
Acting
December 11, 1949 (76 years old)
Caterham, Surrey, England, UK
Also Known As
William Francis Nighy
ויליאם פרנסיס "ביל" ניי
William Francis Nighy (born 12 December 1949) is an English actor. Known for his work on screen and stage, he has received numerous awards, including two BAFTA Awards, a Golden Globe Award and nominations for an Academy Award and a Tony Award.
Nighy started his career with the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool and made his London debut with the Royal National Theatre starting with The Illuminatus! in 1977. There he gained acclaim for his roles in David Hare's Pravda in 1985, Harold Pinter's Betrayal in 1991, Tom Stoppard's Arcadia in 1993, and Anton Chekov's The Seagull in 1994. He received a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor nomination for his performance in Blue/Orange in 2001. He made his Broadway debut in Hare's The Vertical Hour in 2006, and returned in the 2015 revival of Hare's Skylight earning a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play nomination.
Early film roles include in the comedies Still Crazy (1998), and Blow Dry (1999) before his breakout role in Love Actually (2003) which earned him a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor. He soon gained recognition portraying Davy Jones in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series (2006-2007), and Viktor in the Underworld film series (2003-2009). Other films include Shaun of the Dead (2004), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), The Constant Gardener (2005), Notes on a Scandal (2006), Hot Fuzz (2007), Valkyrie (2008), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012), About Time (2013), Emma (2020), and Living (2022), the last of these earning him his first career Academy Award nomination.
Nighy has gained acclaim for his roles in television earning a British Academy Television Award for Best Actor for his performance in BBC One series State of Play (2003), and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for the BBC film Gideon's Daughter (2007). He's also known for his roles in HBO's The Girl in the Café (2006) and PBS's Page Eight (2012).

Shelter
2026

Harlan Coben's Lazarus
2025
as Doctor Lazarus 'Dr L'

& Sons
2025
as Andrew

This Is the Beginning
2025

Bulk
2025
as (voice)

That Christmas
2024
as Lighthouse Bill (voice)

Joy
2024
as Patrick Steptoe

The Wild Robot
2024
as Longneck (voice)

Kent: Garden of England
2024
as Self - Narrator (voice)

Gracie & Pedro: Pets to the Rescue
2024
as Conrad (voice)

10 Lives
2024
as Professor Craven (voice)

The First Omen
2024
as Cardinal Lawrence

The Beautiful Game
2024
as Mal

Role Play
2023
as Bob

Darkling
2023

Spectre of the Bear
2023
as Bennett (voice)

Bloody Fury
2023
as Bloody's Consciousness (voice)

Norfolk & Suffolk: Coast & Country
2023
as Self - Narrator (voice)

The Laughter & Secrets of Love Actually: 20 Years Later – A Diane Sawyer Special
2022
as Self

Living
2022
as Williams