Ben Whishaw Biography
Ben Whishaw is an English actor who won a British Independent Film Award for his work in My Brother Tom. He then won an Olivier Award for his performance in a 2004 production of Hamlet. Subsequently, he starred in Nathan Barley, Criminal Justice, The Hour, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, I’m Not There, Brideshead Revisited, and Bright Star.
Ben Whishaw Age
Whishaw was born Benjamin John Whishaw on October 14, 1980, in Clifton, Bedfordshire, England. He is 44 years old as of 2024. Whishaw celebrates his birthday on October 14th.
Ben Whishaw Height
Whishaw stands at an approximate height of 5 feet and 9 inches.
Ben Whishaw Family
Whishaw was born to Linda Hope and Jose Whishaw in Clifton, Bedfordshire. He grew up in Clifton and Langford alongside his fraternal twin, James. His mother works in cosmetics while his father works in sports with young people. His mother has English roots, while his father has French, German, and Russian roots.
Stellmacher was the family’s original surname, and Whishaw was not. Jean Vladimir Stellmacher, his paternal grandfather, was born in Istanbul in 1922 to a Russian mother and a German father. He lived in Kassel, Germany, and changed his name to John Victor Whishaw following World War II during which he worked as a British spy in the German army.
Ben Whishaw Husband/Sexuality/Boyfriend
Whishaw is openly gay. He publicly talked about his coming out in 2014, stating that it was a tense experience for him but that everyone was surprisingly lovely. Previously, he was in a relationship with Australian composer, Mark Bradshaw. They met in 2009 on the set of Bright Star. They into a civil partnership in August 2012 and split in 2022.
Whishaw did not talk about his personal life for multiple years since he wanted to be anonymous. He said that it was his duty as an actor to convince people he was someone else and thus telling people about himself would sabotage that.
While speaking with Out magazine in 2011, Whishaw said that even actors have the right to privacy and mystery whether it relates to sexuality or what one is up to. Further, he saw no reason for this to be up for public discussion despite the public nature of his job. He also said that he doesn’t understand why actors are turned into celebrities.
Ben Whishaw Kadiff Kirwan
Whishaw is rumored to be dating Kadiff Kirwan, whom he co-starred with in This Is Going To Hurt. Kirwan is a British-Montserratian actor born on February 3, 1989, and is 35 years old as of 2024. He is known for his roles in Timewasters, Chewing Gum, Fleabag, and The Stranger.
According to thesun.co.uk, friends said that they had been dating for a couple of months. Further, they both like to be private in relation to their love lives. They began dating after meeting on the set of This Is Going To Hurt.
Ben Whishaw Net Worth
Whishaw has an estimated net worth of between $1 Million-$5 Million which he has earned through his successful career as an actor.
Ben Whishaw Passages
Whishaw starred as Martin in Passages in 2023. Martin is a graphic designer and the husband of Tomas Freiburg, a Paris-based German filmmaker. Their relationship becomes strained after Tomas starts an affair with Agathe, a young primary school teacher.
Ben Whishaw Paddington
Whishaw voiced Paddington Bear in the Paddington series including Paddington in 2014, Paddington 2 in 2017, Paddington in Peru in 2024, and The Adventures of Paddington since 2019. Paddington is a friendly, polite, and anthropomorphic bear from Darkest Peru.
Paddington becomes an orphan after an earthquake. As a result, he is raised by his Aunt Lucy and Uncle Pastuzo who taught him kindness and curiosity. After his aunt moves to Home for Retired Bears, he travels to London where he is taken in by the Brown family at Paddington Station after they find a note attached to his coat reading, “Please look after this bear. Thank you.” They named Paddington Brown after they adopted him since his original name was hard to pronounce. Whishaw replaced Colin Firth as the voice of Paddington.
