Ben Kingsley aspired to be an actor from a young age, making his professional stage debut at the age of 23. From that point on, this British born actor dedicated himself to stage work for 15 long years; he even turned down an offer from music producer and manager Dick James to become a handmade pop star. Kingsley’s first film was Fear Is the Key, released in 1972; since then, he has starred in countless movies including the 1982 film Gandhi, which resulted in him winning the Academy Award for Best Actor – not too shabby for a self-taught actor.