Which Ride or Die actor was born William Francis Nighy?

Bill Nighy was born William Francis Nighy. The British actor adopted the shorter professional name Bill Nighy, but his birth name remains William Francis Nighy.

Nighy was born on December 12, 1949, in Caterham, Surrey, England. He began performing professionally with the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool before making his London stage debut at the National Theatre in 1977.

His breakthrough with international audiences came through films including Love Actually, in which he played aging rock star Billy Mack, and the Underworld and Pirates of the Caribbean franchises. He later earned an Academy Award nomination for his performance in Living (2022).

A common mix-up is treating “Bill” as a nickname unrelated to his legal name. It is the familiar form of William, while “Nighy” is pronounced like “Nye,” not “Nigh-ee.”