Bill Nighy

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9.3 Superb
34 votes

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Biography

Recent Role:
Dr. Black on Doctor Who
Gender:
Male
Born:
12-12-1949
Birthplace:
Caterham, Surrey, England, UK
Birth Name:
William Francis Nighy
Bill Nighy was born on December 1949 in Caterham. His father managed a garage and the family lived in a flat over the garage. Bill's mother worked as a psychiatric nurse.

At school Bill gained two ‘o' levels in English Language and English Literature and enjoyed reading, particularly Earnest Hemingway. The writings of Hemingway inspired Bill to run away to Paris to write a novel. However, he admits that he got no further than drawing a margin on a page, as he used to do at school when beginning an essay.

On leaving school Bill tried to work at the Croydon



More Advertiser, but didn't have the required 5 ‘o' levels to become a journalist. He went on to work as a messenger boy for the Field magazine.

A girlfriend, already at drama College suggested that Bill should become an actor. She wrote an introductory letter for him, he auditioned and began to train at Guildford school of Dance and Drama.

Since leaving college Bill has found continuous work as an actor. He has worked on stage, screen and radio. Bill thinks that radio is a very glamorous medium.

His stage work includes National Theatre Roles in Tom Stoppard's Arcadia in 1993 and David Hare's King Lear and Skylight. Most recently he was nominated for an Olivier Award for his performance in Blue/Orange.

Film credits include Still Crazy for which he received the Peter Sellers Evening Standard Award for Best Comedy Performance and Lawless Heart for which he won Best Actor at the British Independent film awards.

Bill's partner is actress Diana Quick. They have a daughter Mary who is studying at university and contemplating an acting career. She has already began to appear on TV dramas and radio programmes.

Bill's hobbies include football, books and the music of the Rolling Stones. He was pleased to hear a rumour that the band plays a video of his film Still Crazy on their tour bus. He also enjoys playing air guitar and has said that The Who's 'Won't Get Fooled Again' is the best of all songs for this purpose.

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  •  
    10 Perfect
    Can show emotion and an entire array of humman expressions through tone alone. hide show

    Nighy's voice inflections, use of tone as well as volume bring his characters to life in a way that makes the other characters seem almost shallow. One example is as Davie Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. The fact that his character’s face is not entirely human and yet Nighy still can convey an entire range of emotions with ease and precision is amazing. My favorite scene is the one where Jones and the two Turners are playing dice. The vocal sarcasm and tone differences in the scene make it one of the best of the movie. My other favorite scene is where the viewer is first introduced to Jones as you examine the survivors and Will on the boat. Again, his soft spoken and carefully chosen words completely set the mood for that entire scene.

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    10 Perfect
    empty hide show

    Bill Nighy, what a fabulous actor. Always fantastic in everyone of his movies and giving his best to make his character one of the best in the movie. He is liked by everyone and loves everyone. After learning about his past, I was really impressed by everything he accomplished.

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  •  
    9.1 Superb
    Bill Nighy is a personal favorite of mine. hide show

    I have seen several movies with Bill Nighy and he never disappoints me. He can play drama, comedy and horror and the classics as well. I still giggle everytime I watch Love Actually because his Billy Mack character was brilliant and had the best lines of the whole movie. I thought his portrayal as Victor the head vampire in Underworld was a strong and convincing villian as well. He seems a bit quirky, yet so endearing. The HBO film, Girl in the cafe with him as a boring G8 summit worker was beautifully played and showed another side of his great talent. He is now finally getting his due in the USA by his co-starring in the Pirates of the Carribean movies, playing a squid faced Davey Jones, but the CGI and make-up cannot hide his great facial expressions and those bright blue eyes which light up the character. Cheers Billy and keep acting and I will keep watching you!

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