Kenneth Branagh was born in Belfast, where he was educated at Grove Primary School, Belfast; but at the age of nine relocated with his family to Reading in England. He received a honorary doctorate in Literature (D.Litt.) from the Queen's University of Belfast in 1990.

The actor achieved some measure of success in his native Northern Ireland for his role as the title character in the BBC's Play for Today series known as the Billy Plays, written by Graham Reid (writer) and set in Belfast.

He has worked on both stage and screen. He received initial acclaim in the UK for his stage performances, including the title role in Hamlet. He is probably best known for his popular film adaptations of the works of William Shakespeare, beginning with Henry V in 1989 and including versions of Much Ado About Nothing (1993), Love's Labour's Lost (2000) and Hamlet (1996). He has also starred in a number of other films unrelated to Shakespeare, some successful, some not. In recent years, he has branched out into made-for-TV films, none of which he has directed. One of his most acclaimed portrayals has been that of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the film Warm Springs, the story of how FDR sought a cure for his polio by buying the rehabilitation institute at Warm Springs, Georgia, and turning it into one of the most famous rehab institutes in the world. It was nominated for sixteen Emmys and won five, though none for Branagh. Branagh did win an Emmy Award for his performance in the 2001 TV film Conspiracy which is the story of how the Nazis conceived the Final Solution. Branagh played Reinhard Heydrich in the film.

Branagh has been nominated for four Academy Awards, including two for directing and acting in Henry V and another for the screenplay of Hamlet. Branagh was also nominated for the Worst supporting actor "Razzie" in 1999 for his work in the film Wild Wild West.

He starred several times with his then wife, Emma Thompson; they were married in 1989, and divorced in 1995. For several years he was in a well-publicised relationship with Helena Bonham Carter, with whom he also starred. He married again, in 2003, to film art director Lindsay Brunnock, who had been introduced to him by Carter in 1997, although they did not begin seeing each other seriously until 2002. ([1])

He also narrated the book The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis for Harper Audio.

In 1994 Branagh declined to become a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

    * Co-founder of the Renaissance Theatre Company.
    * Cast in the lead role of the film Amadeus until the production company decided to hire American actors instead.
    * Branagh was the youngest actor to receive the Golden Quill (also known as the Gieguld Award) in 2000.
    * He is a Member of the RADA Council.
    * During pre-production of the Star Wars prequel films, there was speculation that he was being considered for the role         of Obi-wan Kenobi.
    * He received an honorary doctorate in Literature from Queen's University of Belfast in 1990.
    * He was considered for the role of Jack Crawford in The Silence of the Lambs.
    * Speaks Italian.
    * Was the object of a scathing joke in the film Blackadder: Back & Forth. During a visit to Elizabethan England,             time-travelling Lord Blackadder has a chance meeting with William Shakespeare himself (played by Colin Firth). He       violently assaults the playwright in retaliation for, among other things, "Ken Branagh's endless, four-hour version of       Hamlet." When Shakespeare draws a complete blank at Branagh's name, Blackadder vows to tell the actor, remarking that       "he'll be very hurt".
    * Is a lifelong supporter of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club