Ben Whishaw

Ben Whishaw

Born 1980-10-14 (age 45) Clifton, Bedfordshire, England, UK
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Biography

Benjamin John Whishaw (born 14 October 1980) is an English actor. He has received various accolades, including three British Academy Television Awards, two Emmy Awards, and a Golden Globe.

Beginning his career in the 2000s, he played the title role in a 2004 production of the play Hamlet. Television roles followed this in Nathan Barley (2005), Criminal Justice (2008) and The Hour (2011–12); and film roles in Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006), I'm Not There (2007), Brideshead Revisited (2008), and Bright Star (2009).

In 2012, Whishaw played the title role in a BBC Two adaptation of Richard II, for which he won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor. The same year, he appeared as Q in the James Bond film Skyfall (2012), going on to reprise the role in Spectre (2015) and No Time to Die (2021). He has voiced Paddington Bear in several projects since Paddington (2014). His other film roles in the 2010s include Cloud Atlas (2012), The Lobster (2015), Suffragette (2015), The Danish Girl (2015), and Mary Poppins Returns (2018).

Whishaw had a leading role in London Spy (2015). For his portrayal of Norman Scott in the miniseries A Very English Scandal (2018), he won a BAFTA, a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor. In 2020, he had a leading role in the fourth season of the black comedy drama Fargo. He has since starred in the BBC medical drama series This Is Going to Hurt (2022), the short film Good Boy (2023), and the Netflix spy thriller series Black Doves (2024).

Photos

Known For

No Time to Die
Skyfall
Skyfall

2012

as Q

Spectre
Spectre

2015

as Q

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

2006

as Jean-Baptiste Grenouille

Paddington
Paddington

2014

as Paddington (voice)

Paddington 2
Paddington 2

2017

as Paddington Brown (voice)

The Lobster
The Lobster

2015

as Limping Man

The Danish Girl
The Danish Girl

2015

as Henrik

Paddington in Peru
Paddington in Peru

2024

as Paddington Brown (voice)

In the Heart of the Sea
In the Heart of the Sea

2015

as Herman Melville

Cloud Atlas
Cloud Atlas

2012

as Cabin Boy / Robert Frobisher / Store Clerk / Georgette / Tribesman

Mary Poppins Returns
Mary Poppins Returns

2018

as Michael Banks

Layer Cake
Layer Cake

2004

as Sidney

Passages
Passages

2023

as Martin

Suffragette
Suffragette

2015

as Sonny Watts

Women Talking
Women Talking

2022

as August

I'm Not There
I'm Not There

2007

as Arthur

Peter Hujar's Day
Peter Hujar's Day

2025

as Peter Hujar

The Zero Theorem
The Zero Theorem

2013

as Doctor 3

A Hologram for the King