
Kenneth Cranham
Known for Acting · 168 credits
- Born
- 1944-12-12 (age 81)
- Place of birth
- Dunfermline - Scotland - UK
- Also known as
- Ken Cranham · Кеннет Крэнем
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
TV Shows (68)

Midsomer Murders
1997
as Jude Langham

Rome
2005
as Gnaeus Pompey Magnus

Death in Paradise
2011
as Father John

Coronation Street
1960
as Roy

Casualty
1986
as James Lawrence

Play for Today
1970
as Alan Grieves / Tom

Crown Court
1972
as John Tucker

Heartbeat
1992
as Charlie Wallace

Minder
1979
as Walter

Agatha Christie's Marple
2004
as Rex Fortescue

Merlin
2008
as Aulfric

Natural World
1983

BBC Play of the Month
1965
as Antonio

Hustle
2004
as Francis Owen

New Tricks
2004

Inside No. 9
2014
as Rupert

Inspector Morse
1987
as Cedric Downes

ITV Playhouse
1967
as Private Seaton

ITV Saturday Night Theatre
1969
as Terry

Lovejoy
1986
as Litvak

Strike
2017
as Dennis Creed

ScreenPlay
1986
as Supt. Cherry / Reggie Titherington / Dick Naughton

The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
1992
as Colonel Schmidt

Moving On
2009
as Mike

Van der Valk
1972
as Dirk Boutsen

Trying
2020
as Barry

Kavanagh Q.C.
1995
as Roy Lawrence

Between the Lines
1992
as DCI Stubbs

The Spanish Princess
2019
as John Morton

Murder Most Horrid
1991
as Insp Salford

War and Peace
2016
as Uncle Mikhail

Brideshead Revisited
1981
as Sergeant Block

Reilly: Ace of Spies
1983
as Lenin

The White Princess
2017
as John Morton

Strangers
1978
as Willie Bruce / DCI Jim Lennard

Shine on Harvey Moon
1982
as Harvey Moon

Enemy at the Door
1978
as Jack Foster

New Scotland Yard
1972
as David Collins

The Play on One
1988
as Peter / Joe Shawcross / Teddy Rose

Budgie
1971
as Inky Ballantine

Murder Investigation Team
2003
as Ray Morgan

Cribb
1980
as Francis Mostyn-Smith

Danger UXB
1979
as Sapper Salt / L / Corporal Salt

In the Flesh
2013
as Vicar Oddie

Tess of the D'Urbervilles
2008
as Mr Clare

Bancroft
2017
as Charlie Haverstock

Our Mutual Friend
1998
as Silas Wegg

Heroes and Villains
2007

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
1996
as Reverend Michael Millward

The Line of Beauty
2006
as Sir Maurice Tipper

Hatton Garden
2019
as Brian Reader

Theatre Night
1985
as Stanley

Lilies
2007
as Health Inspector

From a Bird's Eye View
1970
as Tim O'Donovan

Finding Alice
2021
as Gerry

Chimera
1991
as Hennessey

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
1990
as Pastor Finch

Neil Gaiman's Likely Stories
2016

Believe Nothing
2002
as DI Aldiss
The Addictions of Sin: WH Auden in His Own Words
2009
as W H Auden
Movies (100)

