Ben Cross

About Ben Cross

Who is it?: Actor, Producer
Birth Day: December 16, 1947
Birth Place:  London, England, United Kingdom
Birth Sign: Capricorn
Alma mater: Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Occupation: Actor
Years active: 1973–present

Ben Cross Net Worth

Ben Cross was born on December 16, 1947 in  London, England, United Kingdom, is Actor, Producer. Ben Cross was born Harry Bernard Cross on December 16, 1947, in London, England. He began acting at a very young age and participated in grammar school plays -- most notably playing "Jesus" in a school pageant at age 12.Ben left home and school at age 15 and worked various jobs, including work as a window washer, waiter and carpenter. He was master carpenter for the Welsh National Opera and property master at the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham, England.Driven by his desire to be an actor, Ben accepted and overcame the enormous challenges and obstacles that came with the profession. In 1970, at the age of 22, he was accepted into London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) -- the alma mater of legendary actors such as Sir John Gielgud, Glenda Jackson and Sir Anthony Hopkins.Upon graduation from RADA, Ben performed in several stage plays at Duke's Playhouse where he was seen in "Macbeth", "The Importance of Being Earnest", and Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman". He then joined the Prospect Theatre Company and played roles in "Pericles", "Twelfth Night", and "Royal Hunt of the Sun". Ben also joined the cast in the immensely popular musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and played leading roles in Peter Shaffer's "Equurs", "Mind Your Head" and the musical "Irma La Douce" -- all at Leicester's Haymarket Theatre.Ben's first big screen film appearance came in 1976 when he went on location to Deventer, Holland, to play "Trooper Binns" in Joseph E. Levine's World War II epic A Bridge Too Far (1977), which starred a very famous international cast -- namely Dirk Bogarde, Sir Sean Connery, Sir Michael Caine and James Caan.In 1977, Ben became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and performed in the premier of "Privates on Parade" as "Kevin Cartwright" and played "Rover" in a revival of a Restoration play titled "Wild Oats".Ben's path to international stardom began in 1978 with his extraordinary performance in the play, "Chicago", in which he played "Billy Flynn", the slick lawyer of murderess "Roxie Hart". During his performance in this play, he was recognized and recommended for a leading role in the multiple Oscar-winning Chariots of Fire (1981). The major success of Chariots of Fire (1981) opened the doors to the international film market. Ben followed up Chariots of Fire (1981) with strong and successful performances, most notably in the Masterpiece Theatre miniseries The Citadel (1983), in which he played a Scottish physician, Dr Andrew Manson, struggling with the politics of the British medical system during the 1920s, and his performance as "Ash Pelham-Martyn", a British cavalry officer torn between two cultures in the Home Box Office miniseries The Far Pavilions (1984). During the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, Ben appeared in a commercial for American Express with Jackson Scholz, a sprinter for the 1924 American Olympic team whose character was featured in the film Chariots of Fire (1981). He subsequently replaced James Garner as the featured actor endorsing the Polaroid Spectra camera in 1986. Ben was also featured in "GQ Magazine" as one of the annual "Manstyle" winners in January, 1985, followed by a featured photo shoot in March, 1985.Having stuck by his desire to choose quality roles over monetary potential, Ben has enjoyed long-term success in the film industry, currently over 30 years. Over the years, Ben has played several outstanding roles including his portrayal of "Solomon", one of the most fascinatingly complex characters of the Bible, in the Trimark Pictures production Solomon (1997) in 1997. Other outstanding roles included his "Barnabus" in the 1991 MGM remake of the miniseries Dark Shadows (1991); "Sir Harold Pearson" in the 1994 Italian production Honey Sweet Love (1994) (Honey Sweet Love); "Ikey Solomon" in the Australian production The Potato Factory (2000) in 2000; and, most recently, his role as Rudolf Hess in the 2006 BBC production Nuremberg: Nazis on Trial (2006).Ben is a director, writer and musician, as well. Among many of his original works is the musical "Rage" about Ruth Ellis, which was performed in various regional towns in the London area. He also starred in it and played the part of the hangman. Ben's first single as a lyricist was released by Polydor Records in the late 1970s and was titled "Mickey Moonshine". Other works include "The Best We've Ever Had" and "Nearly Midnight", both written by Ben and directed by his son, Theo Cross. In addition, the original soundtrack for "Nearly Midnight" was written, produced and performed by his daughter, Lauren Cross. These works were performed in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 2002 and 2003, respectively. "Square One", directed by Ben, was performed at the Etcetera Theatre in London in 2004.Ben has lived all over the world, including London, Los Angeles, New York, Southern Spain, Vienna, and, most recently, Sofia. He is familiar with the Spanish, Italian and German languages and has enrolled in a course studying Bulgarian. When he's not filming, he can be found writing music, screenplays and articles for English language publications.
Ben Cross is a member of Actor

💰Ben Cross Net worth: $4 Million

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Biography/Timeline

1920

Cross followed up Chariots of Fire with performances as a Scottish physician, Dr Andrew Mason, struggling with the politics of the British medical system during the 1920s, in The Citadel, a 10-part BBC dramatisation of A.J. Cronin's novel, and as Ashton (Ash) Pelham-Martyn, a British cavalry officer torn between two cultures in the ITV miniseries The Far Pavilions.

