Ben Miller facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ben Miller
Miller in December 2019
Born	Bennet Evan Miller (1966-02-24) 24 February 1966 (age 59) London, England
Occupation	Comedian actor author
Years active	1986–present
Spouse(s)	Belinda Stewart-Wilson ​ ​ (m. 2004; div. 2011)​ Jessica Parker ​ (m. 2013)​
Children	3
Relatives	Alan Parker (father-in-law)

Ben Miller (born February 24, 1966) is a famous English comedian, actor, and writer. He became well-known as half of the comedy team "Armstrong and Miller." You might also know him from his roles as Angus Bough in the Johnny English movies. He also played Detective Inspector Richard Poole in the TV show Death in Paradise. Another famous role was James Lester in the sci-fi series Primeval.

Ben Miller's Early Life and Education

Bennet Evan Miller was born in London, England, on February 24, 1966. His mother, Marion, was Welsh, and his father, Michael, was English. Ben grew up in a town called Nantwich in Cheshire. His father taught American literature at a university.

Ben went to Malbank School and Sixth Form College in Nantwich. Later, he studied Natural Sciences at St Catharine's College, Cambridge. While at Cambridge, he acted in plays with his girlfriend at the time, actress Rachel Weisz.

He planned to get a special advanced degree (a PhD) in physics. But he decided to stop his science studies to become a comedian instead. His interest in comedy grew when he helped out at a student drama festival in Cambridge. He joined a famous comedy group called the Footlights in 1989. There, he worked with other future stars like Sue Perkins.

Ben Miller's Comedy and Acting Career

After college, Ben Miller moved to London to start his comedy career. In 1992, he met Alexander Armstrong, who also went to Cambridge. They formed a comedy duo and performed their first show together in 1994. Their shows at the Edinburgh Fringe festival were very popular.

Their success led to a TV show called Armstrong and Miller. It ran for four series from 1997 to 2001. They also had a radio show with the same name on BBC Radio 4. After a break, their show returned as The Armstrong & Miller Show, which was also very successful. They even had a radio show for kids called Children's Hour with Armstrong and Miller.

Film Roles and TV Shows

Ben Miller also started acting in movies. In 2001, he was in Steve Coogan's film, The Parole Officer. A big role came in 2003 when he played Bough, the helper to Rowan Atkinson's character in the movie Johnny English. He also appeared in the romantic comedy The Prince and Me in 2004.

From 2004 to 2006, he starred in the BBC TV series The Worst Week of My Life. He played James Lester in the ITV sci-fi drama Primeval starting in 2007. He also voiced the famous Monkey character in TV adverts for ITV Digital and PG Tips.

In 2007, Ben and Alexander Armstrong started their own production company called Toff Media. Ben also made his debut as a director with the film Huge in 2010.

Death in Paradise and Other Projects

From 2011 to 2014, Ben Miller starred as Detective Inspector Richard Poole in the popular BBC series Death in Paradise. His character was very popular, but Ben decided to leave the show. He explained that he needed to spend more time with his family. His wife had become pregnant after he started filming the first series, and being away caused difficulties. He did return for a short appearance in a dream sequence in 2021.

In 2014, Ben appeared in the films Molly Moon and the Incredible Book of Hypnotism and What We Did on Our Holiday. He also guest-starred in Doctor Who as the Sheriff of Nottingham in the episode "Robot of Sherwood".

In 2015, Ben played King John in Series 6 of Horrible Histories. Since 2015, he has appeared in adverts for the British supermarket Tesco. In 2016, he co-presented the ITV science entertainment series It's Not Rocket Science.

Ben also wrote a book called The Aliens are Coming! in 2016, which explores whether we are alone in the universe. In 2018, he returned as Bough in Johnny English Strikes Again. More recently, in 2020, he had a main role as Lord Featherington in the popular series Bridgerton. Since 2021, he has been a series regular in Professor T.. In 2024, he acted in the comedy-drama Austin for Australian television.

Ben Miller's Personal Life

Ben Miller dated actress Rachel Weisz when they were both students at Cambridge University. He married actress Belinda Stewart-Wilson in 2004, and they had a son before they divorced in 2011. In 2013, he married Jessica Parker, who is the daughter of musician Alan Parker. They have a son and a daughter together.

Ben has been diagnosed with OCD. This is a condition that can make people have unwanted thoughts or feel the need to do certain things repeatedly.

Awards and Recognition

Ben Miller has received several awards for his work. In 1990, he was praised for his acting in a play called Hamlet. He also co-wrote MindGym, which won an award for comedy in 1998.

He and Alexander Armstrong won a BAFTA award in 2010 for The Armstrong and Miller Show. In 2021, Ben Miller and the cast of Bridgerton were nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for their great acting as a group.

Books Written by Ben Miller

Ben Miller is also a successful author, especially of children's books.

• It's Not Rocket Science (2014)
• The Aliens Are Coming!: The Exciting and Extraordinary Science Behind Our Search for Life in the Universe (2017)
• The Night I Met Father Christmas (2018)
• The Boy Who Made the World Disappear (2019)
• The Day I Fell into a Fairytale (2020)
• How I Became a Dog called Midnight (2021)
• Diary of a Christmas Elf (2021)
• How I Became a Dog Called Midnight (2022)
• The Night We Got Stuck in a Story (2022)
• Secrets of a Christmas Elf (2022)
• Once Upon a Legend (2023)
• Diary of a Big Bad Wolf (2024)
• Robin Hood Aged 10 3/4 (2024)

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

Filmmaking Credits

Ben Miller has also worked behind the scenes as a writer, producer, and director.

See also

In Spanish: Ben Miller para niños