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).
Movie | 500 Miles | Unknown | 2025 |
Series | Lazarus | Doctor Lazarus ' Dr L' | 2025 |
Movie | & Sons | Unknown | 2025 |
Movie | 10 Lives | Professor Craven (voice) | 2024-04-18 |
Movie | The First Omen | Cardinal Lawrence | 2024-04-03 |
Movie | Gracie & Pedro: Pets to the Rescue! | Conrad (voice) | 2024-05-01 |
Movie | The Beautiful Game | Mal | 2024-03-22 |
Series | Kent: Garden of England | Narrator | 2024-09-11 |
Movie | That Christmas | Bill (voice) | 2024-11-29 |
Movie | Joy | Patrick Steptoe | 2024-11-15 |
Movie | The Wild Robot | Longneck (voice) | 2024-09-12 |
Series | Norfolk & Suffolk: Coast & Country | Narrator | 2023-09-06 |
Movie | Spectre of the Bear | Bennett (voice) | 2023-10-07 |
Movie | Bloody Fury | Bloody's Consciousness (voice) | 2023-09-23 |
Movie | Darkling | Unknown | 2023-10-23 |
Movie | Role Play | Bob | 2023-12-14 |
Series | The Man Who Fell to Earth | Thomas Jerome Newton | 2022-04-24 |
Movie | Living | Williams | 2022-11-04 |
Movie | The Laughter & Secrets of 'Love Actually': 20 Years Later | Self | 2022-11-29 |
Series | Meerkat Manor: Rise of the Dynasty | Self - Narrator (voice) | 2021-06-05 |
Series | World's Most Scenic River Journeys | Narrator | 2021-04-02 |
Movie | Buckley's Chance | Spencer | 2021-06-24 |
Movie | Lotus: A New Dawn | Self - Narrator | 2021-07-28 |
Series | Iberia's Woodlands: Life on the Edge | Self - Narrator (voice) | 2021-06-29 |
Movie | Christmas Magic at Kew Gardens | Self - Narrator | 2021-12-14 |
Movie | Emma. | Mr. Woodhouse | 2020-02-13 |
Movie | Minamata | Robert "Bob" Hayes | 2020-03-13 |
Movie | Katherine Jenkins Christmas Spectacular | Self | 2020-12-01 |
Movie | Sometimes Always Never | Alan | 2019-03-14 |
Movie | Hope Gap | Edward | 2019-10-03 |
Movie | Pokémon Detective Pikachu | Howard Clifford | 2019-05-03 |
Series | World's Most Scenic Railway Journeys | Narrator (voice) | 2019-10-25 |
Movie | The Kindness of Strangers | Timofey | 2019-12-12 |
Movie | StarDog and TurboCat | Sinclair (voice) | 2019-12-06 |
Series | Ordeal by Innocence | Leo Argyll | 2018-04-01 |
Movie | Red Nose Day Actually | Billy Mack | 2017-03-24 |
Movie | Their Finest | Ambrose Hilliard / Uncle Frank | 2017-02-19 |
Series | Castlevania | Saint Germain (voice) | 2017-07-07 |
Movie | The Bookshop | Mr. Brundish | 2017-11-10 |
Movie | Norm of the North | Socrates (voice) | 2016-01-14 |
Movie | The Limehouse Golem | John Kildare | 2016-10-18 |
Movie | Dad's Army | Sergeant Wilson | 2016-02-05 |
Movie | The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel | Douglas Ainslie | 2015-02-26 |
Movie | A Grand Night In: The Story of Aardman | Self - 'Flushed Away' and 'Arthur Christmas' | 2015-12-26 |
Movie | I, Frankenstein | Naberius | 2014-01-22 |
Series | Late Night with Seth Meyers | Self | 2014-02-25 |
Movie | Turks & Caicos | Johnny Worricker | 2014-03-20 |
Movie | Pride | Cliff | 2014-09-12 |
Movie | National Theatre Live: Skylight | Tom Sergeant | 2014-07-24 |
Movie | Salting the Battlefield | Johnny Worricker | 2014-03-27 |
Movie | Jack the Giant Slayer | General Fallon | 2013-02-27 |
Movie | Dangerous Edge: A Life of Graham Greene | Graham Greene (voice) | 2013-01-01 |
Movie | Great White Shark | Self - Narrator (voice) | 2013-05-24 |
Movie | The Hungry Corpse | The Hungry Corpse | 2013-06-26 |
Movie | About Time | Dad | 2013-09-04 |
