Ben Cross | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Harry Bernard Cross (1947-12-16)16 December 1947 London, England |
| Died | 18 August 2020(2020-08-18) (aged 72) |
| Alma mater | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1973–2020 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
Harry Bernard Cross (16 December 1947 – 18 August 2020) was an English actor. He was best known for his portrayal of the British Olympic athleteHarold Abrams in the 1981 filmChariots of Fire and for playingBilly Flynn in the originalWest End production of the musicalChicago.
Harry Bernard Cross was born in London on 16 December 1947, to a working-class family.[1] He was the son of Catherine (née O'Donovan), a cleaner, and Harry Cross, a doorman.[2] His father died oftuberculosis when Cross was aged eight. While his father was a member of theChurch of England, Cross grew up in hisIrish mother's Catholic faith,[3] in theTulse Hill neighbourhood of London.[4]
Cross started his career by taking manual jobs, including working as awindow cleaner, waiter, and joiner. He also worked as a carpenter for theWelsh National Opera, and was the Property Master atThe Alexandra theatre inBirmingham.[2]
In 1970 at the age of 22, he was accepted into London'sRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), but later expressed little interest in pursuing the classical arts route.[5]
After graduating from RADA, Cross performed in several stage plays atThe Dukes theatre inLancaster where he was seen inMacbeth,The Importance of Being Earnest andArthur Miller'sDeath of a Salesman. He then joined theProspect Theatre Company and played roles inPericles,Twelfth Night, andThe Royal Hunt of the Sun. Cross also joined the cast of the musicalJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and played leading roles inPeter Shaffer'sEquus,Mind Your Head, and the musicalIrma la Douce — all at theLeicester Haymarket Theatre.[6]
Cross's first big-screen film appearance came in 1976 when he went on location toDeventer,Netherlands, to play Trooper Binns inJoseph E. Levine'sSecond World War epicA Bridge Too Far, which starred an international cast, includingDirk Bogarde,Sean Connery,Michael Caine andJames Caan.[6][7]
In 1977, Cross became a member of theRoyal Shakespeare Company; he performed in the premiere ofPrivates on Parade as "Kevin Cartwright" and played Rover in a revival of a Restoration play titledWild Oats. Cross's path to international stardom began in 1978 with his performance in the musicalChicago, in which he played Billy Flynn, the slick lawyer of murderess Roxie Hart.[6][7]
During Cross's performance inChicago he was recognised and recommended for a leading role in the multipleOscar-winning filmChariots of Fire in 1981. The film was based on the true story of two athletes in the1924 Olympics:Eric Liddell, a devout Scottish Christian, andHarold Abrahams, an English Jew who runs to overcome prejudice.[7] Cross trained hard for his role as Abrahams; his co-starIan Charleson played Liddell. The pair were shown in the opening scene running barefoot with a group of others along a Scottish beach, accompanied by Vangelis's music. Considered "one of the most memorable opening scenes in film history", Cross acknowledged the scene's effectiveness but remembered the water was freezing.[2] For their performances in the film, Cross and Charleson both won "Most Promising Artiste of 1981" awards from the Variety Club Awards in February 1982.[8] Cross's starring role inChariots of Fire has been credited with continuing a transatlantic trend in elegant young English actors that had been set byJeremy Irons inBrideshead Revisited.[9] The film went on to win multipleAcademy Awards, including the one forBest Picture.[10]
Cross followed upChariots of Fire with performances as a Scottish physician, Dr Andrew Manson, struggling with the politics of the British medical system during the 1920s, inThe Citadel, a 10-partBBC Television dramatisation ofA. J. Cronin's novel, and as Ashton (Ash) Pelham-Martyn, a British cavalry officer torn between two cultures in the HBO/Goldcrest miniseriesThe Far Pavilions first broadcast in the UK by Channel 4.[11]
In 1982, the U.S. unionActors' Equity, in a landmark reversal of a previous ruling, allowed Cross to appear inJohn Guare'soff-Broadway playLydie Breeze. The decision was tied to a joint effort by Actors' Equity, the League of New York Theatres and the British unionEquity to allow British and U.S. actors unrestricted opportunities to work in both countries.[12] The agreement eventually led to regular equal exchange agreements for equivalent acting jobs between London and New York City.[13]
During the 1984Summer Olympic Games, Cross appeared in a commercial forAmerican Express ('Don't leave home without it')[14] with the 87-year-oldJackson Scholz, a sprinter for the 1924 American Olympic team whose character was featured in the filmChariots of Fire. When Cross talks about beating Scholz, the latter remarks, "You didn't beat me!" with mock indignation. Proving he is 'still pretty fast', Scholz beats Cross to the draw in picking up the tab with his credit card.[14]
He subsequently replacedJames Garner as the featured actor endorsing thePolaroid Spectra camera in 1986.[15] Cross was also featured inGQ Magazine as one of the annual "Manstyle" winners in January 1985 followed by a featured photo shoot in March 1985.[16]
In 1985, he played Barney Greenwald in a revival ofHerman Wouk's courtroom dramaThe Caine Mutiny Court-Martial at theQueen's Theatre, London, alongside castmatesCharlton Heston (asCaptain Queeg) andJohn Schuck.[17][18]
