Ben Mendelsohn | |
|---|---|
 Mendelsohn at the 2017San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | Paul Benjamin Mendelsohn (1969-04-03)3 April 1969 (age 56) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Works | List of performances |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Paul Benjamin Mendelsohn (born 3 April 1969) is an Australian actor. He first rose to prominence in Australia for his break-out role inThe Year My Voice Broke (1987). He gained international attention for his starring role in the crime dramaAnimal Kingdom (2010). He has since had roles in films such asThe Dark Knight Rises (2012),Starred Up (2013),Lost River (2014),Mississippi Grind (2015),Rogue One (2016),Darkest Hour (2017) andReady Player One (2018).
Mendelsohn starred in theNetflix drama seriesBloodline (2015–2017), for which he won thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2016. He played theSheriff of Nottingham inRobin Hood (2018). He joined theMarvel Cinematic Universe asTalos in the superhero filmCaptain Marvel (2019) and theDisney+ seriesSecret Invasion (2023).[1][2] He has also starred in the HBO crime miniseriesThe Outsider (2020). In 2024, he began portraying fashion designerChristian Dior in the television seriesThe New Look.
Mendelsohn was born inMelbourne,Victoria, the son of Carole Ann (née Ferguson) and Frederick Arthur Oscar Mendelsohn.[3][4] His father is a prominent medical researcher who previously headed theHoward Florey Institute in Melbourne, where he maintains the status of Professor Emeritus.[5] Ben and his two brothers, Tom and David, as well as his mother (deceased), a registered nurse, lived in Europe and the United States for long periods of time, and returned to Melbourne when he was in primary school. He attendedMercersburg Academy[6] in the U.S. before attendingHeidelberg Primary School andEltham High School and Banyule High (nowViewbank College). He took drama because he thought it was an easy class. Mendelsohn was the only one of his friends to follow up with an audition forCrawford Productions that was being advertised.[citation needed]
In October 2009, he was featured in an episode of the Australian seriesWho Do You Think You Are?, which traced the ancestry of his paternal grandfather Oscar Mendelsohn, who was from aJewish family. It also foundconvicts on his mother's side. Searching for a connection to composerFelix Mendelssohn, which was eventually dismissed, he discovered links to 19th-centuryPrussia. His paternal ancestors were among the first PrussianJews to be naturalised in Schneidemühl in theprovince of Posen, nowPiła in modernPoland.[7] He also has Greek, German and British ancestry.[8]
After several early television roles, includingThe Henderson Kids alongsideKylie Minogue, he attracted notice in his break-out film,The Year My Voice Broke (1987), and won theAustralian Film Institute Award for Best Supporting Actor.[9] His next major role was inThe Big Steal (1990), andSpotswood (1992), co-starring withAnthony Hopkins;[10] this was followed in 1994 byMetal Skin[11] and in 1996 byCosi andIdiot Box. In 2000, he was in two contrasting films, the AustralianMullet and the HollywoodVertical Limit.[citation needed]
In 2005, he was preparing to playMark Antony in theSydney Theatre Company-producedJulius Caesar,[12] and he was in theTerrence Malick-directed filmThe New World.
Mendelsohn starred in the second (2005) and third (2006) season of the TV seriesLove My Way, and in 2008, he appeared in Baz Luhrmann'sAustralia. He starred in the first season of the Melbourne TV seriesTangle, which premiered onShowcase in 2009. In 2009, he appeared in the American science fiction filmKnowing directed byAlex Proyas. The same year, Mendelsohn starred as Ned inBeautiful Kate, directed byRachel Ward, oppositeBryan Brown andRachel Griffiths.
