Bill Nighy is an English actor who was born on December 12, 1949, in Caterham, United Kingdom. He was born to his parents Catherine Josephine Nighy and Alfred Martin Nighy. His mother was an Irish psychiatric nurse and his father was an English mechanic and chimney sweeping business owner. Nighy was raised as a Roman Catholic and he attended a Roman Catholic grammar school in Purely called the John Fisher School where he participated in theater. After finishing school, Nighy began working as a messenger for The Croydon Advertiser. He then pursued his education further by attending the Guildford School of Acting. Nighy acted for two seasons at the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool. He went on to make his London stage debut at the National Theatre in Ken Campbell and Chris Langham's play Illuminatus in 1977.

Nighy also appeared in numerous radio and television dramas including his best-known series "The Men's Room" on BBC. He is also known for his films "Shaun of the Dead", "The Hitchicker's Guide to the Galaxy", and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". He was named on The Guardian's list of 50 best-dressed over 50 in March of 2013. Nighy had a daughter with English actress Diana Quick who he dated until 2008.