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Ben Whishaw

  • Actor
  • Producer
  • Music Department
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000
Ben Whishaw at an event for Cloud Atlas (2012)
Helen, who embarks on a passionate affair with a man who has no idea what her secret identity is. Caught in the crosshairs when her lover falls victim to the dangerous London underworld, Helen's employer's call in Sam to protect her.
Play trailer1:01
Black Doves (2024– )
83 Videos
99+ Photos
Widely regarded as one of the greatest stage and screen actors of his generation both in his native Great Britain and internationally, Benjamin John Whishaw was born in Clifton, Bedfordshire, to Linda (Hope), who works in cosmetics, and Jose Whishaw, who works in information technology. He has a twin brother, James. He is of French, German, Russian (father) and English (mother) descent.

Ben attended Samuel Whitbread Community College where his interest in theatre grew and he became a member of the Bancroft Players Youth Theatre at Hitchin's Queen Mother Theatre. During his time there he rose to prominence in many productions, most notably If This Is a Man, based on the book of the same name by Primo Levi, a survivor of Nazi World War II prisoner of war camp. The play was taken to the Edinburgh Festival in 1995 where it garnered five-star reviews and great critical acclaim with Ben Whishaw getting rave reviews for his portrayal of Levi.

Ben then enrolled in, RADA from where he graduated in 2004 and soon landed the role of Hamlet in Trevor Nunn's 2004 production making him one of the youngest actors to portray Hamlet on-stage. Hamlet opened to rave reviews with many critics hailing Ben as the next Laurence Olivier and applauding his portrayal of Hamlet with leading critics haling the birth of a star. Whishaw's film and TV credits include Layer Cake (2004) and Christopher Morris 2005 sitcom Nathan Barley (2005), in which he played a character called Pingu. He was named "Most Promising Newcomer" at the 2001 British Independent Film Awards (for My Brother Tom (2001)) and, in 2005, nominated as best actor in four award ceremonies for his Hamlet. He also played Keith Richards in the Stephen Woolley biopic Stoned (2005). Whishaw played in Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006) as Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, a perfume maker whose craft turns deadly getting raves once again for his stunning portrayal. Whishaw appeared in 2007's I'm Not There (2007) as one of the Bob Dylan reincarnations and in 2008 in Criminal Justice (2008) a TV series. He appears in the forthcoming films The Tempest (2010) and Bright Star (2009).
BornOctober 14, 1980
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornOctober 14, 1980
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Primetime Emmy
      • 27 wins & 73 nominations total

    Photos288

    View Poster
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    + 284
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    Known for

    Daniel Craig in Skyfall (2012)
    Skyfall
    7.8
    • Q
    • 2012
    Colin Farrell in The Lobster (2015)
    The Lobster
    7.1
    • Limping Man
    • 2015
    Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)
    Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
    7.5
    • Jean-Baptiste Grenouille
    • 2006
    Tom Hanks, Susan Sarandon, Hugh Grant, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Bae Doona, Jim Sturgess, and Ben Whishaw in Cloud Atlas (2012)
    Cloud Atlas
    7.4
    • Cabin Boy
    • Robert Frobisher
    • Store Clerk
    • Georgette
    • Tribesman
    • 2012