Movie | The World's End | The Network (voice) | 2013-07-18 |
Movie | The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel | Douglas Ainslie | 2012-02-23 |
Movie | Wrath of the Titans | Hephaestus | 2012-03-28 |
Movie | Total Recall | Matthias | 2012-08-02 |
Movie | London: The Modern Babylon | Spoken Quotations (voice) | 2012-08-03 |
Movie | Chalet Girl | Richard Madsen | 2011-02-02 |
Movie | Real Creatures of Dirt | Self / Rattlesnake Jake | 2011-07-15 |
Movie | Rango | Rattlesnake Jake (voice) | 2011-03-02 |
Movie | Astonish Me | The Professor | 2011-07-26 |
Movie | Page Eight | Johnny Worricker | 2011-08-28 |
Movie | Arthur Christmas | Grandsanta (voice) | 2011-11-10 |
Movie | Wild Target | Victor Maynard | 2010-06-17 |
Movie | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 | Rufus Scrimgeour | 2010-11-17 |
Series | The Big Art Project | Narrator | 2009-05-10 |
Movie | G-Force | Leonard Saber | 2009-07-24 |
Movie | Underworld: Rise of the Lycans | Viktor | 2009-01-22 |
Movie | The Boat That Rocked | Quentin | 2009-04-01 |
Series | Live from Studio Five | Self | 2009-09-14 |
Series | 10 Minute Tales | Unknown | 2009-12-21 |
Movie | Glorious 39 | Alexander Keyes | 2009-11-20 |
Movie | Astro Boy | Dr. Elefun (voice) | 2009-10-15 |
Movie | A Fox's Tale | Ringmaster (voice) | 2008-04-17 |
Movie | Valkyrie | Friedrich Olbricht | 2008-12-25 |
Movie | Slapper | Arnold Percy | 2008-06-21 |
Movie | Hot Fuzz | Met Chief Inspector | 2007-02-14 |
Movie | Killers Kill, Dead Men Die | The Preacher | 2007-03-13 |
Movie | Conclusive: We Made Hot Fuzz | Self | 2007-06-11 |
Movie | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End | Davy Jones | 2007-05-19 |
Movie | We Love Cigarettes | Narrator | 2006-06-29 |
Movie | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest | Davy Jones | 2006-07-06 |
Movie | Underworld: Evolution | Viktor | 2006-01-12 |
Movie | Anatomy of a Global Thriller: Behind the Scenes of The Constant Gardener | Self | 2006-01-10 |
Series | The One Show | Self | 2006-08-14 |
Movie | Notes on a Scandal | Richard Hart | 2006-12-25 |
Movie | Stormbreaker | Alan Blunt | 2006-07-21 |
Movie | Flushed Away | Whitey (voice) | 2006-10-22 |
Movie | The Girl in the Café | Lawrence | 2005-06-25 |
Movie | The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | Slartibartfast | 2005-04-28 |
Movie | The Magic Roundabout | Dylan (voice) | 2005-02-02 |
Movie | Inside 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' | Self | 2005-07-05 |
Series | Doctor Who | Dr Black | 2005-03-26 |
Movie | Gideon's Daughter | Gideon Warner | 2005-10-21 |
Movie | The Constant Gardener | Sir Bernard Pellegrin | 2005-08-31 |
Movie | The Lost Prince | Stamfordham | 2005-12-18 |
Movie | Don't Crash: The Documentary of the Making of the Movie of the Book of the Radio Series of 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' | Self | 2005-09-05 |
Series | Meerkat Manor | Narrator | 2005-09-02 |
Movie | Shaun of the Dead | Phillip | 2004-04-09 |
Movie | Burst | Maxwell's Fan 22 | 2004-01-01 |
Series | He Knew He Was Right | Colonel Osborne | 2004-04-18 |
Movie | Ready When You Are, Mr McGill | Phil Parish | 2004-09-01 |
Movie | Enduring Love | Robin | 2004-10-29 |
Series | State of Play | Cameron Foster | 2003-05-18 |
Movie | State of Play | Cameron Foster | 2003-05-18 |
Movie | I Capture the Castle | James Mortmain | 2003-05-09 |
Series | The Lost Prince | Stamfordham | 2003-01-19 |
