The much-beloved British character Bill Nighy just might earn his first Oscar nomination for a rare lead role as a career diplomat in “Living.” The film is adapted from a screenplay based on the 1952 film “Ikiru,”directed by Akira Kurosawa. Nighy plays Mr. Williams, a stodgy bowler-wearing London diplomat who is part of a team that slashes its way through a wall of bureaucracy. He then learns he has a terminal disease and only has weeks to live. Thanks to his closest work ally and friend Margaret (Aimee Lou Wood), he finds a way to give back to the community he has served as he leaves behind a special gift of a playground.
While Nighy has been in the running for other acting prizes on film, stage and TV, it’s about time that this icon of British cinema deserves to get for a little gold man. Tour our ranked photo gallery with 14 of his films, ranked worst to best. Our list includes “Living,” “Love Actually,” “Harry Potter,” “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” and more.
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14. STILL CRAZY (1998)
Image Credit: Ronald Siemoneit/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images Director: Brian Gibson
Writer: Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais
Starring: Stephen Rea, Billy Connolly, Timothy Spall, Juliet Aubrey, Helen Bergström, Bill Nighy
Consider this Nighy’s warm-up role for “Love Actually” as he plays a lead singer from ‘70s band named Strange Fruit. The band decides to reunite. He plays lead singer Ray Simms, who, after years of drug and alcohol abuse, is now sober. Though claiming to be working on a solo album, Simms has not released anything in 10 years. In his review, Roger Ebert described his character as a “cadaverous poseur living in a Victorian mansion with his bossy Swedish wife while he keeps his gold records stored in a crypt. Meanwhile, Ray suffers a nervous breakdown, exacerbated by turning 50. Ray leaves the gig, buys drugs and literally falls off the wagon and tumbles into a canal. It is Rea’s roadie Tony who saves the day when the band starts the set with the song they last played years at the Wisbech Festival, namely “The Flame Still Burns.” It isn’t in the same league as “This is Spinal Tap” or “The Rutles,” but it mostly gets the job done.
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13. PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN franchise (2006; 2007; 2017)
Image Credit: ©Disney Enterprises, Inc., All rights reserved Director: Gore Verbinski
Writers: Ted Elliot, Terry Rossio
Starring: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightly, Bill Nighy
In this film franchise, Nighy is barely recognizable as Davy Jones of locker fame as he sports multiple fleshy tentacles attached to his face. He is first mentioned in “The Curse of the Black Pearl “and makes a cameo appearance in “Dead Men Tell No Tales” Once a mortal pirate of Scottish descent, Jones is the tyrannical captain of the Flying Dutchman based on the ghost ship of the same name and is the dark lord of the Seven Seas. Computer-generated imagery brought Nighy’s character to life, which allowed the team at Industrial Light and Magic to win an Oscar for visual effects.
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12. THEIR FINEST (2016)
Image Credit: Nicola Dove Director: Lone Scherfig
Writer: Gaby Chiappe
Starring: Gemma Atherton, Sam Claflin, Jack Huston, Jake Lacey, Eddie Marsan, Jeremy Irons, Richard E. Grant, Bill Nighy
When there is a global call to arms, the uplifting escape that movies can offer is a necessity and the unique insight that women provide is essential. Both are especially needed when, at any given moment, death lurks around the corner and chin-up optimism is in short supply. That is the rah-rah message behind “Their Finest,” which attempts to wed a ‘30s-style workplace screwball comedy with a misty-eyed World War II drama and, save for a few patchy spots, mostly succeeds. As Catrin Cole, Atherton is a displaced Welsh lass in 1940, who is in need of rent money. But no one fulfills his duty better than that lanky slice of wry known as Bill Nighy, who plays an aging matinee idol making hay as younger thespians are otherwise engaged in the war. As Ambrose Hilliard, the star of a pre-war detective series, Nighy is never less than splendid, whether cozying up to Catrin so she plumps up his self-sacrificing role as drunken Uncle Frank and patiently coaching the real-life Audie Murphy-style American war hero in the cast (Jake Lacy aka leadenness personified) is used as bait for Yankee ticket buyers or conducting a sentimental group sing-a-long in a pub.
