Ben Cross
Ben Cross | |
---|---|
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art | |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1973–2020 |
Spouses | Penelope Butler
(m. 1977; div. 1992)Michele Moerth
(m. 1996; div. 2005)Deyana Boneva (m. 2018) |
Children | 2 |
Harry Bernard Cross (16 December 1947 – 18 August 2020) was an English stage and film actor. He was best known for his portrayal of the British Olympic athlete Harold Abrahams in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire and for playing Billy Flynn in the original West End production of the musical Chicago.
Early life
Harry Bernard Cross was born in London on 16 December 1947, to a working-class family.[1] He was the son of Catherine (née O'Donovan), a cleaner, and Harry Cross, a doorman.[2] His father died of tuberculosis when Cross was aged eight. While his father was a member of the Church of England, Cross grew up in his Irish mother's Catholic faith,[3] in the Tulse Hill neighbourhood of London.[4]
Career
Early career
Cross started his career by taking manual jobs, including working as a window cleaner, waiter, and joiner. He also worked as a carpenter for the Welsh National Opera, and was the Property Master at The Alexandra theatre in Birmingham.[2]
In 1970 at the age of 22, he was accepted into London's
After graduating from RADA, Cross performed in several stage plays at
Cross's first big-screen film appearance came in 1976 when he went on location to
In 1977, Cross became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company; he performed in the premiere of Privates on Parade as "Kevin Cartwright" and played Rover in a revival of a Restoration play titled Wild Oats. Cross's path to international stardom began in 1978 with his performance in the musical Chicago, in which he played Billy Flynn, the slick lawyer of murderess Roxie Hart.[6][7]
1980s–1990s
During Cross's performance in Chicago he was recognised and recommended for a leading role in the multiple
Cross followed up Chariots of Fire with performances as a Scottish physician, Dr Andrew Manson, struggling with the politics of the British medical system during the 1920s, in
In 1982, the U.S. union
During the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, Cross appeared in a commercial for American Express ('Don't leave home without it')[14] with the 87-year-old Jackson Scholz, a sprinter for the 1924 American Olympic team whose character was featured in the film Chariots of Fire. When Cross talks about beating Scholz, the latter remarks, "You didn't beat me!" with mock indignation. Proving he is 'still pretty fast', Scholz beats Cross to the draw in picking up the tab with his credit card.[14]
He subsequently replaced
In 1985, he played Barney Greenwald in a revival of
In a 1985 interview, the actor admitted he preferred American roles because of their emotionalism, saying of English acting: "Over here, people hide behind mannerism and technique and don't come up with any soul. American actors are much freer with the emotions. It's pretty hard in Europe not to have experience of Americans because we're exposed to a lot of American product."[5] Cross also said that he was sympathetic to the American dream of success: "I am ambitious. There's no point of being ashamed of the fact that one has ambitions. Despite what a lot of people think in our profession, you can have ambitions and still turn in good work and still earn a living. There's no clash there."[5] Cross expressed the hope that his reputation would "span the Atlantic," and that those in the industry would not ignore him because he did not live in Los Angeles or New York City. "A prospective director would have to convince me that I could bring something new, fresh and exciting to a classical part that hundreds of other people have played," he said.[5]
During this time, Cross' career included several roles in made-for-television productions, as well as the stage. In the 1988
2000–2020
Cross played Ikey Solomon in the
