Ben Cross facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ben Cross
Born	Harry Bernard Cross (1947-12-16)16 December 1947 London, England
Died	18 August 2020(2020-08-18) (aged 72) Vienna, Austria
Alma mater	Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1973–2020
Spouse(s)	Penelope Butler ​ ​ (m. 1977; div. 1992)​ Michele Moerth ​ ​ (m. 1996; div. 2005)​ Deyana Boneva ​ (m. 2018)​
Children	2

Ben Cross (born Harry Bernard Cross) was a famous English actor. He was born on December 16, 1947, and passed away on August 18, 2020. He was well-known for his roles in plays and movies. Many people remember him as Billy Flynn in the musical Chicago. He also played the British Olympic runner Harold Abrahams in the award-winning 1981 film Chariots of Fire.

About Ben Cross

His Early Life

Ben Cross was born in London, England. His family was working-class. His father was a doorman, and his mother was a cleaner. When Ben was eight years old, his father passed away. He grew up in the Catholic faith, like his Irish mother.

Starting His Acting Career

Before becoming a famous actor, Ben had many different jobs. He worked as a window cleaner, a waiter, and even a carpenter. He also helped manage props at a theatre in Birmingham.

In 1970, when he was 22, Ben was accepted into a famous acting school. It was called the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London. After graduating, he performed in many plays. He acted in classics like Macbeth and Death of a Salesman. He also joined the cast of the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Ben's first movie role was in 1976. He played Trooper Binns in the World War II film A Bridge Too Far. This movie had many famous international actors. In 1977, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company. His big break came in 1978. He played Billy Flynn in the musical Chicago. Billy Flynn was a clever lawyer.

Becoming a Star in the 1980s and 1990s

While performing in Chicago, Ben was noticed. He was chosen for a main role in the movie Chariots of Fire in 1981. This film won many awards. It tells the true story of two athletes in the 1924 Olympics. Ben played Harold Abrahams, an English Jewish runner. He trained very hard for the role.

The movie's opening scene is very famous. Ben and his co-star ran barefoot on a Scottish beach. Music by Vangelis played in the background. Ben said the water was freezing cold! Both Ben and his co-star won awards for their performances. Chariots of Fire won the Best Picture Oscar.

After Chariots of Fire, Ben acted in other important roles. He played a Scottish doctor in the TV series The Citadel. He also played a British officer in The Far Pavilions.

In the 1980s, Ben appeared in commercials. He was in an American Express ad with an Olympic sprinter. He also endorsed the Polaroid Spectra camera. Ben said he liked American acting roles. He felt they allowed actors to show more emotion. He hoped his acting career would be successful in both the UK and the US.

Ben also acted in many TV movies. In 1988, he was in Steal the Sky, a spy film. He played a pilot who flew a special plane from Iraq to Israel. He also played a vampire twice. First in Nightlife (1989), and then as Barnabas Collins in the 1991 TV series Dark Shadows. He also played Solomon and Captain Nemo in TV films.

His Later Career (2000-2020)

In 2005, Ben acted in a play called Coyote on a Fence. He played a prisoner on death row. Ben was against the death penalty in real life. In 2006, he played Rudolf Hess in a BBC show.

In 2007, Ben was cast in the 2009 Star Trek film. He played Sarek, Spock's father. He prepared for the role by thinking about being a parent. He found it challenging to play a Vulcan because they don't show much emotion. But he enjoyed playing the father-son relationship.

In 2012, Ben played Rabbit in the TV series Banshee. Rabbit was a tough Ukrainian gangster. He spent 15 years hunting down two thieves. Ben continued to act in various films. He was in The Hurricane Heist (2018). In 2019, he starred with Whoopi Goldberg in Master of Dark Shadows. This film received excellent reviews.

Other Talents: Directing, Writing, and Music

Ben Cross was not just an actor. He was also a director, writer, and musician. He wrote music and screenplays. He also wrote articles for English magazines. He wrote song lyrics for a Bulgarian singer named Vasil Petrov. He even sang two Frank Sinatra songs with Petrov at a festival.

One of his own works was a musical called Rage. It was about a woman named Ruth Ellis. Ben starred in it and played the part of the hangman. He also wrote songs like "Mickey Moonshine." His children, Lauren and Theo, also helped with his musical projects. His daughter Lauren wrote the music for Nearly Midnight.

His Personal Life

Ben Cross was married three times. His first marriage was to Penelope Butler from 1977 to 1992. They had two children, Lauren and Theo. His second marriage was to Michele Moerth from 1996 to 2005. Both of these marriages ended in divorce. In 2018, he married Deyana Boneva, an artist from Bulgaria. They were married until he passed away. In his later years, he mostly lived in Vienna, Austria.

Ben was also a member of the Freemasons for the last 10 years of his life. He joined in 2010. He attended meetings in the UK and Europe. He even took part in a special event in 2017. This event celebrated 300 years of the first English Grand Lodge.

His Passing

Ben Cross passed away from cancer in Vienna on August 18, 2020. He was 72 years old. He had just finished filming two movies before he died. These films, Prey for the Devil and The Last Letter from Your Lover, were released after his death.

Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

See also

In Spanish: Ben Cross para niños