The Real Reason Ben Kingsley Changed His Name

Given the name Krishna Bhanji, Kingsley was born in West Riding, Yorkshire and raised in Manchester. The actor has a mixed heritage — his father was of a Muslim of Gujarati Indian descent and his mother was part Jewish and an English model and actress (via Radio Times). Growing up, Kingsley was mostly known as Krish but he eventually came to realize his name was "more invented" than the stage name he'd chosen in the late seventies.

"The first name is Hindu and the second name is Muslim," he told Radio Times. "Such a name would never exist in the whole of the Indian subcontinent; it's a nonsense name." When asked whether he thinks of himself as Krishna or Ben, the actor said he doesn't think of himself at all. "When I was on stage, I thought of myself as a landscape painter," he continued. "Now that I'm blessed with a film career, I see myself as a portrait artist, and for many, many years I have signed my portraits Ben Kingsley. That's who I am."