In 2010, he appeared inAnimal Kingdom, starring in the film as Andrew "Pope" Cody, a criminal on the run from the law living in the notoriousMelbourne Underworld. The role won him many awards, including IF Award's Best Actor and theAFI's award forBest Actor in a Leading Role. He was also named byGQ Australia as Actor of the Year for 2010.[13]
Mendelsohn was selected as one of the subjects in theWho's Who in Australia 2012 edition.[14] In 2012, Mendelsohn played the supporting roles of villain John Daggett inChristopher Nolan'sThe Dark Knight Rises and Robin Van Der Hook inDerek Cianfrance'sThe Place Beyond the Pines.
In 2012, he appeared inFlorence + the Machine's music video for "Lover to Lover". The video was directed by Vincent Haycock. In 2013, he guest starred in the TV seriesGirls as the father of Jessa, played byJemima Kirke. The following year, he appeared in the critically acclaimedStarred Up, directed by David MacKenzie, for which he won Best Supporting Actor at theBritish Independent Film Awards.
In 2014, Mendelsohn joined the cast ofBloodline, aNetflix original from the creators ofDamages. The first season premiered on the site on 20 March 2015 and was well received. Mendelsohn's performance on the series was lauded by critics,[15][16][17] resulting in aPrimetime Emmy Award win as well as aGolden Globe Award nomination. In September 2016, Netflix announced that the show had been cancelled, and that it would end after its third season in 2017. Season 3 ofBloodline received negative reviews, and Mendelsohn appeared in two episodes of it.[18][19]
In 2016, he appeared in video as an onstage "stand-in" during theNostalgic For the Present concert tour of Australian singerSia, for her song "Breathe Me".[20]
He portrayed the villainDirector Krennic in theStar Wars franchise'sRogue One in 2016. He called the opportunity to act in aStar Wars film "a childhood dream come true".[21] A couple of years later in 2018, he played the role of Nolan Sorrento inSteven Spielberg'sscience fiction filmReady Player One.[22] In 2018, he starred in the filmThe Land of Steady Habits. He was cast in the role ofTalos inMarvel's filmCaptain Marvel alongsideBrie Larson andSamuel L. Jackson. He reprised the role for a brief cameo inSpider-Man: Far From Home, also in 2019.[23]
In 2020, Mendelsohn starred in the lead role in theHBO crime miniseriesThe Outsider. In December 2020, it was announced he would be reprising his role asTalos, along withSamuel L. Jackson asNick Fury, in theDisney+ seriesSecret Invasion.[1]
Mendelsohn married British-American journalistEmma Forrest in June 2012.[24] He has a daughter with Forrest, born in 2014, and another daughter from a previous relationship, Sophia Wright-Mendelsohn, who is also an actor.[25][26][27] He and Forrest divorced in 2016.[28]
| Year | Title | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Full Moon, Dirty Hearts | INXS | Music video appearance |
| 1996 | "Theme from Skippy the Bush Kangaroo" | Ben Mendelsohn | Idiot Box (original motion picture soundtrack) |
| 1997 | "Remember to Forget" | Ben Mendelsohn &Phil Judd | Amy (original motion picture soundtrack - onscreen only) |
| 1997 | "Sense of Humour" | ||
| 1997 | "Runaway Train" | ||
| 1997 | "Shakedown the Moon" | ||
| 1998 | "What I Don't Know 'bout You" | You Am I | Music video appearance |
| 2007 | "Out in the Blue" | Jimmy Barnes | Music video appearance |
| 2012 | "Lover to Lover" | Florence and the Machine | Music video appearance |
| 2014 | "Cool Water" | Ben Mendelsohn | Lost River (original motion picture soundtrack) |
| 2014 | "Magic Moments" | ||
| 2016 | "Breathe Me" | Sia | On-stage interpretive dance |
| 2017 | Humanz | Gorillaz | Narration on intro and interludes |
| 2019 | "Unless It Kicks" | Ben Mendelsohn | Untogether (original motion picture soundtrack) |
| 2021 | "What I Deserve" | Ben Mendelsohn | Cyrano (original motion picture soundtrack) |
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| Related articles | |
