Ben McKenzie facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ben McKenzie
McKenzie in 2022.
Born	Benjamin McKenzie Schenkkan (1978-09-12) September 12, 1978 (age 46) Austin, Texas, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Virginia (BA)
Occupation	Actor commentator
Years active	2002–present
Spouse(s)	Morena Baccarin ​ (m. 2017)​
Children	2
Relatives	Robert Schenkkan (uncle)

Benjamin McKenzie Schenkkan (born September 12, 1978) is an American actor. He is famous for his roles on TV shows like The O.C., Southland, and Gotham.

McKenzie also appeared in movies such as Junebug and Line of Duty. In 2020, he performed on Broadway in the play Grand Horizons. Besides acting, McKenzie has written a book about money and finance with journalist Jacob Silverman.

Early life and Education

Benjamin McKenzie Schenkkan was born in Austin, Texas. He has two younger brothers. His grandfather, Robert F. Schenkkan, was a university professor. His uncle, Robert Schenkkan, is a famous playwright who won a Pulitzer Prize. McKenzie uses his middle name, McKenzie, as his stage name. This helps avoid confusion with another actor named Ben Shenkman.

McKenzie went to St. Andrew's Episcopal School. There, he was friends and played flag football with future Super Bowl star Drew Brees. He then attended Stephen F. Austin High School. He played wide receiver and defensive back on the school's football team. From 1997 to 2001, he studied at the University of Virginia. He majored in foreign affairs and economics.

Acting Career Highlights

Starting Out: The O.C.

After college in 2001, McKenzie moved to New York City. He worked part-time jobs and acted in small plays. He also performed in summer theater shows.

At age 23, he moved to Los Angeles. He was soon cast as Ryan Atwood in The O.C.. This TV show premiered on August 5, 2003, on Fox. It was about rich teenagers in Orange County, California. The show became very popular quickly, making McKenzie famous.

His role in The O.C. earned him several awards. He won "Choice TV Actor – Drama/Action Adventure" and "Choice TV Actor – Drama" at the Teen Choice Awards. The O.C. helped McKenzie become known for playing quiet, strong lead characters. The show ended in early 2007.

While on The O.C., McKenzie made his first movie appearance. He was in the film Junebug with Amy Adams. This movie was praised at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.

Police Roles: Southland and Gotham

In 2008, McKenzie starred in a film version of the novel Johnny Got His Gun. He played Joe Bonham, a role played by famous actors before him.

In 2009, he began playing rookie police officer Ben Sherman. This was for the NBC drama Southland. The show was later moved to TNT. It ran for five seasons and ended in 2013.

After Southland, McKenzie returned to Fox in 2014. He starred in the Batman prequel TV show Gotham. He played James "Jim" Gordon as a young detective. The show ran for five seasons and 100 episodes, ending in April 2019. McKenzie also directed three episodes and wrote two episodes of Gotham.

In 2019, he appeared in the action thriller film Line of Duty.

New Projects and Theater

After Gotham finished, McKenzie started exploring new projects. He began focusing on writing and directing.

On June 24, 2019, McKenzie took part in a special reading. It was called The Investigation: A Search for the Truth in Ten Acts. This was a dramatic reading of a report about Russian interference in the 2016 US election. McKenzie played two roles in this reading.

McKenzie made his Broadway debut on January 23, 2020. He starred in the play Grand Horizons at the Hayes Theater. He played Ben, one of two sons dealing with their elderly parents' divorce. The play ran for a limited time. In 2022, it was announced that McKenzie would star in and produce a horror film called Bloat.

Personal life

In September 2015, it was announced that Ben McKenzie was expecting a child with his Gotham co-star, actress Morena Baccarin. Their daughter, Frances Laiz Setta, was born on March 2, 2016.

McKenzie and Baccarin got engaged in November 2016. They were married on June 2, 2017, in Brooklyn, New York. Their son, Arthur, was born in March 2021. McKenzie also has a step-son, Julius, from Baccarin's previous relationship.

Filmography

Film

Television

Audio

Theater

See also

In Spanish: Benjamin McKenzie para niños