In November 2007, Cross was cast in the role of Sarek in the 2009 Star Trek film directed and produced by J. J. Abrams.[20] Cross spoke to Star Trek magazine following the film's release, saying:
My agent put me forward for Star Trek, and he sent a couple of films to J.J. I'm sure he was too busy to watch the whole of Species, but when we were on the set, he mentioned to me that there was one particular shot in it where I turned to the camera, and in that moment, it came to him how perfect it would be for me to play Sarek.[21]
In order to prepare for the role, Cross drew on his experience as a parent as well as Sarek's previous on-screen appearances. Having been present when his daughter was born, he was able to "call on all sorts of things" in the scene where Amanda has baby Spock, a scene which did not make it into the theatrical cut of the film.[21] While he found the emotionless trait of a Vulcan a challenge to play, he found the father/son relationship between Sarek and Spock easier to play. According to Cross:
As Sarek, I had to be true to the Vulcan cultural ethic, which in the beginning, I found very difficult. I got a lot of help with that from J.J. Dealing with the adult Spock (played by Zachary Quinto) was a much more mature relationship, and I found the father/son aspect one of the easier things to play.[21]
In 2012, Cross was cast as Rabbit, the main antagonist on the Cinemax original series Banshee. Rabbit is "a ruthless Ukrainian gangster who has been hunting down two of his former top thieves for 15 years."[22] After 2012, Cross acted in various minor films but also acted in The Hurricane Heist, which earned a box office of US$32.5 million. In 2019, he starred with Whoopi Goldberg in the film Master of Dark Shadows, which earned a rating of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, his second film to receive such a rating, the other one being Paperhouse.[23]
Directing, screenwriting, and music
Cross was also a director, writer, and musician. He wrote music, screenplays, and articles for English-language publications, and the lyrics for an album with Bulgarian singer Vasil Petrov, which was released in late 2007. He sang two Frank Sinatra songs with Petrov in the Apollonia Festival at the Black Sea in September 2007.[6]
Among his works was the musical Rage about Ruth Ellis, which was performed in the London area. He starred in it and played the part of the hangman.[24]
Cross's first single as a lyricist was released by
The original soundtrack for Nearly Midnight was written, produced and performed by his daughter Lauren. These works were performed in Edinburgh in 2002 and 2003, respectively. Square One, directed by Cross, was performed at the Etcetera Theatre in London in 2004.[24]
Personal life
From 1977 to 1992, Cross was married to model Penelope Butler and had two children, Lauren and Theo. He was later married to gyrotonics trainer Michele Moerth, from 1996 to 2005. Both these marriages ended in divorce. In 2018, he married the Bulgarian artist Deyana Boneva, to whom he remained married until his death.[2][26][27] In his later years, he lived primarily in Vienna, Austria.
Cross was an active
Death
Cross died of cancer in Vienna on 18 August 2020, aged 72.[31][32][2] He had recently finished two films, Prey for the Devil and The Last Letter from Your Lover, which were released posthumously.
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1977 | A Bridge Too Far | Trooper Binns | [33] |
1981 | Chariots of Fire | Harold Abrahams | [33] |
1984 | The Far Pavilions | Ash | [34][11] |
1985 | The Assisi Underground | Rufino Niccacci | [33] |
1988 | The Unholy | Father Michael | [33] |
Paperhouse | Dad | [33] | |
La bottega dell'orefice
|
Stephane | [33] | |
1991 | Eye of the Widow | Nassiri | [33] |
1992 | Live Wire | Mikhail Rashid | [33] |
1993 | Cold Sweat | Mark Cahill | [33] |
1994 | The Ascent | Major David Farrell | |
1995 | First Knight | Prince Malagant | [33] |
Hellfire | Marius Carnot | [33] | |
1997 | Turbulence | Captain Samuel Bowen | [33] |
The Invader | Renn | [33] | |
