William Francis "Bill" Nighy is an English actor and comedian. He worked in theatre and television before his first cinema role in 1981, and made his name in television with The Men's Room in 1991, in which he played the womanizer Prof. Mark Carleton, whose extramarital affairs kept him "vital".
Background[]
Before appearing in film and television, Nighy began his career acting in theatre at the Royal National Theatre. He won an Olivier Award for his appearance in the play Blue/Orange and also appeared in the highly acclaimed Arcadia. He also performed radio and television dramas, and he currently claims that the show The Men's Room is what made him famous. Amongst others, he portrayed Samwise Gamgee in the 1981 radio series The Lord of the Rings.
Nighy's first film role was in the 1981 film, Eye of the Needle. That same year, he also appeared in the TV series Agony as Vincent Flash. He began to rise to fame amongst American audiences with his appearance as a Vampire in Underworld. In 2004, he won a Bafta Award for his role in Love Actually. His appearance in the highly acclaimed comedy Shaun of the Dead also helped to cement his role as an icon of pop culture. He later had a small role in Hot Fuzz, which was directed and written by the same people as Shaun of the Dead.
Arguably Nighy's most famous role is his portrayal of Davy Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. For this role, Nighy's face was mostly obscured by CGI to create the appearance of a character with moving tentacles on his face. He followed up Pirates of the Caribbean by appearing in another multi-billion dollar franchise, playing Rufus Scrimgeour in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1.
Most recently, Nighy appeared in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Wrath of the Titans and the remake of Total Recall. In 2013, he appeared as a giant in Jack the Giant Slayer.
Underworld[]
Bill Nighy as Viktor in Underworld.
Nighy "walked in off the street" to audition for the role of Vampire overlord Viktor in the 2003 film Underworld. For the film, he was covered in prosthetics for several scenes that depicted Viktor after first being awakened from hibernation.
He reprised the role of Viktor in the sequel, Underworld: Evolution, in which Viktor is shown in several flashbacks. In 2009, Nighy took the role for a third time in Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, where Viktor acted as the primary antagonist. Nighy stated in Underworld's behind the scenes spots that the original Underworld is "the best vampire film of all time".
Trivia[]
- Nighy appeared in the 2012 version of Total Recall, which was directed by Len Wiseman, who also directed Underworld and Underworld: Evolution, and wrote and produced Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. Total Recall also starred actress Kate Beckinsale, who portrayed Viktor's progeny Selene in the Underworld series.
Videos[]
| v · e |
|---|
| Actors |
| Major Actors |
| Kate Beckinsale - Scott Speedman - Shane Brolly - Bill Nighy - Sophia Myles - Michael Sheen - Kevin Grevioux |
| Other Actors |
| Zita Görög - Erwin Leder - Scott McElroy - Richard Cetrone - Mike Mukatis - Wentworth Miller - Jázmin Dammak - Todd Schneider - Dennis J. Kozeluh - Robbie Gee - Sándor Bolla - Hank Amos - Danny McBride - Ildikó Kovács - Judit Kuchta - Attila Pinke |
| Direction |
| Len Wiseman |
| Production |
| Gary Lucchesi - Robert Bernacchi - Tom Rosenberg |
| Writing |
| Danny McBride - Kevin Grevioux - Len Wiseman |
| Music |
| Paul Haslinger |
| v · e |
|---|
| Actors |
| Major Actors |
| Kate Beckinsale - Scott Speedman - Tony Curran - Derek Jacobi - Brian Steele - Shane Brolly - Steven Mackintosh |
| Other Actors and Stunts |
| Bill Nighy - Zita Görög - Michael Sheen - Christine Danielle - Kaja Gjesdal - John Mann - Andrew Kavadas - Sophia Myles - Scott McElroy - Kayla Levins - Lily Mo Sheen - Mike Mukatis - Richard Cetrone - Todd Schneider |
| Direction |
| Len Wiseman |
| Production |
| Gary Lucchesi - Len Wiseman - Danny McBride - Kevin Grevioux - Tom Rosenberg |
| Writing |
| Danny McBride - Len Wiseman |
| Music |
| Marco Beltrami |
| v · e |
|---|
| Actors |
| Major Actors |
| Michael Sheen - Rhona Mitra - Bill Nighy - Kevin Grevioux - Steven Mackintosh |
| Other Actors |
| Kate Beckinsale - Craig Parker - Elizabeth Hawthorne - David Aston - Larry Rew - Tania Nolan - Jared Turner - Edwin Wright |
| Direction |
| Patrick Tatopoulos |
| Production |
| Len Wiseman - Gary Lucchesi - Tom Rosenberg - Skip Williamson |
| Writing |
| Len Wiseman - Danny McBride |
| Music |
| Paul Haslinger |