Ben Foster
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Ben Foster
Biography
Making a name for himself by often taking roles unusually weighty for such a young actor, Ben Foster nevertheless began his career with such made-for-TV efforts as I've Been Waiting for You and Breakfast With Einstein (both 1998). Subsequently gaining positive notice for his portrayal of the mentally handicapped Eli in the short-lived series Freaks and Geeks, it wasn't long before Foster was challenging himself with such dramatic efforts as Liberty Heights and The Laramie Project. Born in Boston in October 1980, he began to realize his passion for acting after attending the Interlochen Theater Arts Summer Program. After writing, directing, and starring in his first play at the age of 12, it wasn't long before the venom of the acting bug had successfully worked its way into the budding thespian's blood. Devoting his life to acting, Foster dropped out of high school at 16 and prepared to face the challenges that accompany such a career. Following his film debut in the 1996 crime thriller Kounterfeit, a series of TV films followed. In 1999, he starred in Liberty Heights. Set in 1950s Baltimore, Foster starred as a Jewish high school student whose socially taboo relationship with an African-American classmate (Rebekah Johnson) finds him facing negative pressure from his family and friends. Following up with the musical comedy Get Over It! in 2001, Foster was next seen in The Laramie Project, a made-for-cable feature documenting small town in Laramie, WY, following the murder of Matthew Shepard. Foster appeared with Tim Allen in the ill-fated comedy Big Trouble in 2002, and his subsequent role in the made-for-TV feature Bang, Bang, You're Dead offered viewers a chilling look into the mind of a disturbed teen. It wasn't long after that Foster became a familiar face to cable viewers with his role in the acclaimed HBO series Six Feet Under. As the love interest of Claire Fisher (Lauren Ambrose), Foster's portrayal of a budding young artist found him essaying a complex character who is attempting to discover his true sexuality while simultaneously tapping his creative potential. Next appearing in director Michael Polish's Northfork, Foster later stepped behind the wheel for the non-linear thriller 11:14. ~ Jason Buchanan, RoviRelated Videos:
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Ben Foster
Filmography:
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Ben Foster
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Ben Foster (actor)
| Ben Foster | |
|---|---|
 Foster in December 2007 |
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| Born | October 29, 1980 Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Relatives | Jon Foster (brother) |
Ben Foster (born October 29, 1980) is an American actor. His film roles include The Laramie Project, Liberty Heights, Get Over It, Hostage, X-Men: The Last Stand, Alpha Dog, 30 Days of Night, The Messenger, Bang Bang You're Dead, The Mechanic and Pandorum.[1] He received best supporting actor nominations from both the Saturn and Satellite Awards for his 2007 role in the film 3:10 to Yuma.[2]
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Contents
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Early life
Foster was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of restaurant owners Gillian Kirwan (née Sterling) and Steven Foster.[3][4][5] He has described his parents as "free-spirited, Vietnam-protesting hippies".[6] He has a younger brother, Jon, who is also an actor. When Foster was four years old, his family relocated to Fairfield, Iowa, after their Boston home was burglarized while they were present.[5][6]
Foster was raised in his father's Jewish religion.[6][7] His paternal grandmother emigrated from Russia to escape pogroms in 1923.[8] Foster practices Transcendental Meditation,[9] and, while living in Fairfield, attended the Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment.[5]
Career
Foster began working as an actor when he was sixteen years old.[5] Foster dropped out of high school and moved to Los Angeles to pursue his career.[citation needed] In 1996 and 1997, he appeared in the television series Flash Forward and had an unsuccessful audition for the lead role in Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko. Over the next three years, Foster obtained small roles in two made-for-TV movies as well as two episodes of the TV series Freaks and Geeks.
In 2001, he acted in the film Get Over It. Foster also had a recurring role as Russell Corwin (22 episodes) in the HBO Original Series, Six Feet Under.[5] After appearing in the films 11:14 and The Punisher, Foster appeared in Hostage with Bruce Willis, Kevin Pollak and Michelle Horn. In 2006, Foster appeared in X-Men: The Last Stand as the comic-book hero Angel/Warren Worthington III.[5] In the crime thriller Alpha Dog, he played the character Jake Mazursky and added glaucoma drops to his eyes to simulate the appearance of a drug addict in the film.[10] In 2007, he played cold-blooded killer Charlie Prince in the critically acclaimed western film 3:10 to Yuma.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–1997 | Flash Forward | Tucker James | 26 episodes |
| 1997 | Kounterfeit | Travis | |
