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Ben Whishaw

Ben Whishaw

Actor, also producer · Born October 14, 1980 (46) · Clifton, Bedfordshire, England, UK

Primetime Emmy winner · Golden Globe winner · 3 BAFTA Awards · 4 other major award bodies

Benjamin John Whishaw (born 14 October 1980) is an English actor. He has received various accolades, including three British Academy Television Awards, two Emmy Awards, and a Golden Globe. Beginning his career in the 2000s, he played the title role in a 2004 production of the play Hamlet. Television roles followed this in Nathan Barley (2005), Criminal Justice (2008) and The Hour (2011–12); and film roles in Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006), I'm Not There (2007), Brideshead Revisited (2008), and Bright Star (2009). In 2012, Whishaw played the title role in a BBC Two adaptation of Richard II, for which he won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor. The same year, he appeared as Q in the James Bond film Skyfall (2012), going on to reprise the role in Spectre (2015) and No Time to Die (2021). He has voiced Paddington Bear in several projects since Paddington (2014). His other film roles in the 2010s include Cloud Atlas (2012), The Lobster (2015), Suffragette (2015), The Danish Girl (2015), and Mary Poppins Returns (2018). Whishaw had a leading role in London Spy (2015). For his portrayal of Norman Scott in the miniseries A Very English Scandal (2018), he won a BAFTA, a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor. In 2020, he had a leading role in the fourth season of the black comedy drama Fargo. He has since starred in the BBC medical drama series This Is Going to Hurt (2022), the short film Good Boy (2023), and the Netflix spy thriller series Black Doves (2024).

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
October 14, 1980 (46)
From
Clifton, Bedfordshire, England, UK
Works as
Actor, also producer
Titles
46 on MovieCove · 77 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 22% in 30 days

What are Ben Whishaw's films like?

Across their 42 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Drama11 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 68th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Biography7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 78th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Comedy6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 33rd percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 81st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Adventure4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 81st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 90th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 78th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
28%
Bonds
24%
Survival
12%
Society
12%
Morality
11%
Power
10%
Ideas
4%
Identity12 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds9 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose6 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom7 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity7 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation5 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 37 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 9 · Serious 5 · Dark 23

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 11 · Stylized 12 · Heightened 14

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 7 · Charged 16 · Intense 14

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 14 · Shifting 13 · Whiplash 10

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 22 · Some laughs 14 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 17 · Even-paced 18 · Relentless 2

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 8 · Engaged 21 · Full focus 8

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 8 · Affecting 8 · Heavy 21

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 17 · Open-ended 10 · Ambiguous 10

Roles they play

30 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 11 of 30 analyzed roles.

Hero
11 of 30
Shadow
5 of 30
Shapeshifter
5 of 30
Mentor
3 of 30
Trickster
3 of 30
Ally
3 of 30
Show the 30 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
25
Melancholic
24
Contemplative
13
Bittersweet
9
Warm
8
Other
44

How their films linger

Thought-provoking19 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 5 with a twist

  • Happy8
  • Bittersweet15
  • Tragic9
  • Ambiguous9
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Ben Whishaw's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 32 of their 46 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (9).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Ben Whishaw's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

77 credits, 46 with a MovieCove page; 6 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Elden Ring (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2028)

    Actor

  • Bruvvas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    as He

  • David Attenborough's 100 Years on Planet Earth(2026)

    as Paddington Bear

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Peter Hujar's Day(2025)

    Executive Producer · as Peter Hujar

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • The Gay Collection | Volume I | Presented by Shortz! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Actor

  • Black Doves(2024)

    Show 6 episodes · as Sam Young

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all shows

  • Paddington in Peru(2024)

    as Paddington Brown (voice)

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Forgetting the Many: The Royal Pardon of Alan Turing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    as Narrator

  • In Heat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    as Jon

  • Limonov: The Ballad of Eddie(2024)

    as Eduard 'Eddie' Limonov

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Bad Behaviour(2023)

    Executive Producer · as Elon Bello

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Passages(2023)

    as Martin

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Good Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    as Danny

  • Women Talking(2022)

    as August

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Ungentle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Paddington Meets The Queen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    as Paddington (voice)

  • This Is Going to Hurt(2022)

    Show 7 episodes · Executive Producer · as Adam Kay

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • No Time to Die(2021)

    as Q

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Miss Fortunate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    as Humourless Man

  • Surge(2020)

    as Joseph

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • The Adventures of Paddington(2019)

    Show 154 episodes · as Paddington (voice)

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all shows

  • The Personal History of David Copperfield(2019)

    as Uriah Heep

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Little Joe(2019)

    as Chris

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • O Holy Ghost (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    as Charmaine

  • Mary Poppins Returns(2018)

    as Michael Banks

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Palo Santo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    as Palo Santo Hologram

  • A Very English Scandal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Show 3 episodes · as Norman Scott

  • National Theatre Live: Julius Caesar(2018)

    as Marcus Brutus

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • His Picture In Little (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Actor

  • Paddington 2(2017)

    as Paddington Brown (voice)

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Family Happiness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    as Romily Wells

