He gained prominence acting in numerous productions with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

He directed and starred in a string of successful film adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays, including Henry V (1989), Much Ado About Nothing (1993), Othello (1995), Hamlet (1996), and As You Like It (2006).

He also directed Peter's Friends (1992), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994), Thor (2011), Cinderella (2015), and Belfast (2021).

Branagh directed and starred as Hercule Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express (2017), Death on the Nile (2022), and A Haunting in Venice (2023).

His portrayal of Laurence Olivier in My Week with Marilyn (2011) earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.