    Credits

    Edit
    IMDbPro

    Actor



    • Diamond Shitter
      • Nigel
      • Pre-production



    • Ben Whishaw in Peter Hujar's Day (2025)
      Peter Hujar's Day
      6.4
      • Peter Hujar
      • 2025
    • Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw in Black Doves (2024)
      Black Doves
      7.2
      TV Series
      • Sam Young
      • 2024
    • Antonio Banderas, Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Ben Whishaw, Olivia Colman, Carla Tous, Madeleine Harris, and Samuel Joslin in Paddington in Peru (2024)
      Paddington in Peru
      6.7
      • Paddington Bear (voice)
      • 2024
    • In Heat (2024)
      In Heat
      6.2
      Short
      • Jon
      • 2024
    • Limonov: The Ballad of Eddie (2024)
      Limonov: The Ballad of Eddie
      5.9
      • Eddie
      • 2024
    • Good Boy (2023)
      Good Boy
      6.3
      Short
      • Danny
      • 2023
    • Ungentle (2023)
      Ungentle
      6.9
      Short
      • The Narrator
      • 2023
    • Ben Whishaw, Adèle Exarchopoulos, and Franz Rogowski in Passages (2023)
      Passages
      6.6
      • Martin
      • 2023
    • Bad Behaviour (2023)
      Bad Behaviour
      4.3
      • Elon Bello
      • 2023
    • Frances McDormand, Judith Ivey, Sheila McCarthy, Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, and Jessie Buckley in Women Talking (2022)
      Women Talking
      6.9
      • August
      • 2022
    • Queen Elizabeth II in Queen Elizabeth and Paddington Bear Film (2022)
      Queen Elizabeth and Paddington Bear Film
      8.9
      Short
      • Paddington (voice)
      • 2022
    • This Is Going to Hurt (2022)
      This Is Going to Hurt
      8.4
      TV Mini Series
      • Adam
      • 2022
    • Daniel Craig in No Time to Die (2021)
      No Time to Die
      7.3
      • Q
      • 2021
    • Miss Fortunate (2021)
      Miss Fortunate
      6.6
      Short
      • Humourless Man
      • 2021
    • Billy Bob Thornton, Colin Hanks, Jason Schwartzman, and Allison Tolman in Fargo (2014)
      Fargo
      8.8
      TV Series
      • Rabbi Milligan
      • 2020

    Producer



    • The Women by the Lake
      • executive producer
      • Completed



    • Bad Behaviour (2023)
      Bad Behaviour
      4.3
      • executive producer
      • 2023
    • This Is Going to Hurt (2022)
      This Is Going to Hurt
      8.4
      TV Mini Series
      • executive producer
      • 2022
    • O Holy Ghost (2019)
      O Holy Ghost
      7.2
      Short
      • executive producer
      • 2019

    Music Department



    • Abbie Cornish and Ben Whishaw in Bright Star (2009)
      Bright Star
      6.9
      • musician: voice, human orchestra
      • 2009

    Videos83

    Stars of 'Bad Behaviour' Get Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable
    Clip 2:34
    Stars of 'Bad Behaviour' Get Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable
    How Ben Whishaw Makes Madness Believable in 'Surge'
    Clip 6:03
    How Ben Whishaw Makes Madness Believable in 'Surge'
    How Ben Whishaw Makes Madness Believable in 'Surge'
    Clip 6:03
    How Ben Whishaw Makes Madness Believable in 'Surge'
    These Bond Women Are Changing the Spy Game
    Clip 6:36
    These Bond Women Are Changing the Spy Game
    Bond 25 Returns to 007's Origins
    Clip 3:39
    Bond 25 Returns to 007's Origins
    'Bohemian Rhapsody' ... So Far: Fast Facts on the Queen Biopic
    Clip 1:20
    'Bohemian Rhapsody' ... So Far: Fast Facts on the Queen Biopic
    Thats For Today
    Clip 0:53
    Thats For Today

    Personal details

    Edit
    • Alternative name
      • Ben Wishaw
    • Height
      • 5′ 9″ (1.75 m)
    • Born
      • October 14, 1980
      • Clifton, Bedfordshire, England, UK
    • Spouse
      • Mark BradshawAugust 2012 - April 2022 (separated)
    • Parents
        Linda Whishaw (Hope)
    • Relatives
        James Whishaw(Sibling)
    • Other works
      Play: "His Dark Materials", by Nicholas Wright. Dir. Nicholas Hytner. Olivier Theatre, London.
    • Publicity listings
      • 1 Interview
      • 1 Article
      • 1 Pictorial
      • 2 Magazine Cover Photos

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Beat out Leonardo DiCaprio and Orlando Bloom for the role of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille in Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006).
    • Quotes
      I began to feel that he was a character who, left to his own devices, wouldn't really speak at all. I thought about him as being autistic in some way. He simply doesn't understand human beings. Social situations terrify him. On the character Jean-Baptiste Grenouille

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