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11. THE BOOKSHOP (2017)
Image Credit: Robert Marquardt/Getty Images Director and Writer: Isabel Coixet
Starring: Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson, Bill Nighy, and Julie Christie as the narrator
Emily Mortimer, Bill Nighy and Patricia Clarkson in one movie? That is a dream team right there. Despite such a quality cast, however, “The Bookshop” will likely test the patience of those who require peppier pacing and more compelling drama, even in a well-meaning film set in a British seaside village in 1959. Director Isabel Coixet’s screenplay, based on Penelope Fitzgerald’s novel, focuses on Florence, a young widow (Mortimer) who decides to open a book store in an old damp house in the heart of the community. That is despite protestations by the town’s wealthy grand dame, Violet (Clarkson), who wants to use the same property for a local arts center — and will stoop to any means to get her way. As for Nighy, he plays Edmund Brundish, a crusty widower who has essentially been a recluse for decades. He does love to read, but as the film’s narrative voice-over tells us, he dislikes the idea that actual people wrote the books. He wants to believe that the novels came about through “spontaneous generation” and spends quality time tearing off and burning any dust jacket carrying the likeness of its author. Such behavior is a trademark of the town.
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10. ABOUT TIME (2013)
Image Credit: Rob Kim/Getty Images Director: Richard Curtis
Writer: Richard Curtis
Starring: Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Tom Hollander, Margot Robbie, Bill Nighy
Tim Lake (Gleeson) grows up in Cornell in a house by the sea with his father James (Nighy), mother Mary, absent-minded uncle Desmond, and free-spirited sister Katherine, whose nickname is “Kit Kat”. On his 21st birthday, Tim learns from his father that the men of his family have the ability to travel back in time to moments they have lived before. James discourages his son from using his gift to acquire money or fame, and Tim decides he will use it to improve his love life. That the news is delivered in the most charming off-handedly fashion by his father in the form of Nighy, who never fails to amuse at the very least and astonishes almost always whenever he is onscreen, undercuts the questions that nitpickers might have about the process. One major caveat: You can only revisit and revise portions of your own life. Or as Nighy puts it, “You can’t kill Hitler or shag Helen of Troy.” That Tim tends to go into a Narnia-esque wardrobe to begin his detours into the past adds a quaintly homey touch that is light years away from “Star Trek” or even H.G. Wells. However fuzzy are the rules of the magic are, it is fun to witness Nighy’s ping-pong pantomime at the very least.
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9. UNDERWORLD (2003), UNDERWORLD: EVOLUTION (2006), UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS (2009)
Image Credit: Courtesy of Screen Gems Director: Len Wiseman
Writer: Danny McBride
Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Shane Brolly, Bill Nighy, Michael Sheen, Sophia Myles, Robbie Gee
Nighy has been participated in several film franchises, which includes this werewolf-vampire hybrid. He rarely gets to play a bad dude on screen, but he gets to do so as the vampire elder Viktor, a Hungarian general and warlord born sometime in the 4th or early 5th century. As he nears the end of his life, Markus Corvinus, the first true vampire offers immortality in exchange for the leader’s military expertise in fighting against werewolves, spawn of Markus’ twin brother William. Viktor eventually becomes vampire elder. While film critics were dismissive of the series of films, audiences seemed to enjoy the concept. Underworld tells the story of Selene ( Beckinsale), a Death Dealer bent on destroying the lycans, who allegedly killed her family. She discovers that the lycans are pursuing a human, Michael Corvin (Speedman), for experimentation; Selene captures Michael herself to find out what the lycans are up to. Along the way, Selene not only discovers a mutinous plot to destroy the vampire Elders, but also a shocking revelation about her father figure Elder, Viktor.
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8. SHAUN OF THE DEAD (2004)
Image Credit: Gareth Davies/Getty Images Director: Edgar Wright
Writers: Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright
Starring: Simon Pegg , Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Nick Frost, Dylan Moran, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton
This zom-com stars Simon Pegg as Shaun, a 29-year old slacker who lives in London and doesn’t get along with his stepfather Philip – played by Nighy — and is given the boot by his girlfriend Liz when he fails to celebrate their three-year anniversary together. The next day, the zombie apocalypse is overwhelming the city. They escape in Pete’s car and pick up Philip, who has been bitten, and Barbara. After Ed deliberately crashes Pete’s car, they use Philip’s Jaguar to pick up Liz and her flatmates, David and Dianne. Philip reconciles with Shaun before Philip becomes a zombie. Soon, Shaun is distraught when he is forced to shoot his mother. At 6-foot-2, the lanky Nighy barely has much meat his bones. Somehow in a comedy, however, he possesses a quality that generates instinctive sympathy. When he realizes he has been bit, there is something endearing about his response. It has been clearly established that such bites always lead to death and then rebirth as a zombie. Once bitten, your doom is sealed. But listen to Phil sweetly reassures them, “I ran it under the tap.”