1999 | Tower of the Firstborn | Michael Shannon / Zadick | [11] |
The Venice Project | Rudy Mestry / Bishop Orsini | [33] | |
2002 | She, Me & Her | David Greenbaum | |
2004 | Exorcist: The Beginning | Semelier | [33] |
2005 | The Mechanik | William Burton | [11] |
2006 | Behind Enemy Lines II: Axis of Evil | Commander Tim Mackey | Direct to video[11] |
Wicked Little Things | Aaron Hanks | [34] | |
2007 | When Nietzsche Wept | Josef Breuer | [33] |
Finding Rin Tin Tin | Nikolaus | [34] | |
2008 | Hero Wanted | Cosmo Jackson | Direct to video[33] |
War, Inc. | Medusa Hair | [33] | |
2009 | Star Trek | Sarek | [33] |
2013 | Jack the Giant Killer
|
Agent Hinton | Direct to video[34][35] |
A Common Man | Morris Da Silva | [34] | |
2018 | The Hurricane Heist | Sheriff Jimmy Dixon | [33] |
2019 | Jarhead: Law of Return | USMC General Betz | |
Wildings | Mr. Kane | ||
2020 | The Rest is Ashes | Old George Smith | [36][35][37] |
2021 | The Last Letter from Your Lover | Older Anthony | Posthumous release |
2022 | Prey for the Devil | Cardinal Matthews |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1979 | ITV Playhouse
|
Terry Jones | 1 episode[11] |
1980 | The Professionals | Stuart | 1 episode[38] |
1981 | The Flame Trees of Thika | Ian Crawford | 4 episodes[38] |
1982 | Coming Out of the Ice | General Tuchachevsky | Television film[11] |
1983 | The Citadel | Dr. Andrew Manson | Miniseries[11] |
1984 | The Far Pavilions | Ashton (Ash) Pelham-Martyn | Miniseries[33] |
1986 | The Twilight Zone | Frederick | 1 episode (Segment: “ Devil's Alphabet")[38]
|
1987 | The Grand Knockout Tournament | Himself | Television special |
1988 | Steal the Sky | Munir Redfa | Television film[11] |
1989 | Twist of Fate | Col. Helmut von Schrader/Israeli Brig. Gen. Benjamin Grossman | both episodes of this two part miniseries[33] |
1991 | Dark Shadows | Barnabas Collins | Main cast, 12 episodes[33] |
1991 | She Stood Alone | William Lloyd Garrison | Television film |
1992 | The Diamond Fleece | Rick Dunne / Alex Breuer | Television film[11] |
1992 | The Ray Bradbury Theater | Ettil Vyre | 1 episode[38] |
1992 | Tales from the Crypt | Benjamin A. Polosky | 1 episode[34][35] |
1996 | Poltergeist: The Legacy | Samuel Warden | 1 episode[39] |
1997 | 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
|
Captain Nemo | Television film[11] |
1997 | Solomon | Solomon | Television film[33] |
2003 | Trial & Retribution | D.S. Taylor Matthews | 2 episodes[38] |
2004 | Spartacus | Titus Glabrus | Miniseries[38] |
2005 | Icon | Anatoly Grishin | Television film[38] |
2006 | S.S. Doomtrooper | Doctor Ullman | Television film[34] |
2006 | Hannibal – Rome's Worst Nightmare
|
Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus | Television film[40] |
2006 | Nuremberg: Nazis on Trial | Rudolf Hess | Miniseries[41] |
2007 | Grendel | King Hrothgar | Television film[38] |
2007 | Species: The Awakening | Tom Hollander | Television film[33][35] |
2008 | Lost City Raiders | Nicholas Filiminov | Television film[11] |
2009 | Hellhounds | King Leander | Television film[34] |
2010 | Ben Hur | Emperor Tiberius | Miniseries[11] |
2011 | William & Kate: The Movie | Prince Charles
|
Television film[38] |
2011 | ICE | Stephan Archer | Miniseries[42] |
2012 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Dr. Mindstrong | Voice, 2 episodes[35] |
2013–2014 | Banshee | Mr. Rabbit | Main cast, 14 episodes[38] |
2014–2015 | Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja | The Sorcerer | Voice, Main cast, 14 episodes[38][35] |
2015 | Viking Quest | King Orn | Television film[43] |
2018 | 12 Monkeys | Nicodemus | 2 episodes[35] |
2019 | Pandora | Harlan Fried | 4 episodes[35] |
References
- ^ "Ben Cross, British actor who starred in Oscar-winning 'Chariots of Fire,' dies at 72". The Washington Post. 19 August 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Hayward, Anthony (19 August 2020). "Ben Cross obituary". The Guardian.
- ^ "Philadelphia Gay News. December 25, 1981 – January 7, 1982 — Independent Voices". voices.revealdigital.org.
