Today we propose to get to know better with a talented British actor named Ben Whishaw. For viewers around the world, he is best known for his roles in the films Perfumer: The Story of a Killer, Cloud Atlas, and a series of tapes about Her Majesty James Bond's special agent.
Actor Biography
Benjamin John Wishaw was born on October 14, 1980 in the English town of Clifton, county Beardfordshire. His father, Joseph, was a computer development specialist, and his mother, Linda, worked as a cosmetologist. Ben Wishaw and his brother James are twins. While studying in high school, the hero of our story became interested in theater. Parents did not resist the desire of his son to become an actor and even enrolled him in scenic courses. After leaving school, Benjamin entered the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. During his student years, Wishaw began a theatrical career, in which he quickly achieved significant results. The first fame came to him during the period of cooperation with the theater group "Big Spirit".
Filmography by Ben Whishaw: debut on the big screen
The first steps in the movie the young actor began to take at the age of 19 years. These were episodic roles. Benjamin at that time considered screen art only as an additional help, devoting most of his time to work in the theater. So, in 1999, he took part in the filming of films such as “In July 1916: The Battle of the Somme” and “Guard”. In addition, at that time, young Wishaw appeared on television in a British-made series called Children of Other People.
Career continuation
Ben Wishaw performed his first major movie role in 2000. It was the movie My Brother Tom, where the actor played an unbalanced teenager. For his brilliant performance, Benjamin received the prestigious British Independent Filmmakers Award as the UK's most promising debutant.
The following year, Wishaw again played the main character in the short film "Child." He got the role of a young erotic visionary, with whom he coped splendidly. Then came such films with the participation of a young actor, such as "Mental Fury" (2002) and "77 Beds" (2004). Also in 2004, Benjamin starred in the melodrama Patient Love based on the novel Picnic on the Ruins of the Mind by writer Ian McEwan. The director of the project was Roger Michell, and the film was very warmly received by both viewers and critics. In the same period, Wishaw starred in the crime drama “Layer Cake” directed by Matthew Vaughn. The young actor’s partners on the set were celebrities such as Sienna Miller and Daniel Craig. In 2005, Ben was involved in the filming of the popular comedy series about an eccentric creator called "Nathan Barley." In the same year, Wishaw took part in work on a biographical drama of British production, dedicated to the life of the founder of the legendary music band Rolling Stones - Brian Jones. The project was called "In a Dope", and its director was Stephen Woolley. In this drama, Wishaw brilliantly played the role of one of the musicians of the famous band - Keith Richards, which earned a lot of positive reviews from critics and viewers.
Career breakthrough
The filmography of Ben Whishaw already included a number of very prominent film works, when in 2006 he was offered the main role in a new project that really changed his life. We are talking about the drama "Perfumer: the story of a killer" directed by Tom Tykver. The film was based on a novel with the same name by the writer Patrick Suskind. In this picture, Ben Wishaw brilliantly played the role of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille - a very talented, but cruel and never known love orphan who became obsessed with a killer. His filming partners were stars such as Alan Rickman and Dustin Hoffman. The film gained tremendous success all over the world, thanks to which Wishaw became famous not only in his native England, but also far beyond its borders.
Further film activities
After a triumph in the role of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille in 2007, the actor was offered to participate in another biographical film. This is a film directed by Todd Haines, entitled "I'm Not There," dedicated to the life of Bob Dylan. Wichaw's partners on the set were stars such as Richard Gere, Cate Blanchett and Christian Bale.
The following year, the actor took part in work on the drama “Return to Brideshead,” directed by Julian Jarrold. This film was a film adaptation of one of the most original novels of the greatest writer in England - Evelyn Waugh. In the same 2008, Wishaw starred in the popular British television series Criminal Justice on the Air Force. For this role, he became a laureate of the Royal Society of Film Critics and Emmy Awards.
In 2009, Ben Wishaw again had the honor of embodying a cult personality on the screen. This time, the famous English poet John Keats became his hero . The film was called "Bright Star", and its director was Jane Campion. Along with Wishaw, the main roles in this project were played by such famous actors as Paul Schneider and Abby Cornish.
Last works
In 2010, Ben Wishaw brilliantly played a character named Ariel in a fantasy comedy drama called The Tempest, which became the film adaptation of the great work of the great Shakespeare. The actor’s partners on the set of this project were Russell Brand and Helen Mirren.
2012 was very eventful for Wishaw. During this period, he played one of the roles in the popular British series of the Air Force channel called "Hour". Then he was invited to the TV version of Shakespeare's Richard II. In this project, Benjamin played the main role. And, finally, at the end of 2012, two notable films with the participation of Wishaw: “Cloud Atlas” and “007: Skyfall Coordinates” were released.
Ben Wishaw: personal life
For a long time, the actor tried to keep his novels a secret. However, after the sensational film “Perfumer: The Story of a Murderer” was released, a rumor appeared that Ben had an intimate relationship with one of his colleagues on the set. Then the media began to claim that Wishaw had an affair with Rachel Head-Wood.
The truth was revealed only a few years ago, when the actor openly declared his unconventional sexual orientation. So, in 2012, Mark Bradshaw and Ben Wishaw entered into a civil partnership. With his chosen one, who is a composer from Australia, the actor met in 2009 on the set of the film "Bright Star".
Interesting Facts
- Ben Wishaw during his career became the owner of various theater awards and prizes. In addition, he is one of the leading actors in the world famous Old Vic Theater. The list of his awards includes prizes of the British independent cinema, the Verona Film Festival, the Sochi Film Festival and many others.
- Wishaw has a professionally delivered voice. He could very well become an opera singer.
- The actor loves cats. So, at different times, up to 13 four-legged furry pets lived with him.
- According to Ben Wishaw, his favorite film is “Vertigo” by the legendary Alfred Hitchcock.
- Among his hobbies, the actor distinguishes travel, music and dancing.
- Despite the fact that Ben and James Wishaw are twins, their characters are completely different. So, Ben, unlike his brother, was shy and reserved at school, but always dreamed of an acting career, and in the end was able to achieve what he wanted. James never saw himself as a public person. He studied at the Faculty of Economics and connected his life with the financial sphere, which, in his own words, does not regret at all.