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After London's Globe Theatre burns to the ground in 1613, playwright William Shakespeare stops writing and returns to his home town of Stratford-upon-Avon, much to the surprise of his family members, who he has neglected for two decades. Ben Elton-scripted drama, directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh, with Judi Dench and Ian McKellen
2018
HD
subtitles
16x9
General
Movie/Drama
Cast & Crew
Kenneth Branagh
(Actor)
.. William Shakespeare
Judi Dench
(Actor)
.. Anne Shakespeare
Ian McKellen
(Actor)
.. Earl of Southampton
Jack Colgrave Hirst
(Actor)
.. Tom Quiney
John Dagleish
(Actor)
.. Rafe Smith
More Information
Did You Know..
Kenneth Branagh
(Actor)
.. William Shakespeare
Born:
December 10, 1960
in
Belfast
Best Known For:
Adapting Shakespeare's plays for the big screen.
Early-life:
Kenneth Charles Branagh was born on December 10, 1960, in Belfast, the middle child of a plumber and joiner and a housewife. He has an older brother and a younger sister. They lived in the shadow of a tobacco factory before the family moved to England to escape the Troubles, eventually settling in Reading when Branagh was nine. He lost his Irish accent as soon as possible to avoid being bullied. He loved sport as a teenager, but decided to become an actor after seeing Derek Jacobi play Hamlet on stage.
Career:
After graduating from Rada, he made his West End debut in Another Country and enjoyed success in Northern Ireland with his appearances in three Belfast-set Play for Today productions. He then joined the Royal Shakespeare Company. Despite some big hits, he disliked the organisation's structure and so set up his own theatre company. TV series Fortunes of War made him a star in the UK, but it was his film version of Henry V that catapulted him to global fame. Other films include Peter's Friends, Dead Again, Love's Labours Lost, and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. More recently, he's appeared in TV dramas Conspiracy, Shackleton, 10 Days to War and Wallander, and the movies Rabbit-Proof Fence, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and My Week with Marilyn. He also directed the revamp of Sleuth, The Magic Flute and had a huge hit with blockbuster Thor.
Quote:
'I resist being appropriated as the current repository of Shakespeare on the planet. That would mean I'm part of the English cultural elite, and I am utterly ill-fitted to be.'
Trivia:
Branagh also maintains a stage career.
Judi Dench
(Actor)
.. Anne Shakespeare
Born:
December 09, 1934
in
York
Best Known For:
Her Bond film appearances.
Early-life:
Judith Olivia Dench was born on December 9, 1934, in York, the daughter of a doctor and his Irish wife. She attended Mount School, a Quaker institution, alongside author AS Byatt. She made her stage debut there - as a snail. Originally intending to be an artist, the experience changed her mind. She was also inspired by backstage visits to York Theatre Royal, where her father was the company's GP. She followed older brother Jeffrey to the Central School Of Speech And Drama.
Career:
Dench made her professional debut with the Old Vic Company before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1961, and has frequently worked on stage ever since. She became a household name in the 1980s thanks to sitcom A Fine Romance, for which she won a Bafta. She's also won the award for Four in the Morning, Talking to a Stranger, Iris, The Last of the Blonde Bombshells, Shakespeare In Love (for which she picked up an Oscar too), A Handful of Dust, Mrs Brown and A Room With a View. Other notable productions include Chocolat, Notes on a Scandal, J Edgar, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and its sequel, and several Bond movies, including Skyfall, in which she bowed out as M.
Quote:
'I just feel incredibly lucky to be employed. That's why I sometimes feel desperate, in case I'm not going to be cast again.'
Trivia:
She became a Dame of the British Empire in 1988.
Ian McKellen
(Actor)
.. Earl of Southampton
Born:
May 25, 1939
in
Burnley
Best Known For:
The Lord of the Rings.
Early-life:
Ian Murray McKellen was born in Burnley, Lancashire, on May 25, 1939. His father was a civil engineer, and the family moved to Wigan shortly before the outbreak of World War Two. His parents encouraged his interest in drama and took him to see Peter Pan at Manchester's Opera House when he was three. He appeared in several school plays and acted in 21 undergraduate productions while studying English at St Catherine's College, Cambridge.
Career:
McKellen started out on stage, gaining acclaim in Britain and America, and winning a prestigious Tony award for his performance in the original Broadway production of Amadeus. He didn't become a household name until his film career took off with hits such as Scandal, Richard III, and X-Men and its sequels. He received Oscar nominations for Gods and Monsters and the first part of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. More recently, he reprised the role of Gandalf in The Hobbit movies. He continues to appear on stage.
Quote:
'Acting is no longer about lying. It's now about revealing the truth. People are at ease with me now. Honesty is the best policy.'
Trivia:
Away from acting, McKellen is a campaigner for gay rights and was knighted in 1990.
Jack Colgrave Hirst
(Actor)
.. Tom Quiney
John Dagleish
(Actor)
.. Rafe Smith