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7. NOTES ON A SCANDAL (2006)
Image Credit: Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures Director: Richard Eyre
Writer: Patrick Marber
Starring: Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett, Bill Nighy, Andrew Connolly
History teacher Barbara Covett (Dench) has never married and is near retirement. She also has contempt for her students and fellow instructors. Her only comfort is the diary she keeps. When a new art teacher, Sheba Hart (Blanchett), joins the staff, Barbara is immediately attracted by her and they forge a friendship. Sheba’s husband Richard (Nighy) is quite a bit older than her. She is just re-entering the work force after tending to her special-needs son. But Barbara catches Sheba having sex with a 15-year-old male student. She asks her friend to not tell the school administration until after Christmas. Barbara tells her she isn’t going to rat her out. Over the holidays Barbara visits her sister and she asks if she has any other female friends, implying she is a lesbian. Sheba tells Steven her student that their affair is over yet she can’t stop. Sheba’s husband asks her to move out of their home and she then moves into Barbara’s house. She then discovers her friend’s diary and learns it was her who ratted her out. She leaves Barbara, and is eventually sentenced to 10 months in prison and ultimately reconciles with her family. The film earned four Oscar nominations – Best Actress for Dench, Best Supporting Actress for Blanchett, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score for Philip Glass.
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6. PRIDE (2014)
Image Credit: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox Director: Matthew Warchus
Writer: Stephen Beresford
Starring: Ben Schnetzer, Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton. Dominic West, Paddy Considine, Andrew Scott, George MacKay, Joseph Gilgun
During the 1984 Miners Strike, an unexpected source of help for the workers — namely activists in Britain’s gay community. When their offer of help is rejected by many miners. Upon watching the news about the strike, gay activist Mark Ashton (Schnetzer) realizes that the police have stopped harassing the gay community because their attention is elsewhere. He spontaneously arranges a bucket collection for the miners during the Gay Pride Parade in London. Encouraged by the success, he founds “Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners.” Among its first members are 20-year-old closeted student Joe Cooper and an older gay couple Gethin and Jonathan, whose bookshop Gay’s the Word serves as their headquarters. Nighy plays Cliff Barry, the leader of the men’s union. In interviews to promote the film, the actor said that the emancipation of gay men and women in the UK in the post-Margaret Thatcher years was one of the greatest things to have happened in his lifetime.
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5. HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 1 (2010)
Image Credit: Courtesy Image Director: David Yates
Writer: Stephen Beresford
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Bill Nighy
There was no way that Nighy wouldn’t be tapped for a role in the Harry Potter franchise since nearly every notable British character actor in Ol’ Blighty has been recruited for the for this franchise. His Rufus Scrimgeour, who is Welsh and a compassionate character, serves as the Minister for Magic of the United Kingdom until his death, succeeding Cornelius Fudge. He is described as looking like an old lion with tawny hair and bushy brows, yellow eyes and wire-rimmed spectacles. Before being selected as minister, he headed Auror Office of Ministry. He is scarred from his years of service as an Auror, which has given him an appearance of shrewd toughness.
Harry, however, is grateful that Scrimgeour for protecting him. He is rumored to have been tortured for Harry’s whereabouts by Ministry officials, under the control of the Imperious Curse, before he is killed. Harry felt a “rush of gratitude” to hear that Scrimgeour, in his final act before he died, attempted to protect Harry by refusing to disclose his location.
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4. ARTHUR CHRISTMAS ( 2011)
Image Credit: Courtesy of Aardman Animations for Sony Pictures Animation Director: Sarah Smith
Writer: Sarah Smith and Peter Baynham
Starring: James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton, Ashley Jensen, Bill Nighy
Bill Nighy lent his voice to Grandsanta, the 136-year-old grumpy but fun-loving grandfather of Steve and Arthur Claus, a staunchly traditional former Santa who dislikes the modern world. A post-retirement joyriding incident which led to him almost causing a War caused the family to ban him from flying. He comes out of retirement to help Arthur save Christmas, though his unfamiliarity with the modern world leads them into trouble. He was Malcolm’s predecessor and the 19th Santa, serving from 1902 to 1941. Nighy, who has done his share of animated voice-over work, earned an Annie Award for his efforts here.
