
Nighy wound up training at Guildford School of Dance and Drama in London, and has since then worked consistently in film, television, and on stage. When he ran out of money, the British consul shipped him home. He stayed in Paris for a while because he wanted to write "the great novel", but he only managed to write the title. He eventually went on to work as a messenger boy for the Field magazine. On leaving school he wanted to become a journalist but didn't have the required qualifications. At school, he gained 'O'-levels in English Language and English Literature and enjoyed reading, particularly Ernest Hemingway.

He was born William Francis Nighy on Decemin Caterham, Surrey, England, to Catherine Josephine (Whittaker), a psychiatric nurse from Glasgow, and Alfred Martin Nighy, who was English-born and managed a garage in Croydon. Bill Nighy is an award-winning British character actor.
