Ben Whishaw (born 14 October 1980) is an English actor who trained at RADA. Whishaw is best known for his breakthrough role as Hamlet, and plays the lead character in Tom Tykwer's Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 287th day of the year (288th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... is the 287th day of the year (288th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Rada is the term for council or assembly borrowed by Polish from Middle High German Rat (council) and later passed into Czech, Ukrainian, and Belarusian languages. ... Hamlet and Horatio in the cemetery by Eugène Delacroix For other uses, see Hamlet (disambiguation). ... Tom Tykwer (born May 23, 1965 in Wuppertal, Germany) is a German film director. ...

Biography

Background

Whishaw grew up in Bedfordshire, with his twin brother, James, and was a member of the Bancroft Players Youth Theatre at Hitchin's Queen Mother Theatre. During his time with the group, he first rose to prominence during collaborations with their offshoot theatre company, Big Spirit. He was involved in many productions - perhaps most notably, If This Is A Man (also performed as The Drowned & The Saved). This was a piece devised by the company based on the book of the same name by Primo Levi, a survivor of a Nazi World War II prisoner of war camp. This harrowing and moving book was adapted into a physical theatre piece by the group and taken to the 1995 Edinburgh Festival where it garnered five-star reviews and great critical acclaim. Whishaw played the character of Levi in this and subsequent productions of the show. Bedfordshire (abbreviated Beds) is a county in England that forms part of the East of England region. ... , Hitchin is a town in Hertfordshire, England, and has an estimated population of 30,360. ... Primo Levi (July 31, 1919 – April 11, 1987) was a Jewish Italian chemist, Holocaust survivor and author of memoirs, short stories, poems, and novels. ... National Socialism redirects here. ... There is no one Edinburgh Festival but those using the term are usually referring to the collection of various festivals in August and early September of each year in Edinburgh, Scotland. ...

Career

As the lead in Trevor Nunn's 2004 young-cast production of Hamlet at the Old Vic, he received highly favourable reviews. The role was shared with Al Weaver in an unusual arrangement that saw Whishaw playing all nights except for Mondays and matinées. Nunn is reported to have made this arrangement due to the youth of the two actors playing the lead, to relieve some of the pressure on each. It was Whishaw, however, who featured most prominently in the marketing materials and in the majority of reviews. Sir Trevor King (born 14 January 1940) is a loser and film director. ... Hamlet and Horatio in the cemetery by Eugène Delacroix For other uses, see Hamlet (disambiguation). ... The exterior of the Old Vic from the corner of Baylis Road and Waterloo Road. ... Alex Al Weaver (born 1981) is a British actor and a professional air pianist. ...

Whishaw's film and TV credits include Layer Cake and Chris Morris's 2005 sitcom Nathan Barley, in which he played a character called Pingu. He was named 'Most Promising Newcomer' at the 2001 British Independent Film Awards (for My Brother Tom) and, in 2005, nominated as best actor in four award ceremonies for his Hamlet. He also played Keith Richards in the Brian Jones biopic Stoned. For the novel, see Layer Cake (novel) Layer Cake (also spelled L4YER CAK3) is a 2004 British gangster thriller, directed by Matthew Vaughn. ... Chris Morris (born September 5, 1965 in Bristol, England) is an English satirical comedian, writer, producer, director, actor and radio DJ. Morris began his career in radio before later moving into television. ... Nathan Barley is a Channel 4 sitcom written by Charlie Brooker and Chris Morris which follows the exploits of a loathsome, fictional twenty-something London media type. Described by his own creator as a meaningless strutting cadaver-in-waiting, the character originated on Charlie Brookers TVGoHome - a website parodying... The British Independent Film Awards were created in 1998 to celebrate achievement in independently funded British movies. ... Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943) is an English guitarist, songwriter, singer and a founding member of The Rolling Stones in 1962. ... For other persons named Brian Jones, see Brian Jones (disambiguation). ... Stoned is a film released in the UK in 2005. ...

In the spring of 2005, Whishaw received lots of press for his turn as a drug dealer in Philip Ridley's post-apocalyptic fringe play Mercury Fur. Fur was notable especially for the fact that at every performance, at least six audience members walked out of the brash and violent play^{[citation needed]}. Philip Ridley is a multi-talented artist born in London, England. ... This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ...

In Perfume, Whishaw plays Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, a perfume maker whose craft turns deadly. The film was released in Germany in September 2006 and in the U.S. in December 2006.

Whishaw appears in three forthcoming films Pawel Pawlikowski's The Restraint of Beasts, I'm Not There and a new adaptation of Brideshead Revisited. Im Not There is a biographical film reflecting the life of musician Bob Dylan. ... Brideshead Revisited is a 2008 film based on a novel by Evelyn Waugh of the same name. ...

Selected credits

• 1999 - The Trench
• 1999 - The Escort (Mauvaise passe)
• 2000 - Other People's Children (TV series)
• 2001 - Baby (Short film)
• 2001 - My Brother Tom
• 2003 - Ready When You Are Mr. McGill (TV)
• 2003 - The Booze Cruise (TV series)
• 2003 - 77 Beds (short film)
• 2004 - Hamlet (stage play)
• 2004 - The Merchant of Venice
• 2004 - Enduring Love
• 2004 - Layer Cake
• 2005 - Mercury Fur (stage play)
• 2005 - Nathan Barley (TV series)
• 2005 - Stoned
• 2006 - The Seagull (stage play)
• 2006 - Look Back in Anger (radio play)
• 2006 - Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
• 2007 - I'm Not There (awaiting release)
• 2007 - Leaves of Glass (stage play)
• 2007 - Brideshead Revisited (filming)
• 2008 - Bright Star (awaiting release)

The Trench is a 1999 film directed by: William Boyd that portrays a group of young British soldiers on the eve of the Battle of the Somme, the infamous 1916 battle widely considered the worst defeat in British military history. ... Baby is a 1915 film featuring Oliver Hardy. ... Ready When You Are, Mr McGill is a feature length TV drama, written by Jack Rosenthal. ... The Booze Cruise was a feature length comedy drama written for British television on the channel ITV1, shown in 2003. ... Portia and Shylock (1835) by Thomas Sully The Merchant of Venice is one of William Shakespeares best-known plays, written sometime between 1596 and 1598. ... Enduring Love (1997) is a novel by British writer Ian McEwan. ... For the novel, see Layer Cake (novel) Layer Cake (also spelled L4YER CAK3) is a 2004 British gangster thriller, directed by Matthew Vaughn. ... This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ... Nathan Barley is a Channel 4 sitcom written by Charlie Brooker and Chris Morris which follows the exploits of a loathsome, fictional twenty-something London media type. Described by his own creator as a meaningless strutting cadaver-in-waiting, the character originated on Charlie Brookers TVGoHome - a website parodying... Stoned is a film released in the UK in 2005. ... Chekhov in an 1898 portrait by Osip Braz. ... Look Back in Anger (1956) is a John Osborne play and 1958 movie about a love triangle involving an intelligent but disaffected young man (Jimmy Porter), his upper-middle-class, impassive wife (Alison), and her snooty best friend (Helena Charles). ... Im Not There is a biographical film reflecting the life of musician Bob Dylan. ... Leaves of Glass is the sixth adult stage play by Philip Ridley. ... Brideshead Revisited is a 2008 film based on a novel by Evelyn Waugh of the same name. ...

External links

• Ben Whishaw at the Internet Movie Database
• Ben Whishaw at RADA
• Hamilton Hodell, agent