- ^ "Ben Cross obituary". The Times. 19 August 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ a b c d Wolf, Matt (11 May 1985) "Ben Cross Builds Stage Career Playing Americans", Associated Press.
- ^ a b c d e "Chariots of Fire actor Ben Cross dies aged 72". BBC News. 19 August 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ISBN 978-0907080602
- ^ Warren, Ina (1 September 1987) "Young English actor puts accent on talent". Toronto Star, p. E1.
- ^ Chariots of Fire – IMDb, retrieved 21 August 2020
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Ben Cross". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 29 September 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ "Actors Equity, in reversal of previous ruling, allows British actor Ben Cross to appear in Off-Broadway production Lydie Breeze", The New York Times (14 January 1982), p. 24
- ^ Gerard, Jeremy (25 June 1987) "2 Actors' Unions Wage Trans-Atlantic Battle", The New York Times
- ^ a b "Video". Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2020 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Polaroid". Advertising Age. 15 September 2003. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ Waugh, Auberon (January 1985). "Class Acts:Our Annual Manstyle Awards". Gentlemen's Quarterly. 55 (1): 136.
- ^ Jensen, Gregory. "AT LONG LAST, HESTON TAKES LONDON BOW". Sun-Sentinel.
- ^ Roberts, Michael J. (28 November 2019). "Interview with Stage & Screen Icon CONRAD JOHN SCHUCK". SHOWBIZ CHICAGO.
- ^ "Critic's pick; Theatre", The Times (24 April 2004), p. 39.
- ^ Pascale, Anthony. "Ben Cross Is Sarek". TrekMovie.com.
- ^ a b c Star Trek Official Movie Magazine: Issue Number 145
- ^ Goldberg, Lesley (30 March 2012). "'Star Trek's' Ben Cross Joins Alan Ball's Cinemax Drama 'Banshee'". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ "Ben Cross – Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ a b c "Schauspieler Ben Cross ist im Alter von 72 Jahren gestorben". musikexpress. 19 August 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ "Ben Cross". IMDb. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ "Model Penny Butler penny Cross Wife Actor Editorial Stock Photo". Shutterstock Editorial. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ "Ben Cross, notable British actor who had Bulgaria in his heart, dies aged 72". Radio Bulgaria. 19 August 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ "Our Brother Ben Cross enters the Grand Lodge Above". Grand Lodge of Spain, Provincial Grand Lodge of the Canary Islands. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
- ^ United Grand Lodge of England Masonic Year Book (2017–2018 ed.). London: UGLE. 2017.
- ^ "300 years of Freemasonry celebrated at Royal Albert Hall global event". Provincial Grand Lodge of South Wales. 15 November 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (18 August 2020). "Ben Cross Dies: 'Chariots Of Fire', 'Star Trek' & 'First Knight' Star Was 72". Deadline. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ Barnes, Mike (18 August 2020). "Ben Cross, Actor in 'Chariots of Fire,' Dies at 72". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y "Filmography for Ben Cross". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Ben Cross". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Oller, Jacob (18 August 2020). "Star Trek, Pandora, 12 Monkeys and Dark Shadows actor Ben Cross dies at 72". SyFy. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ "The Rest is Ashes : Programata : Premieres: Sofia". Progamata. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ "'Chariots of Fire' star Ben Cross dies after short illness". CTV News. 19 August 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Ben Cross List of Movies and TV Shows". TV Guide. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ "Poltergeist: The Legacy" The Substitute (TV Episode 1996) – IMDb, retrieved 20 August 2020
- ^ Hannibal (TV Movie 2006) – IMDb, retrieved 20 August 2020
- ^ "Nuremberg: Nazis on Trial" Rudolf Hess (TV Episode 2006) – IMDb, retrieved 20 August 2020
- ^ "Ice". IMDb.
- ^ Viking Quest – IMDb, retrieved 10 July 2023
External links
- Ben Cross at IMDb
- Ben Cross at the TCM Movie Database
- Ben Cross at AllMovie
- Ben Cross at FEARnet