Bill Nighy

Biography: When Nighy became a star with his wickedly funny turn as a boozy and blunt rock star in 2003's Love Actually, he was an overnight success 30 years in the making. Although he had consistently turned in stellar work on stage and screen in his homeland, few folks stateside knew his name. Initially harboring ambitions to become a writer, a teenage Nighy twice ran away from his native England, only to end up penniless in France. At the suggestion of a girlfriend, he turned to performing in the '70s and immediately found his calling, working as a member of Liverpool's Everyman Theatre Company and the traveling troupe Van Load. In the '80s, he forged a fruitful relationship with playwright David Hare, earning raves for his performances in Pravda, Skylight and 1982's A Map of the World, which introduced Nighy to longtime companion Diana Quick, with whom he later had a daughter, Mary. Although his star rose on stage, on screen he was only landing bit parts, mostly on British TV. Nighy'sWhen Nighy became a star with his wickedly funny turn as a boozy and blunt rock star in 2003's Love Actually, he was an overnight success 30 years in the making. Although he had consistently turned in stellar work on stage and screen in his homeland, few folks stateside knew his name. Initially harboring ambitions to become a writer, a teenage Nighy twice ran away from his native England, only to end up penniless in France. At the suggestion of a girlfriend, he turned to performing in the '70s and immediately found his calling, working as a member of Liverpool's Everyman Theatre Company and the traveling troupe Van Load. In the '80s, he forged a fruitful relationship with playwright David Hare, earning raves for his performances in Pravda, Skylight and 1982's A Map of the World, which introduced Nighy to longtime companion Diana Quick, with whom he later had a daughter, Mary. Although his star rose on stage, on screen he was only landing bit parts, mostly on British TV. Nighy's breakthrough came with the 1998 rock-and-roll comedy Still Crazy. While Nighy was just shy of 50, his turn as a washed-up rocker trying to make a comeback struck a chord and turned him into something of an unlikely sex symbol, with his lank frame clad in skin-tight black duds. Five years later, he expanded on this archetype in the ensemble romantic comedy Love Actually, effortlessly stealing every scene he was in and winning a BAFTA award for his work. That same year, Nighy appeared as a veteran vampire in Underworld, and while it wasn't a critical favorite, it did introduce his distinctive, pale mug to the youth set. A plethora of parts followed, in projects both prestigious (the TV-movie Gideon's Daughter, which won him a Golden Globe award) and popular (his villainous turn in the Pirates of the Caribbean flicks), but Nighy continued to approach all his roles with the same dedication and skill. Expand

Bill Nighy's Scores

Average career score: 57
Highest Metascore: 85 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Lowest Metascore: 21 Norm of the North
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 54
  2. Negative: 8 out of 54
54 movie reviews
Title: Year: Credit: User score:
62 Joy Nov 22, 2024 Patrick Steptoe tbd
65 The First Omen Apr 5, 2024 Lawrence tbd
60 The Beautiful Game Mar 29, 2024 Mal tbd
38 Role Play Jan 12, 2024 Bob tbd
81 Living Dec 23, 2022 Williams / Williams tbd
55 Minamata Feb 11, 2022 Robert Hayes / Robert Hayes 7.9
tbd Buckley's Chance Aug 13, 2021 Spencer tbd
tbd StarDog and TurboCat Jun 19, 2020 Sinclair tbd
67 Sometimes Always Never Jun 12, 2020 Executive Producer / Alan 6.9
58 Hope Gap Mar 6, 2020 Edward / Edward / Edward / Edward tbd
71 Emma. Feb 21, 2020 Mr. Woodhouse 6.3
32 The Kindness of Strangers Feb 14, 2020 Timofey / Timofey 5.5
53 Pokémon Detective Pikachu May 10, 2019 Principal Cast / Principal Cast / Howard Clifford / Howard Clifford 7.4
62 The Bookshop Aug 24, 2018 Edmund Brundish 6.5
63 The Limehouse Golem Sep 8, 2017 John Kildare / John Kildare / John Kildare / John Kildare 5.6
76 Their Finest Apr 7, 2017 Cast / Ambrose Hilliard / Ambrose Hilliard/Uncle Frank 6.4
38 Dad's Army Feb 5, 2016 Sergeant Wilson 5.9
21 Norm of the North Jan 15, 2016 Socrates / Socrates 1.3
51 The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Mar 6, 2015 Douglas Ainslie / Douglas Ainslie 6.0
79 Pride Sep 26, 2014 Cliff / Cliff 7.6
30 I, Frankenstein Jan 24, 2014 Cast / Principal Cast / Naberius 4.4
55 About Time Nov 1, 2013 Cast / Principal Cast / Dad 8.5
81 The World's End Aug 23, 2013 The Network / The Network / The Network tbd
77 London - The Modern Babylon Jun 4, 2013 Cast tbd
51 Jack the Giant Slayer Mar 1, 2013 Fallon / General Fallon 6.0
43 Total Recall (2012) Aug 3, 2012 Kuato / Kuato / Matthias / Matthias / Matthias Lair / Matthias Lair 5.5
62 The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel May 4, 2012 Cast / Douglas Ainslie 7.4
37 Wrath of the Titans Mar 30, 2012 Hephaestus 5.2
69 Arthur Christmas Nov 23, 2011 Grandsanta 7.4
42 Chalet Girl Oct 14, 2011 Richard 5.5