British actor Ben Kingsley is best known for his portrayl of Mahatma Gandhi in the multi-award winning biopic "Gandhi", for which he won a Best Actor Academy Award.

The star, whose real name is Krishna Bhanji but changed it believing a foreign name would ruin his chances of making it as an entertainer, started acting on stage at Manchester Grammar School. He had hoped to follow in his father's footsteps and become an actor, but after watching a performance of "Richard III" by the Royal Shakespeare Company he changed his career plans.

Being to chose to join the Royal Shakespeare company in 1967 marked the start of Ben's career as a professional actor, being a great achievement especially as he'd had little acting experience. After starring in various Shakespeare plays between 1967 and 1970 with the company, as well as other theater work, he kickstarted his movie career with a supporting role in 1972's "Fear is the Key", which he followed with other minor roles on both the small and big screen, even making an appearance in British soap opera "Coronation Street". After years of hard work, Ben eventually shot to fame with his role in "Gandhi".

To keep top of the acting profession, Ben - who has received countless awards and nominations over the years - avoids being typecast by appearing in various roles, with each one being different from the last. Films he has starred in include: Steven Spielberg's seven Oscar-winning Holocaust epic "Schindler's List", "Sexy Beast" as a psychopathic gangster, "Bugsy" (with Warren Beatty), "Species" as a scientist, "Dave" (with Sigourney Weaver), "Sneakers" (with Robert Redford), "Without a Clue", "Bloodrayne" as Kagan, King of Vampires, "Twelfth Night" as the musical narrator, and "Lucky Number Sleven" (with Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman).

He has also worked on projects outside of the big screen. Including starring in a ground-breaking TV production of "Crime and Punishment", and exercised his singing talents working with Julie Andrews to record an album of songs from Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The King And I". The recording was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Cast Album.

In recognition of Ben's acting achievements, he was awarded a knighthood in the 2001 New Years Honors List.

He has caused controversy by being one of few actors to insist on his title being used. Recently, producer David Puttnam branded Ben as “barmy” after “Sir Ben Kingsley” appeared on promotional posters for the movie "Lucky Number Slevin". But Ben insists it was a mistake, saying he was "was shocked when I found out what had happened. No one's ever asked for the title to be used in this way because that's not the way we work in this profession. It's always been and should always be Ben Kingsley".

Sir is "a nickname and a term of endearment and something I'm very proud of. If I've ever insisted on being called 'Sir' by colleagues on a film set than I am profoundly sorry. I've always been proud of the title, but I've learnt to be quietly proud", he added.