Ben Cross Biography

BEN CROSS

Date of Birth: December 16, 1947

Ben Cross was born in London, England, and began acting at a very early age in school plays. He left home at age 15, and worked as a window washer, waiter, and carpenter for opera and theater companies. At age 22, he was accepted into London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA), where legendary actors such as Sir Anthony Hopkins and Glenda Jackson were also former students.

Cross began an extensive theater career upon his graduation from RADA, performing in well-known plays such as Macbeth, The Importance of Being Earnest, Death of a Salesman and Twelfth Night. He was also in the popular musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. In 1977, he became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and in 1978, he co-starred as murderess Roxie Hart's lawyer Billy Flynn in Chicago. This contributed to him landing the role of Harold Abrahams in the Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire (1981). During the 1984 Olympic games, Cross also acted in a commercial for American Express with Jackson Scholz, a sprinter whose character was portrayed in the film.

Ben preferred strong character roles to money-grabbing roles, and often played dark characters or the "bad guy" parts. He went on to appear in many films including The Unholy (1988), Cold Sweat (1993), Temptress (1994), The Invader (1997), The Venice Project (1999), Exorcist: The Beginning (2004), Species: The Awakening (2007) and Lost City Raiders (2008). Television credits include The Citadel, The Twilight Zone, Dark Shadows, and Tales from the Crypt. He also played Prince Charles in the TV movie William & Kate (2011). Most recently, he played Dixon in the action thriller The Hurricane Heist (2018).

Ben lived all over the world, including Los Angeles, New York, Spain, Vienna, and Sofia. He spoke Spanish, Italian, and German. He also wrote music, screenplays and articles for English language publications. He was married three times: first to Penny from 1977 to 1992 with whom he has two children named Lauren and Theodore, and then to Michelle Moerth until 2005. In 2018, he married Deyana Boneva. They were together when he died died from cancer on August 18, 2020 at the age of 72 in Vienna, Austria.

Filmography:

Last Letter from Your Lover (2021)
The Devil's Light (2021)
The Rest is Ashes (2020)
Wildlings (2019)
Once There Was a War (2019)
The Hurricane Heist (2018)
Death Watch (2013)
Jack the Giant Killer (2013)
Star Trek (2009)
War, Inc. (2008)
Hero Wanted (2008)
Finding Rin Tin Tin (2007)
When Nietzsche Wept (2007)
Wicked Little Things (2006)
Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006)
The Mechanik (2005)
Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
She Me and Her (2002)
The Order (2001)
Young Blades (2001)
The Venice Project (1999)
The Invader (1997)
The Corporate Ladder (1997)
Turbulence (1997)
Último viaje de Robert Rylands, El (1996)
First Knight (1995)
The Ascent (1994)
Temptress (1994)
Caro dolce amore (1994)
The Criminal Mind (1993)
Cold Sweat (1993)
Live Wire (1992)
Bottega dell'orefice, La (1989)
Eye of the Widow (1989)
Paperhouse (1988)
The Unholy (1988)
The Assisi Underground (1985)
Attenzione, L' (1984)
Chariots of Fire (1981)
A Bridge Too Far (1977)