  • Queers(2017)

    Show 8 episodes · as Perce

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all shows

  • A Hologram for the King(2016)

    as Dave

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • In the Heart of the Sea(2015)

    as Herman Melville

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Danish Girl(2015)

    as Henrik

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • London Spy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Show 5 episodes · as Danny

  • Spectre(2015)

    as Q

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Suffragette(2015)

    as Sonny Watts

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Lobster(2015)

    as Limping Man

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Unity(2015)

    as Narrator (voice)

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Paddington(2014)

    as Paddington (voice)

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Days and Nights(2014)

    as Eric

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Lilting(2014)

    as Richard

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Muse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Edward

  • Fargo(2014)

    Show 11 episodes · as Patrick 'Rabbi' Milligan

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Beat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    as Man

  • The Zero Theorem(2013)

    as Doctor 3

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Teenage(2013)

    as British Boy (voice)

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Cloud Atlas(2012)

    as Cabin Boy / Robert Frobisher / Store Clerk / Georgette / Tribesman

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Skyfall(2012)

    as Q

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Hollow Crown(2012)

    Show 1 episode · as King Richard

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows

  • Playhouse Presents (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Show 1 episode · as Ezra

  • The Hour(2011)

    Show 12 episodes · as Freddie Lyon

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows

  • The Tempest(2010)

    as Ariel

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Bright Star(2009)

    as John Keats

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Love Hate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Tom

  • The International(2009)

    as Renee

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Brideshead Revisited(2008)

    as Sebastian Flyte

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Criminal Justice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Show 5 episodes · as Ben Coulter

  • I'm Not There(2007)

    as Arthur

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Perfume: The Story of a Murderer(2006)

    as Jean-Baptiste Grenouille

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Stoned(2005)

    as Keith Richards

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Nathan Barley (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 5 episodes · as Pingu

  • Enduring Love(2004)

    as Spud

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Layer Cake(2004)

    as Sidney

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Ready When You Are, Mr McGill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Bruno

  • 77 Beds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Ishmael

  • The Booze Cruise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Daniel

  • Spiritual Rampage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Eric

  • My Brother Tom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Tom

  • Other People's Children (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Show 4 episodes · as Sully

  • Baby (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Little Joe

  • Black Cab (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Show 1 episode · as Ryan

  • The Escort(1999)

    as Jay

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The Trench(1999)

    as Pte. James Deamis

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • All Signs of Death (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Web

  • High End (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Nigel

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 76 titles, 73 of them dated from 1999 to 2026; peak year 2014.

Biggest box office

Skyfall (2012)

$1.1B worldwide

Highest rated

Paddington 2 (2017)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

Cloud Atlas (2012)

Film career

MilestoneBreakoutAward win
19992026

Peak 2014 · their film career is on the way up. Top draw in 19 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

Show 2 more milestones

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting76 of 76: 73 only acting, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score71stProducing3 of 76: 0 only producing, 3 with another role

76 titles, 3 with more than one role — acting and producing overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

1990s2 · acting2000s19 · acting2010s34 · acting2020s18 · 18 acting · 3 crew

Billing

usually 4th · top billed in 23% of 35 roles
99091419

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

a Primetime Emmy, a Golden Globe, 3 BAFTA Awards and 4 other major awards from 18 major nominations, 2007–2026.

WinNomination
  1. 2026
    • Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Lead Performance
    • Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series
  2. 2024
    • Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Supporting Performance
  3. 2023
    • BAFTA Award, won · Leading Actor
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
    • +2 other major bodies · 1 win and 2 nominations
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television
      • Independent Spirit Award, won
      • Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series
  4. 2020
    • Sundance award, won · Acting
  5. 2019
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
    • BAFTA Award, won · Best Supporting Actor
    • +1 other major body · 1 win
      • Critics Choice Award, won · Best Supporting Actor in a Movie or Limited Series
  6. 2016
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Leading Actor
  7. 2013
    • BAFTA Award, won · Best Leading Actor
  8. 2009
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Actor
Show 2 earlier years
  1. 2008
    • Independent Spirit Award, won
  2. 2007
    • BAFTA Award, nominated

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Ben Whishaw's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 70th percentile, the median of all 39; across their 37 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 68th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 37

Approval · how many liked their films

67thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 37

Reach · how many have seen their films

92ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 37

Midcredits score across 46 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up22
  • 50th to 74th13
  • 25th to 49th9
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

25 of their 46 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Universally Panned1
  • Crowd Pleaser25
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed10

Most divisive · actor

Unity (2015)

78th percentile spread · 16% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Fargo (2014)

Midcredits 99th · 96% liked

Reviewers score the acting 77/100 in their films, across 35 reviewed titles; fans 83, detractors 52. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Ben Whishaw's work okay for kids?

Across up to 31 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore23 titles12–81 · median 59 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity31 titles9–75 · median 45 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity23 titles5–70 · median 40 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs23 titles12–56 · median 35 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense21 titles24–67 · median 60 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Ben Whishaw work with?

People who share at least 2 of Ben Whishaw's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Daniel Craig shares the most, 6.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers