Michael Benz

Michael Benz
Born England
Nationality British and American
Occupation Actor

Michael Benz is an English/American television and stage actor with dual citizenship. He was born and raised in London, England.

Education

Benz trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London. Prior to this, he graduated with a BA in Psychology from Georgetown University in Washington, DC. As a child, Benz attended The American School in London.[1]

Childhood career

In 1992, while a fifth grader at The American School in London, Benz was cast as Mike in the popular British sci-fi TV sitcom Mike and Angelo, replacing the series' original Mike played by Matt Wright. Benz spent 6 seasons on the series, airing from 1993-1998, and appears in 60 episodes. While on break from Mike and Angelo, Benz appeared as the title character in the 1995 BBC 6-part miniseries Little Lord Fauntleroy, based on the English children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and adapted by Julian Fellowes.

Adult career

Upon graduation from RADA, Benz made his professional stage debut in the Shakespeare's Globe touring production of The Winter's Tale playing Paulina and the Young Shepherd.[2] Also for Shakespeare's Globe, Benz appeared in Love's Labour's Lost, As You Like It, and the world premiere production of A New World: A Life of Thomas Paine.[3] In the summer of 2012, Benz played the title role in the Globe's production of Hamlet, directed by artistic director Dominic Dromgoole and Bill Buckhurst.[4] During the fall of 2012, the production toured the United States and Benz was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor at the Helen Hayes Awards in Washington, DC.[5] Benz made his West End theatre debut in 2011 playing Horatio in Trevor Nunn's production of Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket.[6] Benz worked with Nunn again later that year, playing Ferdinand opposite Ralph Fiennes' Prospero, in The Tempest also at Theatre Royal, Haymarket.[7] Other stage appearances by Benz include Lee Baum in Arthur Miller's rarely seen The American Clock[8] and Christopher in the premiere of Oohrah! by Bekah Brunstetter,[9] both at the Finborough Theatre; Simon Bliss in Noël Coward's Hay Fever at the West Yorkshire Playhouse;[10] and Balthasar in Romeo & Juliet for the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).[11] Benz was a guest star in the season four Christmas Special of Downton Abbey that was broadcast on 25 December 2013 in the UK (season 4, episode 8 in the US). Benz played Ethan, the American valet to guest star Paul Giamatti's character Harold Levinson.[12]

References

  1. ↑ "Georgetown Alumnus Reaches Shakespearian Heights - Georgetown University". Georgetown.edu. 2012-10-25. Retrieved 2014-01-04.
  2. ↑ "The Winter's Tale / Shakespeare's Globe". Shakespearesglobe.com. Retrieved 2014-01-04.
  3. ↑ "Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Bankside, Southwark, London / Shakespeare's Globe". Shakespearesglobe.com. Retrieved 2014-01-04.
  4. ↑ "Hamlet / Shakespeare's Globe". Shakespearesglobe.com. Archived from the original on 26 September 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  5. ↑ "The Washington Post". Articles.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2014-01-04.
  6. ↑ "» Trevor Nunn Season 2011 – 2012". Trh.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-01-04.
  7. ↑ Michael Billington. "The Tempest – review | Stage". The Guardian. Retrieved 2014-01-04.
  8. ↑ "The American Clock - Productions 2012". Finborough Theatre. Retrieved 2014-01-04.
  9. ↑ "Finborough Theatre". Finborough Theatre. 2009-04-06. Retrieved 2014-01-04.
  10. ↑ Clare Brennan. "Hay Fever | Theatre review | Stage | The Observer". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 2014-01-04.
  11. ↑ "Romeo and Juliet · British Universities Film & Video Council". Bufvc.ac.uk. Retrieved 2014-01-04.
  12. ↑ Hanna Flint (2013-12-07). "Seaside trips and society balls in the Downton Abbey Christmas special | Mail Online". Dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-01-04.
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