Ben Chaplin

Ben Chaplin
Born Benedict John Greenwood
31 July 1969
Windsor, Berkshire, England
Occupation Actor
Years active 1990–present

Ben Chaplin (born Benedict John Greenwood; 31 July 1969)[1][2] is an English actor.

Early life

Chaplin was born and raised in Windsor, Berkshire, the son of Cynthia (née Chaplin), a drama teacher, and Peter Greenwood, a civil engineer. He has two sisters, Sarah and Rachel, and one brother, Justin.[3][4] He took his stage name after his mother's maiden name.[5] He attended the Princess Margaret Royal Free School. At the age of 17, he enrolled in the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.[6]

Career

After finishing his training, he moved to London and joined a repertory theatre company. Between work as a statistician for the London Transport Authority and clerical jobs, he began landing roles in BBC dramas and British films.

James Ivory and Ismail Merchant cast him as a servant in The Remains of the Day.[6] Chaplin first came to public attention for his performance as Matthew Malone in the first series of the sitcom Game On. After departing the series, he co-starred in several films including The Truth About Cats and Dogs, Terrence Malick's The Thin Red Line, Murder By Numbers, The Touch with Michelle Yeoh, Birthday Girl and Dorian Gray (2009) as society artist Basil Hallward.

Chaplin received an Olivier Award nomination for Best Supporting Performer in The Glass Menagerie, and a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in The Retreat from Moscow. Recent theatre appearances include This Is How It Goes at the Donmar Warehouse in 2005, The Reporter at the National Theatre in 2007 and Farewell to the Theatre at the Hampstead Theatre in 2012. He appeared in Dates on Channel 4 in 2013.

Personal life

Chaplin was in a long-term relationship with actress Embeth Davidtz, but they have since broken up. He is now dating Rocio Oliver.[7]

Filmography

References

  1. "Today in History". San Diego Union. 20 July 2009. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  2. Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.; at ancestry.com
  3. "Ben Chaplin Biography (1970–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 2015-02-18.
  4. Wallace, Debra L (3 March 2002). "Question Time: Interview – Ben Chaplin: Britain's sexiest export". Sunday Mirror.
  5. Britain gets back a national asset
  6. 6.0 6.1 "The truth about Ben: Unleashing charm on and off screen, Chaplin ponders big-time film fame". Thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 2015-02-18.
  7. Ben Chaplin Interview 11 September 2009

External links