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Ben Foster(I)

  • Actor
  • Producer
  • Director
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000369
Ben Foster
Take a closer look at the various roles Ben Foster has played throughout his acting career.
Play clip1:53
Ben Foster: Movie & TV Moments
99+ Videos
99+ Photos
Ben Foster was born October 29, 1980 in Boston, Massachusetts, to Gillian Kirwan and Steven Foster, restaurant owners. His younger brother is actor Jon Foster. His paternal grandparents were from Russian Jewish families that immigrated to Massachusetts (his grandfather became a prominent judge in Boston), while his mother's family is from Maryland.

During his childhood, his family moved to Fairfield, Iowa, where he was raised. Fairfield had four community theaters. His passion for acting was discovered early on, and after starring in the title role in "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown", put on by one of the community theaters, he wrote, directed, and starred in his own play at age 12, a play that won second place in an international competition. After attending Interlochen Theater Arts Summer Program at age 14 in Interlochen, Michigan, it was only a matter of time before Ben dropped out of high school at age 16 and moved to Los Angeles, California, where he was almost immediately snapped up for the Disney series Flash Forward (1995), in which two friends narrate the highs and lows of high school.

His film debut was a small role in the little-seen Kounterfeit (1996), after which he was solicited for several made-for-TV movies and appearances on television series before reaching his next milestone, Liberty Heights (1999), where he played alongside Adrien Brody and Joe Mantegna as a rebellious Jewish teenager who engages in a forbidden relationship with a Black girl. His first starring movie role was in the film Get Over It (2001), where he starred along with Kirsten Dunst as a lovelorn teenager, and then the beautifully crafted Bang Bang You're Dead (2002), in which he played Trevor Adams, the starring role. Still, until 2005, his parts for the most part were small but beautifully played, and then he landed the role of Marshall Krupcheck in the movie Hostage (2005), an intense piece of acting that made people begin to take notice and recognize his potential and talent.

Since then, he played major roles in many movies, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), Alpha Dog (2006), 3:10 to Yuma (2007), The Messenger (2009), The Mechanic (2011), Rampart (2011), Kill Your Darlings (2013), and Lone Survivor (2013).
BornOctober 29, 1980
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornOctober 29, 1980
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000369
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
      • 8 wins & 46 nominations total

    Photos311

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    + 306
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    Known for

    Jeff Bridges, Ben Foster, and Chris Pine in Hell or High Water (2016)
    Hell or High Water
    7.6
    • Tanner Howard
    • 2016
    Russell Crowe and Christian Bale in 3:10 to Yuma (2007)
    3:10 to Yuma
    7.6
    • Charlie Prince
    • 2007
    Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster in The Messenger (2009)
    The Messenger
    7.1
    • Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery
    • 2009
    Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie in Leave No Trace (2018)
    Leave No Trace
    7.1
    • Will
    • 2018

    Credits

    Edit
    IMDbPro

    Actor



    • The Stalemate
      • In Production
    • Christy Martin Biopic
      • Post-production
    • Floodplain
      • Pre-production
    • Motor City
      • Reynolds
      • Post-production



    • Ed Harris and Jessica Lange in Long Day's Journey Into Night (2025)
      Long Day's Journey Into Night
      8.7
      • Jamie Tyrone
      • 2025
    • Ben Foster in Sharp Corner (2024)
      Sharp Corner
      5.9
      • Josh McCall
      • 2024
    • King Ivory (2024)
      King Ivory
      7.1
      • George 'Smiley' Greene
      • 2024
    • Finestkind (2023)
      Finestkind
      6.1
      • Tom
      • 2023
    • Will Smith in Emancipation (2022)
      Emancipation
      6.3
      • Jim Fassel
      • 2022
    • Ben Foster in Medieval (2022)
      Medieval
      5.9
      • Jan Zizka
      • 2022
    • Adam Sandler in Hustle (2022)
      Hustle
      7.3
      • Vince Merrick
      • 2022
    • Chris Pine in The Contractor (2022)
      The Contractor
      5.8
      • Mike
      • 2022
    • Ben Foster in The Survivor (2021)
      The Survivor
      6.7
      • Harry Haft
      • 2021
    • John Cameron Mitchell in Anthem: Homunculus (2019)
      Anthem: Homunculus
      6.8
      Podcast Series
      • William S. Burroughs (2019)
      • 2019
    • Ben Foster and Elle Fanning in Galveston (2018)
      Galveston
      6.2
      • Roy
      • 2018
    • Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie in Leave No Trace (2018)
      Leave No Trace
      7.1
      • Will
      • 2018
    • Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike, and Wes Studi in Hostiles (2017)
      Hostiles
      7.2
      • Philip Wills
      • 2017
    • Guillaume Canet and Marion Cotillard in Rock'n Roll (2017)
      Rock'n Roll
      6.0
      • Ben
      • 2017
    • Tom Hanks and Felicity Jones in Inferno (2016)
      Inferno
      6.2
      • Bertrand Zobrist
      • 2016

    Producer



    • The Stalemate
      • executive producer
      • In Production



    • Ben Foster in The Survivor (2021)
      The Survivor
      6.7
      • executive producer
      • 2021
    • Woody Harrelson in Rampart (2011)
      Rampart
      5.8
      • producer
      • 2011

    • In-development projects at IMDbPro

    Videos106

    Ben Foster: Movie & TV Moments
    Clip 1:53
    Ben Foster: Movie & TV Moments
    "You Owe Me"
    Clip 0:47
    "You Owe Me"
    "You Owe Me"
    Clip 0:47
    "You Owe Me"
    "Not So Good for Your Side"
    Clip 1:00
    "Not So Good for Your Side"
    "Rooftop Repel"
    Clip 0:54
    "Rooftop Repel"
    The Mechanic: Extended Convoy Clip
    Clip 1:39
    The Mechanic: Extended Convoy Clip
    Pandorum: "We Save the Ship"
    Clip 0:55
    Pandorum: "We Save the Ship"

    Personal details

    Edit
    • Height
      • 5′ 8″ (1.73 m)
    • Born
      • October 29, 1980
      • Boston, Massachusetts, USA
    • Spouse
      • Laura PreponMay 25, 2018 - present (filed for divorce, 2 children)
    • Children
      • Ella
    • Parents
        Gillian Kirwan
    • Relatives
      • Jon Foster(Sibling)
    • Other works
      Narrated the audio book version of James Frey's novel, "Bright Shiny Morning".
    • Publicity listings
      • 4 Interviews
      • 2 Articles
      • 1 Magazine Cover Photo

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Risked his sight while filming Alpha Dog (2006) by adding glaucoma drops to his eyes for much of the shoot to dilate his pupils, making him appear to be high. He'd hide in the bushes at night and cover his eyes between takes to keep the lights from shining into them and also had to talk to director Nick Cassavetes with his eyes closed.
    • Quotes
      [Discussing his role in Hostage (2005)] In the novel, my character was written as a 400-pound, 30-year-old massive force. Since I am not that, I had to find a different direction. I based my character on a serial who saw his parents die and now has a fetish for little girls and watching people die.
    • Trademarks
        Often plays crazed, violent characters
    • Nickname
      • Goat Boy
    • Salary
      • Pandorum
        (2009)
        $1,500,000

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