1970

Cross's first single as a lyricist was released by Polydor Records in the late 1970s and was titled Mickey Moonshine. The nom de guerre for the performance had occurred to Ben when he recalled an earlier involvement with the music industry as a session singer for Decca between 1972 and 1974. At this time, he had recorded a song called 'Name it, You Got it', which achieved some play on the British Northern soul scene. Other works include The Best We’ve Ever Had and Nearly Midnight, both written by Cross and directed by his son Theo.

1976

Cross's first big screen film appearance came in 1976 when he went on location to Deventer, Netherlands, to play Trooper Binns in Joseph E. Levine's World War II epic A Bridge Too Far which starred an international cast, including Dirk Bogarde, Sean Connery, Michael Caine and James Caan.

1977

He has been married twice: first to Penny, from 1977 to 1992, with whom he has two children; and then to Michelle until 2005. In October 2014 he became a grandfather.

1981

During Cross's performance in Chicago, he was recognised and recommended for a leading role in the multiple Oscar-winning Chariots of Fire. For their performances in the film, Cross and his co-star Ian Charleson both won "Most Promising Artiste of 1981" awards from the Variety Club Awards in February 1982.

1982

In 1982, the U.S. union Actors' Equity, in a landmark Reversal of a previous ruling, allowed Cross to appear in John Guare's off-Broadway play Lydie Breeze. The decision was tied to a joint effort by Actors' Equity, the League of New York Theatres and the British union Equity to allow British and U.S. actors unrestricted opportunities to work in both countries. The agreement eventually led to regular equal exchange agreements for equivalent acting jobs between London and New York.

1984

During the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, Cross appeared in a commercial for American Express ('Don't leave home without it') with the 87-year-old Jackson Scholz, a sprinter for the 1924 American Olympic team whose character was featured in the film Chariots of Fire. When Cross says something about beating Scholz, the latter remarks, "You didn't beat me!" with mock indignation. Proving he is 'still pretty fast', Scholz beats Cross to the draw in picking up the tab with his credit card.

1985

In a 1985 interview the actor admitted he preferred American roles because of their emotionalism, saying of English acting: 'Over here, people hide behind mannerism and technique and don't come up with any soul. American actors are much freer with the emotions. It's pretty hard in Europe not to have experience of Americans because we're exposed to a lot of American product.' Cross also said that he was sympathetic to the American dream of success: 'I am ambitious. There's no point of being ashamed of the fact that one has ambitions. Despite what a lot of people think in our profession, you can have ambitions and still turn in good work and still earn a living. There's no clash there.' Cross expressed the hope that his reputation would 'span the Atlantic,' and that those in the industry would not ignore him because he did not live in Los Angeles or New York City. 'A prospective Director would have to convince me that I could bring something new, fresh and exciting to a classical part that hundreds of other people have played,' he said.

1986

He subsequently replaced James Garner as the featured actor endorsing the Polaroid Spectra camera in 1986. Cross was also featured in GQ Magazine as one of the annual "Manstyle" winners in January, 1985 followed by a featured photo shoot in March, 1985.

1997

Over the years, Cross has played Solomon in the 1997 Trimark Pictures production Solomon; Captain Nemo in the 1997 CBS film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea; vampire Barnabas Collins in the 1991 MGM miniseries remake of the cult classic soap opera Dark Shadows; another vampire in the 1989 USA Network film Nightlife; Sir Harold Pearson in the 1994 Italian production Caro Dolce Amore (Honey Sweet Love); Iraqi pilot Munir Redfa blackmailed into flying a MiG from Iraq to Israel in the 1988 HBO spy film Steal the Sky; and Nazi SS colonel and war Criminal Helmut von Schraeder, who has his face and voice surgically changed, poses as a Jew in a concentration camp, then by twist of fate becomes a Zionist and ends up an Israeli major general in the 1989 Ian Sharp's TV miniseries Twist of Fate, also titled "Pursuit".

2000

Cross played Ikey Solomon in the Australian production The Potato Factory in 2000. In 2005, Cross, an anti-death penalty campaigner, starred as a death-row prisoner in Bruce Graham's play Coyote on a Fence, at the Duchess Theatre. He played Rudolf Hess in the 2006 BBC production Nuremberg: Nazis on Trial.

2002

In addition, the original Soundtrack for Nearly Midnight was written, produced and performed by his daughter Lauren. These works were performed in Edinburgh in 2002 and 2003 respectively. Square One, directed by Cross, was performed at the Etcetera Theatre in London in 2004.

2007

Cross is a Director, Writer and musician. He has written music, screenplays and articles for English-language publications and has written the lyrics for an album with Bulgarian singer Vasil Petrov, which was released in late 2007. He sang two Sinatra songs with Petrov in the Apollonia Festival at the Black Sea in September 2007.

2012

In 2012, Cross was cast as Rabbit, the main antagonist on the Cinemax original series Banshee. Rabbit is "a ruthless Ukrainian gangster who has been hunting down two of his former top thieves for 15 years."

2013

After graduation from RADA, Cross performed in several stage plays at Duke's Playhouse where he was seen in Macbeth, The Importance of Being Earnest and Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. He then joined the Prospect Theatre Company and played roles in Pericles, Twelfth Night, and Royal Hunt of the Sun. Cross also joined the cast of the immensely popular musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and played leading roles in Sir Peter Shaffer's Equus, Mind Your Head and the musical Irma La Douce – all at Leicester's Haymarket Theatre.