away
Flushed Away as Whitey (voice)
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Notes on a Scandal
Notes on a Scandal as Richard Hart
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Meerkat Manor
Meerkat Manor as Narrator
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2005
Gideon's Daughter
Gideon's Daughter as Gideon Warner
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The Girl in the Café
The Girl in the Café as Lawrence
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The Magic Roundabout: The Movie
The Magic Roundabout: The Movie as Dylan (voice)
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The Constant Gardener
The Constant Gardener as Sir Bernard Pellegrin
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2004
Shaun of the Dead
Shaun of the Dead as Phillip
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Enduring Love
Enduring Love as Robin
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He Knew He Was Right
He Knew He Was Right as Colonel Osborne
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2003
The Young Visiters
The Young Visiters as Earl of Clincham
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I Capture the Castle
I Capture the Castle as James Mortmain
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Underworld
Underworld as Viktor
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Life Beyond the Box: Norman Stanley Fletcher
Love Actually
Love Actually as Billy Mack
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State of Play
State of Play as Cameron Foster
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The Lost Prince
The Lost Prince as Stamfordham
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2002
Lawless Heart
Lawless Heart as Dan
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AKA
AKA as Louis Gryffoyn
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Auf Wiedersehen, Pet
Auf Wiedersehen, Pet as Jeffrey Grainger
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2001
Lucky Break
Lucky Break as Roger
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Blow Dry
Blow Dry as Ray Robertson
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2000
Longitude
Longitude as Lord Sandwich
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Longitude
Longitude as Lord Sandwich
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1999
Guest House Paradiso
Guest House Paradiso as Mr. Johnson
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1998
Still Crazy
Still Crazy as Ray Simms
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1997
FairyTale: A True Story
FairyTale: A True Story as Edward Gardner
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1996
True Blue
True Blue as Jeremy Saville
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Alive and Kicking
Alive and Kicking as Tristan
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1994
Wycliffe
Wycliffe as David Cleeve
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1993
Unnatural Causes
Unnatural Causes as Oliver Latham
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Don't Leave Me This Way
Don't Leave Me This Way as John Tracey
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Peak Practice
Peak Practice as Alan Sinclair
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1992
A Masculine Ending
A Masculine Ending as John Tracey
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1991
Performance
Performance as Hugh Marriner
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1990
Screenplay
Screenplay as Howard Nash
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1989
Mack the Knife
Mack the Knife as Tiger Brown
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The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera as Martin Barton
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1985
Hitler's S.S.: Portrait in Evil
Hitler's S.S.: Portrait in Evil as Helmut Hoffmann
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Thirteen at Dinner
Thirteen at Dinner as Ronald Marsh
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The Last Place on Earth
The Last Place on Earth as Cecil Meares
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1984
The Little Drummer Girl
The Little Drummer Girl as Al
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1983
Reilly: Ace of Spies
Reilly: Ace of Spies as Goschen
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1982
Play for Today
Play for Today as Dave
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Minder
Minder as Oates
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1979
Agony
Agony as Vincent Fish
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1976
Occupy!
Occupy! as Player in Everyman Theatre Company, Liverpool
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2021
Lotus: A New Dawn
Lotus: A New Dawn
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Kew Gardens: A Year in Bloom
Johnny Depp: King of Cult
2020
2015
2013
Great White Shark
Great White Shark
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2011
Real Creatures of Dirt
2003
Grumpy Old Men
Grumpy Old Men
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