Biography
Ben Cross was born Harry Bernard Cross on December 16th, 1947 in London, England. He began
acting at a very young age and performed in grammar school plays – most notably playing “Jesus”
in a school pageant at age 12.
Ben left home and school at the age of 15 and worked various jobs including that of 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 the Duke’s Playhouse where
he was seen in Macbeth, The Importance of Being Earnest, and 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 roles in Peter Shaffer’s Equus, 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 which starred Dirk
Bogarde, Sir Sean Connery, Sir Michael Caine and James Caan, to name but a few.
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
entitled Wild Oats.
Ben’s path to international stardom began in 1978 with his extraordinary performance in the play
Chicago which he played “Billy Flynn,” the slick lawyer of murderess “Roxie Hart.” He subsequently
landed the role of “Harold Abrahams” in the multiple Oscar-winning film, Chariots of Fire. The major
success of Chariots of Fire opened the doors to the international film market. Ben followed up
Chariots of Fire with strong and successful performances, most notably in the Masterpiece Theatre
miniseries The Citadel in which he played a Scottish physician 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 HBO miniseries The Far Pavilions.
During the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, Ben appeared in a commercial for American Express with
Jackson Schultz, a sprinter for the 1924 American Olympic team whose character was featured in
Chariots of Fire. 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’s career spans four
decades. 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 in 1997. Other outstanding roles include “Barnabus” in the 1991 MGM remake
of the miniseries Dark Shadows; “Sir Harold Pearson” in the 1994 Italian production Caro Dolce
Amore (Honey Sweet Love); “Ikey Solomon” in the 2000 Australian production The Potato Factory.
More recent noteworthy roles include “Rudolf Hess” in the 2006 BBC production The Nuremburg
Trials and “Dr. Josef Breuer” in the 2007 Millennium Films production When Nietzsche Wept.
Ben is also a director, writer and musician. Among his numerous 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 1970’s and was titled “Mickey Moonshine.” Other works include The Best We’ve
Ever Had (Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2002) and Nearly Midnight (Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2003),
both of which were written by Ben and directed by his son, Theo. In addition, the original soundtrack
for Nearly Midnight was written, produced and performed by his daughter, Lauren. In 2004, Ben
also directed his son in a production of Steve Tesich’s Square One which was performed at the
Etcetera Theatre in Camden, London.
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, French, Italian and German languages
and is currently enrolled in a course studying Bulgarian.
When he’s not filming, he can be found writing music, screenplays and articles for English language
publications. He can be spotted most nights at “The Voice,” a piano bar in the centre of Sofia.
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