Why Ben Kingsley Approves of His Sons Following in His Acting Footsteps (Exclusive)
Why Ben Kingsley Approves of His Sons Following in His Acting Footsteps (Exclusive)
Jack SmartSat, July 4, 2026 at 2:00 PM UTC
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Sir Ben Kingsley on June 10Credit: Rich Polk/IndieWire via Getty -
Sir Ben Kingsley gives PEOPLE an update about life these days ahead of his new film, Young Washington
Two of his four children, Edmund and Ferdinand Kingsley, have followed in his acting footsteps, which he approves of
Seeing them together onstage in a Shakespeare production, he recalls, “I knew then they know what they're doing”
For Sir Ben Kingsley, acting runs in the family.
The 82-year-old star ofYoung Washington tells PEOPLE that his “beautiful and deeply happy” life these days includes his four grown children. That two of them have followed him onto the stage has proven to be a point of pride.
“When I saw them on stage one particular time, my son was playing Hal in Henry IV and my other son was playing Falstaff's page in Henry IV,” Ben recalls of sons Edmund and Ferdinand, whom he shares with second wife, director Alison Sutcliffe.
(Left-right:) Edmund Kingsley, Ben Kingsley and Daniela Lavender at the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010Credit: GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty
Watching his offspring portray such “tremendous characters,” he says. “I knew then they know what they're doing. They understand the craft of acting and they are good.”
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That's an “essential” combination, continues Ben.
“If you don't really understand the role of the actor in your society, the role of the storyteller in your tribe, don't bother," the Oscar winner said. "But if you do fully appreciate and embrace the role of the storyteller in your community and tribe, you are in a wonderful place.”
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Edmund, 43, has appeared on such hit shows as The Witcher, Slow Horsesand Industry. Ferdinand, 38, is known for his work onscreen in 2020's Mank and the series Victoria, The Sandman and Reacher. Ben also shares son Thomas and daughter Jasmin Bhanji with his first wife, actress Angela Morant.
Sir Ben Kingsley and Ferdinand Kingsley in 2016Credit: David M. Benett/WireImage
“I saw intuitively that they knew what they were doing,” Ben says of that pivotal moment seeing his sons in William Shakespeare's historical drama. “They were not motivated by anything distracting or extraneous. They were motivated by what they were doing on stage at that moment.”
Married to actress and filmmaker Daniela Lavender since 2007, the GandhiOscar winner clearly enjoys combining work and family.
“I'm married to a wonderful woman who's a writer and we are developing six projects,” says Ben, who is “slowly moving into producing” with their company Lavender Pictures.
The Thursday Murder Clubstar has been keeping busy in his own screen career, recently starring in the thriller Deep Water and reprising his Marvel Cinematic Universe character Trevor Slattery in Disney+ series Wonder Man. He next appears in the films Fortitude and Sonic the Hedgehog 4, as well as on the fourth season of HBO'sThe White Lotus.
The George Washington biopic Young Washington, starring William Franklyn-Miller, Mary-Louise Parker, Kelsey Grammer and Andy Serkis, is now in theaters. Ben plays Robert Dinwiddie, the lieutenant governor of Colonial Virginia who played a major role in Washington's early military career.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
