Editing Kenneth Branagh (section)

=== 1980–1988: Rise to prominence ===
[[File:William Shakespeare by John Taylor, edited.jpg|thumb|left|170px|Branagh has adapted numerous works of [[William Shakespeare]] for the stage and screen]]
Branagh's first film appearance was as an uncredited role as a Cambridge student in the sports drama ''[[Chariots of Fire]]'' (1981). Branagh achieved early success in his native Northern Ireland for his role as Billy, the title character in the BBC's ''[[Play for Today]]''<ref>White p. 17</ref> trilogy known as the ''Billy Plays'' (1982–84), written by [[Graham Reid (writer)|Graham Reid]] and set in Belfast.<ref>{{cite news |last=Parr |first=Connal |date=29 January 2018 |title=Kenneth Branagh and why it's never too late to talk about Billy |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/news-analysis/kenneth-branagh-and-why-its-never-too-late-to-talk-about-billy-36534947.html |work=Belfast Telegraph |access-date=29 January 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129124849/https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/news-analysis/kenneth-branagh-and-why-its-never-too-late-to-talk-about-billy-36534947.html |archive-date=29 January 2018}}</ref> He received acclaim in the [[United Kingdom|UK]] for his stage performances, first winning the 1982 [[Laurence Olivier Award|SWET]] Award for Best Newcomer, for his role as Judd in [[Julian Mitchell]]'s ''[[Another Country (play)|Another Country]]'', after leaving [[RADA]]. Branagh was part of the new wave of actors to emerge from the academy. Others included [[Jonathan Pryce]], [[Juliet Stevenson]], [[Alan Rickman]], [[Anton Lesser]], [[Bruce Payne]] and [[Fiona Shaw]]. In 1984, he appeared in the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] production of ''[[Henry V (play)|Henry V]]'', directed by [[Adrian Noble]]. The production played to sold-out audiences, especially at the [[Barbican Centre|Barbican]] in the [[City of London]]. It was this production that he adapted for the film version of the play in 1989. He and [[David Parfitt]] founded the [[Renaissance Theatre Company]] in 1987, following success with several productions on the London Fringe, including Branagh's full-scale production of ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' at the [[Lyric Theatre (Hammersmith)|Lyric Studio]], co-starring with [[Samantha Bond]]. 

The first major Renaissance production was Branagh's Christmas 1987 staging of ''[[Twelfth Night]]'' at [[Riverside Studios]] in [[Hammersmith]], starring [[Richard Briers]] as [[Malvolio]] and [[Frances Barber]] as Viola, and with an original score by actor, musician, and composer [[Patrick Doyle]], who two years later was to compose the music for Branagh's film adaptation of ''[[Henry V (1989 film)|Henry V]]''. This ''Twelfth Night'' was later adapted for television. The company's debut season also included ''Public Enemy'', a play written by Branagh set in his native Belfast.<ref>{{cite web |title=Renaissance Theatre Company Collection |url=https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/search/archives/4e700326-186b-3ec0-8af2-2e82e8f61419 |website=Archive Hub |access-date=22 June 2024}}</ref> Also in 1987, Branagh found his first leading film role as James Moon in the British film adaptation of [[J.L. Carr]]'s book ''[[A Month in the Country (film)|A Month in The Country]]''. Here he plays a homosexual ex-army officer who, following the war, has taken on a job to excavate a burial in the churchyard. He instead spends most of his time looking for Saxon treasures. The film is set in a 1920s rural Yorkshire village, where Branagh’s character meets a character played by [[Colin Firth]], also in his first major role.

Branagh became a major presence in the media and on the British stage when Renaissance collaborated with [[Birmingham Rep]] for a 1988 touring season of three Shakespeare plays under the umbrella title of ''Renaissance Shakespeare on the Road'', which also played a repertory season at the [[Phoenix Theatre (London)|Phoenix Theatre]] in London. It featured directorial debuts for [[Judi Dench]] with ''[[Much Ado About Nothing]]'' (starring Branagh and Samantha Bond <!-- Please do not change this to E Thompson. If you read the section header, this is about a stage version of the play, not the film. That came later --> as Benedick and Beatrice), [[Geraldine McEwan]] with ''[[As You Like It]]'', and [[Derek Jacobi]] directing Branagh in the title role in ''[[Hamlet]]'', with [[Sophie Thompson]]<!-- Please do not change this to K Winslet. If you read the section header, this is about a stage version of the play, not the film. That came later --> as [[Ophelia]]. Critic [[Milton Shulman]] of the London ''[[Evening Standard]]'' wrote: "On the positive side Branagh has the vitality of [[Laurence Olivier|Olivier]], the passion of [[John Gielgud|Gielgud]], the assurance of [[Alec Guinness|Guinness]], to mention but three famous actors who have essayed the role. On the negative side, he has not got the magnetism of Olivier, nor the mellifluous voice quality of Gielgud nor the intelligence of Guinness."<ref>Quoted in ''The London Stage in the 20th Century'' by [[Robert Tanitch]], Haus (2007)</ref>