Maleficent
2014
as King Henry

Hot Fuzz
2007
as James Reaper

Valkyrie
2008
as Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel

A Good Year
2006
as Sir Nigel

Layer Cake
2004
as Jimmy Price

The Legend of Hercules
2014
as Lucius

Official Secrets
2019
as Judge Hyam

Hellbound: Hellraiser II
1988
as Dr. Philip Channard / Channard Cenobite

Oliver!
1968
as Noah Claypole

Mr. Jones
2019
as Lloyd George

Closed Circuit
2013
as Cameron Fischer

The Boxer
1997
as Matt MaGuire

Born a King
2019
as Lord Curzon

Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool
2017
as Joe Turner

Made in Dagenham
2010
as Monty Taylor

Chocolat
1988
as Jonathan Boothby
Night Flight
2002
as Ted Atwell

Bed of Roses
1996
as Simon

5 Days of War
2011
as Michael Stilton

Kevin & Perry Go Large
2000
as Vicar

Dead Man's Folly
1986
as Insp. Bland

Robin and Marian
1976
as Jack's Apprentice

Under Suspicion
1991
as Frank Vance

Gangster No. 1
2000
as Tommy

Brother Sun, Sister Moon
1972
as Paolo

Trauma
2004
as DC Jackson

Blackball
2003
as Chairman Collins

Vigo
1998
as The Producer

RPM
1998
as Biggerman

Pollyanna
2003
as Mr. Pendleton

Women Talking Dirty
2001
as George

Mangal Pandey - The Rising
2005
as Mr. Kent

Shiner
2000
as Gibson

Fragment of Fear
1970
as Joe

Killing Hitler
2003
as Brigadier Sir Stewart Menzies

Stealing Heaven
1988
as Vice Chancellor Suger

Sparkling Cyanide
2003
as George Barton

Otley
1969
as Kid

Two Men Went To War
2002
as Sgt. Peter King

Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen
2009
as MJ O'Loughlin

The Night Watch
2011
as Horace Mundy

Born Romantic
2000
as Barney

The Most Fertile Man in Ireland
2000
as Da

Prospero's Books
1991
as Sebastian

Flying Blind
2013
as Victor

Hannibal: Rome's Worst Nightmare
2006
as Narrator

The Chatterley Affair
2006
as Older Keith

Suspension of Disbelief
2012
as Bullock

The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Espionage Escapades
2000
as Colonel Schmidt

Leviathan: The Story of Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II
2015
as Self

All the Way Up
1970
as Tom Midway

The Murder of Stephen Lawrence
1999
as Michael Mansfield QC

Vampira
1974
as Paddy

Sinking of the Lusitania: Terror at Sea
2007
as Captain Turner

Joseph Andrews
1977
as The Wicked Squire

Requiem Apache
1994
as Tony

Up Pompeii
1971
as Christian

Heroes & Villains: Napoleon
2007
as General Carteaux

The Changeling
1974
as Antonio

The Sin Bin
1981
as Alan Grieves

The Merchant of Venice
1980
as Gratiano

Just Another Secret
1989
as Brosch

National Theatre Live: The Cherry Orchard
2011
as Firs

The Vision Thing
1993
as Dick Naughton

The Caretaker
1981
as Aston

Joe Orton Laid Bare
2017
as Himself

Royal Celebration
1993
as Douglas

Monkey Boy
1992
as Hennessey

Egon Schiele: Dangerous Desires
2018
as Leopold Czihaczek

The Party
1988
as Joe Shawcross

Lady Audley's Secret
2000
as Sir Michael Audley
The Last Yellow
1999
as Len

Harold Pinter: A Celebration
2010
as Self
Man Dancin'
2004
as D.I. Walter 'Pancho' Villers

On Dangerous Ground
1996
as Brigadier Charles Ferguson

Normal Service
1988
as Peter

Deep in the Heart
1996
as Robert Flaherty

A Little Bit of Lippy
1992
as Reggie Titherington

Graffiti Wars
2011
as Narrator (Voice)

Making Waves
1987
as Joe Nash

Tale of a Vampire
1993
as Edgar

A Master of the Marionettes
1989
as Teddy

'Tis Pity She's a Whore
1980
as Giovanni

A Genius Like Us: A Portrait of Joe Orton
1982
as Self
Donkeys' Years
1980
as Bill Taylor

Panto!
2012
as Jerry

Midnight Man
1997
as Brigadier Charles Ferguson

Lady Windermere's Fan
1985
as Lord Darlington

The Dumb Waiter
1985
as Gus

Achilles Heel
1973
as Gordon

The Black and Blue Lamp
1988
as Supt. Cherry

The Birthday Party
1987
as Stanley Webber

The Man from Montevideo
2007
as Gary Solway
The Lavender List
2006
as Harold Wilson

Sling Your Hook
1969
as Roland

Butterflies Don't Count
1978
as Tom

Dark Ditties Presents: The Offer
2017
as The Host

The Voynich Mystery
2002
as Narrator

Death of a Private
1967
as Young intellectual

Hannibal: The Man Who Hated Rome
2004
as Narrator
About Kenneth Cranham
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… With 168 credits spanning from 1960 to 2021, Kenneth Cranham has appeared in 100 films and 68 TV shows.
Fans searching for Kenneth Cranham movies, Kenneth Cranham filmography, or the latest projects starring Kenneth Cranham can stream many of these titles on CineFlixo, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Kenneth Cranham Movies
- Maleficent (2014) — as King Henry
- Hot Fuzz (2007) — as James Reaper
- Valkyrie (2008) — as Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel
- A Good Year (2006) — as Sir Nigel
- Layer Cake (2004) — as Jimmy Price
Where to Watch Kenneth Cranham Films
Most Kenneth Cranham movies and series are available to stream on CineFlixo in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Kenneth Cranham, check our movies catalogue and browse page.