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3. THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL (2011), THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL (2015)
Image Credit: Courtesy Image Director: John Madden
Writer: Ol Parker
Starring: Dev Patel, Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson, Maggie Smith, Penelope Wilton, Celia Imrie, Ronald Pickup, Bill Nighy, Richard Gere
Several British pensioners decide to move to Jaipur, India to stay at the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. They include Evelyn Greenside (Dench), a widowed housewife who must sell her house to pay off her husband’s debts. Graham Dashwood (Wilkinson} is a High Court Judge, who lived in Jaipur as a child decides to retire. Pessimistic Jean and Douglas Ainslie (Nighy and Wilton) hope to have an affordable retirement, thanks to their daughter’s internet business. Muriel Donnelly (Smith), a former housekeeper, decides to get a cheaper hip operation in India. Madge Hardcastle (Imrie), after several tries at marriage, searches for romance overseas while Norman Cousins (Pickup), an aging lothario trying to relive his youth. Meanwhile, Graham tells Evelyn he is gay and he has reunited with a lost lover. He passes away due to a heart condition. After Graham’s funeral, Evelyn breaks down in Douglas’s arms over her husband’s death. Jean, meanwhile, accuses her husband of having an affair. Instead, Douglas denounces their marriage. Meanwhile, Sonny (Patel) is disheartened when his mother rejects his girlfriend Sunaina. Evelyn steps in and encourages him to express his love for her.
As for the sequel, Gere joins the cast as Guy Chambers, who meets Sonny and Muriel as they travel to San Diego to propose a second hotel in India. They are told that a company inspector will anonymously visit India to evaluate their plans. Evelyn, meanwhile, is going steady with Douglas. She is offered a job as a fabric buyer but she worries that age 79, it much be too. Plus, Douglas, who loves Evelyn, is worried about losing time with her. He also wants her to meet his daughter. She travels to India for a visit with his estranged wife Jean — who returned to the UK at the end of the first film. She is seeking a divorce so she can remarry. Muriel, who receives bad news during a medical appointment, struggles to keep from ruining Sonny’s wedding, his business and his future. Decisions about their lives come to a head for all during the colorful wedding.
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2. LIVING (2022)
Image Credit: Courtesy Image Director: Oliver Hermanus
Writer: Kazuo Ishiguro, adapted from the 1952 film Ikiru
Starring: Bill Nighy, Aimee Lou Wood, Alex Sharp, Tom Burke
Nighy is front and center in a rare dramatic lead role as bowler-hatted Mr. Williams, a lifelong government bureaucrat who works in early 1950s London with his younger paper-pusher colleagues. There is old time graininess on the screen that reflects the era. He is a pro at shoveling the papers in and out of the office. But his routine is upset when he learns he has only months to live due to a fatal illness. Then a newbie joins the staff, namely Mr. Wakeling (Sharp). This long time civil servant and widower who lives with his adult son finally decide to stop working and begin living thanks to his younger colleagues. Meanwhile, he has lunch with his spirited co-worker Margaret (Wood). Williams becomes inspired to spend the rest of his days trying to finally try to bring an abandoned construction project that will serve the community.
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1. LOVE ACTUALLY (2003)
Image Credit: rune hellestad/Corbis via Getty Images Director: Richard Curtis
Writer: Richard Curtis
Starring: Bill Nighy, Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, Laura Linney, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Martine McCutchen, Bill Nigh and Rowan Atkinson
This yuletide classic starts with rock and roll legend Billy Mack (Bill Nighy) singing a Christmas version of the Troggs’ 1967 song “Love is All Around.” He is performing naked while his guitar covers his naughty bits. Although he doesn’t think his version isn’t very good, he promotes the heck of the release known as “Christmas is All Around.” He also changes the lyrics from the original to come on and let it snow. He hopes it will be the season’s number one single, which it does.
While all the stories are linked in some way , Billy and his manager Joe (Gregor Fisher) may not connect with the other characters physically, Billy shows up on radios and TVs and his music video twice providing an important plot for Sam’s pursuit of Joann.
All the stories are linked in some way; while Billy Mack and his manager may not connect with any of the other characters physically, Billy appears frequently on characters’ radios and TVs, with his music video twice providing an important plot device for Sam’s pursuit of Joanna, and they also cross paths with the other characters in the closing Heathrow scene. Billy foregoes a victory party hosted by Elton John. But Joe and Billy rather enjoy their holiday by getting drunk and watching porn together. Nighy won a supporting actor BAFTA award for his work.
