Yahoo Movies Sir Ben Kingsley: Mother 'Jealous' Of My Knighthood
Sir Ben Kingsley has revealed that his mother refused to acknowledge his knighthood, because she was ‘bitter and jealous’.
The Oscar-winning thespian, who has starred in films from ‘Gandhi’ to ‘Sexy Beast’, was awarded the honour by the Queen in 2002 for his services to the performing arts.
But it was an honour that would go unrecognised by Anne Goodman, his mother, who was a model and actress, who appeared in a number of films in the 1920s and 30s.
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Speaking to the Daily Mirror, the 69-year-old star said: “My mother refused to acknowledge my knighthood, which I found bitterly hurtful.
“The wonderful woman who is the Queen and who is almost like a mum had said, ‘We accept you and love what you do’.
“But my mother refused to acknowledge it had taken place. She was embarrassed and bitter and jealous… far from being proud, was very jealous of my success.
“She had a circuit missing and that made her distant and somewhat baffled by her four children, two girls and two boys. Thinking perhaps it would all go away. Adulthood? Whoa. She couldn’t handle it.”
Kingsley, whose mother was British and whose father was a doctor born in Kenya of Indian descent, added that it is in spite of his upbringing that he has managed to achieve, not because of it.
He also said that he was the subject of a ‘steady stream’ of racism growing up in Yorkshire and Manchester.
“I know that people think I’m prone to pomposity and isolation. But I am hugely fragile, which goes back to my past,” he said.
“I’ve always been proud of the title, but I’ve learnt to be quietly proud. I think it’s a reflection of how an uncomfortable childhood can lead to high achievement.
“I hope it will inspire other people. Racism, in any form, is f***ing awful.”
He’s currently among the voice cast of animated movie ‘The Boxtrolls’, and is also set to voice the panther Bagheera in the new version of ‘The Jungle Book’.
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Image credit: AP/Rex/Film4