| 1998 | I've Been Waiting for You | Charlie | TV movie |
| You Wish | Earl | Episode: "Future Shock" | |
| Breakfast with Einstein | Ryan | TV movie | |
| 1973 | Peter | TV movie | |
| 1999 | Liberty Heights | Ben Kurtzman | |
| Freaks and Geeks | Eli | Episode: "Pilot" "Carded and Discarded" | |
| 2000 | Family Law | Jason Nelson | Episode: "A Mother's Son" |
| 2001 | Get Over It | Berke Landers | |
| Boston Public | Max Warner | Episode: "Chapter Twenty-Nine" | |
| 2002 | The Laramie Project | Aaron Kreifels | |
| Big Trouble | Matt Arnold | ||
| Bang Bang You're Dead | Trevor Adams | ||
| Phone Booth | Big Q (uncredited) | ||
| 2003 | Northfork | Cod | |
| 11:14 | Eddie | ||
| Six Feet Under | Russell Corwin | 22 episodes | |
| 2004 | The Punisher | Spacker Dave | |
| The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things | Fleshy Boy | ||
| 2005 | Hostage | Mars Krupcheck | |
| The Dead Zone | Darren Foldes | Episode: "The Last Goodbye" | |
| 2006 | X-Men: The Last Stand | Warren Worthington III/Angel | |
| 2007 | Alpha Dog | Jake Mazursky | |
| 3:10 to Yuma | Charlie Prince | ||
| My Name Is Earl | Glenn | Episode: "My Name Is Inmate#2801-016: Part 1" Episode: "My Name Is Inmate#2801-016: Part 2" |
|
| 30 Days of Night | The Stranger | ||
| 2008 | Birds of America | Jay | |
| 2009 | The Messenger | Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery | |
| Blink | AJ | Short film | |
| Pandorum | Bower | ||
| 2010 | Here[11] | Will Shepard | |
| 2011 | The Mechanic[12] | Steve McKenna | |
| Rampart | Terry | ||
| 2012 | Yellow | Nowell | Post-production |
| Contraband | Sebastian Abney | ||
| 360 | Tyler | Post-production |
Awards
Wins
- 2003
- Daytime Emmy, for Bang Bang You're Dead
- 2004
- Screen Actors Guild Awards, for Six Feet Under
- 2006
- Young Hollywood Awards, for Alpha Dog
Nominations
- 1997
- Gemini Award, for Flash Forward
- 1998
- Gemini Award, for Flash Forward
- 2001
- Teen Choice Awards, for Get Over It
- 2005
- Screen Actors Guild Awards, for Six Feet Under
- 2007
- Satellite Awards, for 3:10 to Yuma
- 2008
- Screen Actors Guild Awards, for 3:10 to Yuma
- Saturn Award, for 3:10 to Yuma (2007 film)|3:10 to Yuma
- 2009
- Gotham Awards, for The Messenger
References
- ^ Ordona, Michael (2009-11-01). "Ben Foster puts his heart into 'The Messenger'". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2009/nov/01/entertainment/ca-foster1. Retrieved 2010-11-15.
- ^ "Ben Foster". Yahoo! Movies. 2010. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800332837/bio. Retrieved 2010-11-15.
- ^ Fee, Gayle; Laura Raposa (1995-09-03). "INSIDE TRACK Pool barons foster son's fledgling career". Boston Herald. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/bostonherald/access/20531991.html?dids=20531991:20531991&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Sep+03%2C+1995&author=Gayle+Fee+%26+Laura+Raposa&pub=Boston+Herald&desc=INSIDE+TRACK+Pool+barons+foster+son's+fledgling+career&pqatl=google. Retrieved 2010-11-15.
- ^ Sherman, Paul (1999-12-09). "New `Heights'; After landing the lead role in Barry Levinson's latest film, Boston native Ben Foster is flying". Boston Herald. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/bostonherald/access/47037101.html?dids=47037101:47037101&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Dec+09%2C+1999&author=PAUL+SHERMAN&pub=Boston+Herald&desc=New+%60Heights'%3B+After+landing+the+lead+role+in+Barry+Levinson's+latest+film%2C+Boston+native+Ben+Foster+is+flying&pqatl=google. Retrieved 2010-11-15.
- ^ a b c d e f Abel, Judy (2009-11-15). "Exploring life’s ‘darker corners’". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2009/11/15/ben_foster_addresses_grief_and_loss_in_the_messenger/?page=2. Retrieved 2010-11-15.
- ^ a b c Miller, Gerri (1999). "Foster Reaches for the "Heights"". JVibe. http://www.jvibe.com/Pop_culture/BenFoster.php. Retrieved 2006-12-12.
- ^ Sragow, Michael (1999-12-16). "It's a boy's, boy's, boy's world (and a girl's)". Salon.com. http://www.salon.com/entertainment/col/srag/1999/12/16/liberty_heights. Retrieved 2010-11-15.
- ^ Breed, Allan G. (1999-02-04). "Ben Foster reaches for new 'Heights'". Lawrence Journal-World. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6oEyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=veYFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5145,1266634&dq=ben-foster-reaches-for-new-heights&hl=en. Retrieved 2007-12-10.
- ^ DeYoung, Bill (2009-20-27). "Extreme closeup: Ben Foster". Connect Savannah. http://www.connectsavannah.com/news/article/101305/. Retrieved 2010-11-15.
- ^ "X-MEN STAR FOSTER RISKS EYESIGHT TO PLAY DRUGGIE". Contact Music. 2006-12-12. http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/x-men%20star%20foster%20risks%20eyesight%20to%20play%20druggie_1016263. Retrieved 2006-12-12.
- ^ Mitchell, Wendy (2009-07-27). "Ben Foster, Lubna Azabal join Braden King's Armenia-set Here". Screen Daily. http://www.screendaily.com/production/europe/ben-foster-lubna-azabal-join-braden-kings-armenia-set-here/5003959.article. Retrieved 2010-11-15.
- ^ Scott, Mike (2009-11-09). "New Orleans film shoot to disrupt traffic on Convention Center Boulevard". Nola.com. http://www.nola.com/movies/index.ssf/2009/11/new_orleans_film_shoot_to_disr.html. Retrieved 2010-11-15.
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