In a 1985 interview, the actor admitted he preferred American roles because of their emotionalism, saying of English acting: "Over here, people hide behind mannerism and technique and don't come up with any soul. American actors are much freer with the emotions. It's pretty hard in Europe not to have experience of Americans because we're exposed to a lot of American product."[5] Cross also said that he was sympathetic to the American dream of success: "I am ambitious. There's no point of being ashamed of the fact that one has ambitions. Despite what a lot of people think in our profession, you can have ambitions and still turn in good work and still earn a living. There's no clash there."[5] Cross expressed the hope that his reputation would "span the Atlantic," and that those in the industry would not ignore him because he did not live in Los Angeles or New York City. "A prospective director would have to convince me that I could bring something new, fresh and exciting to a classical part that hundreds of other people have played," he said.[5]
During this time, Cross' career included several roles in made-for-television productions, as well as the stage. In the 1988HBO spy filmSteal the Sky he played Munir Redfa, an Iraqi pilot blackmailed into flying aMiG aircraft from Iraq to Israel. InIan Sharp's 1989 NBC-TV miniseriesTwist of Fate, he played GermanNaziSS colonel andwar criminal Helmut von Schraeder, who has his face and voice surgically changed to pose as a Jew in aconcentration camp to avoid both Hitler's retaliation for his role in the failed20 July plot against him and war's end capture and post-warwar crimes trial and punishment by the approachingAllies, then after his liberation at the war's end by the title's name becomes aZionist and one of Israel's early founders and leading military generals. He twice portrayed avampire, first in the 1989USA Network filmNightlife, then again asBarnabas Collins in the 1991MGM remake of the cult classic TV soap operaDark Shadows. Cross also appeared as Sir Harold Pearson in the 1994 Italian productionCaro Dolce Amore (Honey Sweet Love),Solomon in the 1997Trimark Pictures productionSolomon andCaptain Nemo in the 1997CBS film20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.[11]
Cross played Ikey Solomon in theAustralian productionThe Potato Factory in 2000. In 2005, Cross, an anti-death penalty campaigner, starred as adeath-row prisoner in Bruce Graham's playCoyote on a Fence, at theDuchess Theatre.[19] He playedRudolf Hess in the 2006BBC productionNuremberg: Nazis on Trial.[6]
In November 2007, Cross was cast in the role ofSarek in the 2009Star Trek film directed and produced byJ. J. Abrams.[20] Cross spoke toStar Trek magazine following the film's release, saying:
My agent put me forward forStar Trek, and he sent a couple of films to J.J. I'm sure he was too busy to watch the whole ofSpecies, but when we were on the set, he mentioned to me that there was one particular shot in it where I turned to the camera, and in that moment, it came to him how perfect it would be for me to play Sarek.[21]
In order to prepare for the role, Cross drew on his experience as a parent as well as Sarek's previous on-screen appearances. Having been present when his daughter was born, he was able to "call on all sorts of things" in the scene where Amanda has baby Spock, a scene which did not make it into the theatrical cut of the film.[21] While he found the emotionless trait of aVulcan a challenge to play, he found the father/son relationship between Sarek and Spock easier to play. According to Cross:
As Sarek, I had to be true to the Vulcan cultural ethic, which in the beginning, I found very difficult. I got a lot of help with that from J.J. Dealing with the adult Spock (played byZachary Quinto) was a much more mature relationship, and I found the father/son aspect one of the easier things to play.[21]
In 2012, Cross was cast as Rabbit, the main antagonist on the Cinemax original seriesBanshee. Rabbit is "a ruthlessUkrainian gangster who has been hunting down two of his former top thieves for 15 years."[22] After 2012, Cross acted in various minor films but also acted inThe Hurricane Heist, which earned a box office of US$32.5 million. In 2019, he starred withWhoopi Goldberg in the filmMaster of Dark Shadows, which earned a rating of 100% onRotten Tomatoes, his second film to receive such a rating, the other one beingPaperhouse.[23]
Cross was also a director, writer, and musician. He wrote music, screenplays, and articles forEnglish-language publications, and the lyrics for an album with Bulgarian singer Vasil Petrov, which was released in late 2007. He sang twoFrank Sinatra songs with Petrov in the Apollonia Festival at theBlack Sea in September 2007.[6]
Among his works was the musicalRage aboutRuth Ellis, which was performed in the London area. He starred in it and played the part of thehangman.[24]
Cross's first single as a lyricist was released byPolydor Records in the late 1970s and was titled "Mickey Moonshine".[24] Thenom de guerre for the performance had occurred to Cross when he recalled an earlier involvement with the music industry as a session singer forDecca Records between 1972 and 1974. At this time, he recorded a song called "Name it, You Got it", which achieved some play on the BritishNorthern soul scene. His other musical works includeThe Best We've Ever Had andNearly Midnight, both written by Cross and directed by his son Theo.[25]
The original soundtrack forNearly Midnight was written, produced and performed by his daughter Lauren. These works were performed inEdinburgh in 2002 and 2003, respectively.Square One, directed by Cross, was performed at theEtcetera Theatre in London in 2004.[24]
From 1977 to 1992, Cross was married to model Penelope Butler and had two children, Lauren and Theo. He was later married togyrotonics trainer Michele Moerth, from 1996 to 2005. Both these marriages ended in divorce. In 2018, he married the Bulgarian artist Deyana Boneva, to whom he remained married until his death.[2][26][27] In his later years, he lived primarily inSofia, Bulgaria.