Movie | Love Actually | Billy Mack | 2003-09-07 |
Movie | Below Deck: An Interactive History Of Pirates | Unknown | 2003-12-02 |
Movie | Life Beyond the Box: Norman Stanley Fletcher | Narrator | 2003-12-29 |
Series | Canterbury Tales | James | 2003-09-11 |
Movie | The Young Visiters | Earl of Clincham | 2003-12-26 |
Series | Grumpy Old Men | Self | 2003-10-10 |
Movie | Underworld | Viktor | 2003-09-19 |
Series | The Inspector Lynley Mysteries | Lockwood | 2002-04-08 |
Movie | AKA | Uncle Louis Gryffoyn | 2002-01-19 |
Movie | Lawless Heart | Dan | 2002-06-28 |
Series | Timeshift | self (voice) | 2002-10-10 |
Movie | Lucky Break | Roger | 2001-08-24 |
Movie | Blow Dry | Ray Robertson | 2001-03-01 |
Series | Richard & Judy | Self | 2001-11-26 |
Series | Longitude | Lord Sandwich | 2000-01-02 |
Movie | Longitude | Lord Sandwich | 2000-01-02 |
Series | Black Books | Man at bar | 2000-09-29 |
Series | People Like Us | Will Rushmore | 1999-09-20 |
Movie | Guest House Paradiso | Mr. Johnson | 1999-12-03 |
Movie | Still Crazy | Ray Simms | 1998-10-30 |
Movie | FairyTale: A True Story | Edward Gardner | 1997-10-24 |
Movie | Alive and Kicking | Tristan | 1996-11-08 |
Series | Testament: The Bible in Animation | Belshazzar (voice) | 1996-12-11 |
Movie | True Blue | Jeremy Saville | 1996-11-15 |
Series | Kavanagh Q.C. | Giles Culpepper QC | 1995-01-03 |
Series | Wycliffe | David Cleeve | 1994-07-24 |
Movie | Being Human | Julian | 1994-05-06 |
Series | Eye of the Storm | Tom Frewen | 1993-01-08 |
Movie | Unnatural Causes | Oliver Latham | 1993-01-02 |
Series | Peak Practice | Alan Sinclair | 1993-05-10 |
Movie | Don't Leave Me This Way | John Tracey | 1993-05-30 |
Movie | The Maitlands | Roger Maitland | 1993-11-13 |
Movie | A Masculine Ending | John Tracey | 1992-04-12 |
Series | Performance | Hugh Marriner | 1991-02-22 |
Movie | Absolute Hell | Hugh Marriner | 1991-10-05 |
Movie | Antonia and Jane | Howard Nash | 1990-01-01 |
Series | Making News | Sam Courtney | 1990-01-16 |
Series | Chillers | Tom Dickenson | 1990-04-14 |
Movie | Mack the Knife | Tiger Brown | 1989-11-01 |
Movie | The Phantom of the Opera | Martin Barton | 1989-11-04 |
Series | South Of The Border | Tony Freason | 1988-10-25 |
Movie | Thirteen at Dinner | Ronald Marsh | 1985-09-19 |
Movie | Hitler's SS : Portrait In Evil | Helmut Hoffmann | 1985-02-17 |
Series | The Last Place on Earth | Cecil Meares | 1985-02-18 |
Movie | The Little Drummer Girl | Al | 1984-10-19 |
Movie | Curse of the Pink Panther | ENT Doctor | 1983-08-12 |
Series | Auf Wiedersehen, Pet | Jeffrey Grainger | 1983-11-11 |
Series | Reilly: Ace of Spies | Goschen | 1983-09-05 |
Movie | Under the Skin | Dave | 1982-01-19 |
Movie | Easter 2016 | Connor Mullan | 1982-05-18 |
Movie | Eye of the Needle | Squadron Leader Blenkinsop | 1981-07-24 |
Series | Bergerac | Barry | 1981-10-18 |
Movie | Death Watch | Katherine's Co-worker (uncredited) | 1980-01-23 |
Series | Fox | Colin Street | 1980-03-10 |
Movie | Dreams of Leaving | William | 1980-01-17 |
Movie | Little Lord Fauntleroy | Officer | 1980-12-01 |
Movie | Fox | Colin Street | 1980-03-10 |
Series | Agony | Vincent Fish | 1979-03-11 |
Series | Minder | Oates | 1979-10-29 |
Movie | Soldiers Talking, Cleanly | Bill | 1978-12-05 |
Movie | Occupy! | Player in Everyman Theatre Company, Liverpool | 1976-01-01 |
Series | Play for Today | Dave | 1970-10-15 |
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