Bill Nighy was born on December 12th 1949 in Caterham, Surrey. His father managed a garage in Croydon and his mother worked as a psychiatric nurse. At school he gained 'O'-levels in English Language and English Literature and enjoyed reading, particularly Ernest Hemingway. On leaving school he wanted to become a journalist but didn't have the required qualifications. He eventually went on to work as a messenger boy for the Field magazine. He stayed in Paris for a while because he wanted to write "the great novel", but he only managed to write the title. When he ran out of money, the British consul shipped him home. A girlfriend suggested that he should become an actor, so he trained at Guildford School of Dance and Drama. Since then he has found continuous work as an actor, on stage, screen and radio. His stage work includes National Theatre roles in Tom Stoppard's Arcadia in 1993, David Hare's Skylight and Blue Orange. Bill's partner is actress Diana Quick (he asked her to marry him but she said: "don't ask me again", he calls her his wife because anything else would be too difficult). They have a daughter, Mary Nighy, who is studying at university and contemplating an acting career. She has already began to appear on TV dramas and radio programmes.


Played the part of "Sam Gamgee" in the original BBC radio production of The Lord of the Rings alongside Ian Holm as "Frodo". Peter Jackson (director of the The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)) gave this version to those members of his cast who hadn't read the book. He was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 2001 (2000 season) for Best Actor in his performance of Blue/Orange at the Royal National Theatre, Cottesloe Stage. Only two BBC radio productions have also been turned into major motion pictures: The Lord of the Rings and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Nighy appeared in the radio version of Rings and the film version of Hitchhiker's Guide. Has Dupuytren's Contracture, a hereditary condition which causes the ring and little fingers of each hand to be permanently bent inwards towards the palm. In Notes on a Scandal (2006), he appears opposite Cate Blanchett. He and Blanchett have both appeared in adaptations of The Lord of the Rings. Nighy played Sam Gamgee in the BBC Radio broadcast, while Blanchett plays Galadriel in Peter Jackson's films. Has appeared in adaptations of three of Britains most famous fantasy book series. He played Sam Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings for BBC Radio, Reepicheep in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010), and Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I (2010).