Cross was an activeFreemason for the final 10 years of his life.[28] Initiated in 2010 in the Shakespear Lodge (London), he attended lodge meetings in the United Kingdom and across Europe, eventually serving as a Grand Steward in theUnited Grand Lodge of England from 2017 to 2018.[29]: 18 In this capacity he took part in the ceremonial tercentenary event at theRoyal Albert Hall on 31 October 2017, celebrating three hundred years since the formation of the first EnglishGrand Lodge, in which a dramatic presentation starred various actors, led by SirDerek Jacobi,Samantha Bond, andSanjeev Bhaskar.[30]
Cross died of cancer in Vienna on 18 August 2020, aged 72.[31][32][2] He had recently finished two films,Prey for the Devil andThe Last Letter from Your Lover, which were released posthumously.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | ITV Playhouse | Terry Jones | 1 episode[11] |
| 1980 | The Professionals | Stuart | 1 episode[38] |
| 1981 | The Flame Trees of Thika | Ian Crawford | 4 episodes[38] |
| 1982 | Coming Out of the Ice | General Tuchachevsky | Television film[11] |
| 1983 | The Citadel | Dr. Andrew Manson | Miniseries[11] |
| 1984 | The Far Pavilions | Ashton (Ash) Pelham-Martyn | Miniseries[33] |
| 1986 | The Twilight Zone | Frederick | 1 episode (Segment: “Devil's Alphabet")[38] |
| 1987 | The Grand Knockout Tournament | Himself | Television special |
| 1988 | Steal the Sky | Munir Redfa | Television film[11] |
| 1989 | Twist of Fate | Col. Helmut von Schrader/Israeli Brig. Gen. Benjamin Grossman | both episodes of this two part miniseries[33] |
| 1989 | Nightlife | Vlad | A comedy-horror TV movie made for theUSA Network.[39] This was the first time Cross played a vampire, at least one year ahead of his starring role inDark Shadows |
| 1991 | Dark Shadows | Barnabas Collins | Main cast, 12 episodes[33] |
| 1991 | She Stood Alone | William Lloyd Garrison | Television film |
| 1992 | The Diamond Fleece | Rick Dunne / Alex Breuer | Television film[11] |
| 1992 | The Ray Bradbury Theater | Ettil Vyre | 1 episode[38] |
| 1992 | Tales from the Crypt | Benjamin A. Polosky | 1 episode[34][35] |
| 1996 | Poltergeist: The Legacy | Samuel Warden | 1 episode[40] |
| 1997 | 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea | Captain Nemo | Television film[11] |
| 1997 | Solomon | Solomon | Television film[33] |
| 2000 | The Potato Factory | Ikey Solomon | Mini Series |
| 2004 | Spartacus | Titus Glabrus | Miniseries[38] |
| 2005 | Icon | Anatoly Grishin | Television film[38] |
| 2006 | S.S. Doomtrooper | Doctor Ullman | Television film[34] |
| 2006 | Hannibal – Rome's Worst Nightmare | Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus | Television film[41] |
| 2006 | Nuremberg: Nazis on Trial | Rudolf Hess | Miniseries[42] |
| 2007 | Grendel | King Hrothgar | Television film[38] |
| 2007 | Species: The Awakening | Tom Hollander | Television film[33][35] |
| 2008 | Lost City Raiders | Nicholas Filiminov | Television film[11] |
| 2009 | Hellhounds | King Leander | Television film[34] |
| 2010 | Ben Hur | EmperorTiberius | Miniseries[11] |
| 2011 | William & Kate: The Movie | Prince Charles | Television film[38] |
| 2011 | ICE | Stephan Archer | Miniseries[43] |
| 2012 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Dr. Mindstrong | Voice, 2 episodes[35] |
| 2013–2014 | Banshee | Mr. Rabbit | Main cast, 14 episodes[38] |
| 2014–2015 | Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja | The Sorcerer | Voice, Main cast, 14 episodes[38][35] |
| 2015 | Viking Quest | King Orn | Television film[44] |
| 2018 | 12 Monkeys | Nicodemus | 2 episodes[35] |
| 2019 | Pandora | Harlan Fried | 4 episodes[35] |