Ben Whishaw Education
Whishaw served as a member of the Bancroft Players Youth Theatre, at Hitchin’s Queen Mother Theatre. He studied at Henlow Middle School and then Samuel Whitbread Community College in Clifton. In 2003, he graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
Ben Whishaw Career
Whishaw participated in numerous productions with Big Spirit Youth Theatre including If This Is a Man/The Drowned & The Saved. He was the lead in Trevor Nunn’s production of Hamlet in 2004 at the Old Vic. He received critical praise and won two Olivier Best Actor Award nominations and a third prize at the Ian Charleson Awards. Sharing the role with Al Weaver, he played all nights except for Mondays and matinées. Reportedly, Nun chose the arrangement to relieve some of the pressures on each.
Whishaw has starred in Layer Cake and Chris Morris’s Nathan Barley. His role in My Brother Tom won him the British Independent Film Most Promising Newcomer Award in 2001. In 2005, he received 4 nominations in the Best Actor category in four award programs for his role in Hamlet. He starred as Keith Richards in Stoned. He received broader attention for portraying a drug dealer in Philip Ridley’s stage play, Mercury Fur, in the spring of 2005.
Whishaw starred as Jean-Baptiste Grenouille in Perfume in 2006. That same year, he was involved with Paweł Pawlikowski’s The Restraint of Beasts. He then starred in I’m Not There in 2007, Criminal Justice in 2008, and a new adaptation of Brideshead Revisited. He also appeared in a stage adaptation of The Idiot at the National Theatre dubbed, …some trace of her.
Whishaw appeared in Cock at the Royal Court Theatre at the end of 2009. That same year, he starred as John Keats in Bright Star. In February of the following year, he successfully debuted on Broadway at MCC Theater in the American premiere of The Pride by Alexi Kaye Campbell. Further, he starred as Ariel in Julie Taymor’s The Tempest and appeared in BBC Two’s The Hour.
2012 to present;
In 2012, Whishaw portrayed Richard II in Richard II. Further, he won the British Academy Television Leading Actor Award. That same year, he was a part of the ensemble cast of Cloud Atlas. He starred as Q in the 23rd James Bond film, Skyfall. His portrayal of Q was younger than in the previous ones since the actors were in their 40s when they got the role and Llewelyn and John Cleese who also played the role were in their eighties and sixties respectively. This marked the 4th time working with Daniel Craig after starring together in The Trench, Enduring Love, and Layer Cake.
Whishaw starred opposite Judi Dench in Peter and Alice in the spring of 2013. He appeared on stage in Mojo from October 2013 to February 2014. These roles won him WhatsOnStage Best Actor Award nominations. In 2014, he starred in Lilting and voiced Paddington Bear in Paddington. The following year, he appeared in The Lobster, Suffragette, Spectre, and In the Heart of the Sea. In the summer of 2015, he starred as Dionysos in Euripides’ Bakkhai at the Almeida Theatre in London.
Whishaw recurred the role of Paddington Bear in Paddington 2 in 2017. The following year, he starred as Norman Scott in BBC One’s A Very English Scandal opposite Hugh Grant. Moreover, he starred as Michael Banks in Mary Poppins Returns. In 2020, he starred in the leading role of Patrick “Rabbi” Milligan in SN 4 of FX’s Fargo.
Whishaw recurred his role of Q in No Time to Die, the 25th James Bond film. In 2022, he began starring in This Is Going to Hurt. In addition, he is credited as the show’s executive producer. Whishaw starred in Sarah Polley’s Women Talking, winning him nominations for multiple acting awards for his performance.
In 2023, Whishaw starred in Passages, winning him nominations for Best Supporting Performance at the 39th Film Independent Spirit Awards. He portrays Eduard Limonov in Limonov: The Ballad. He will star as Peter Hujar in Peter Hujar’s Day in 2025.
Ben Whishaw Movies and TV Shows
Whishaw has starred in several movies and TV shows during his career such as
- The Escort
- Spiritual Rampage
- Ready When You Are Mr. McGill
- The Booze Cruise
- The International
- Other People’s Children
- The Prodigies
- Days and Nights
- The Danish Girl
- London Spy
- A Hologram for the King
- A Very English Scandal
- National Theatre Live: Julius Caesar
- The Personal History of David Copperfield
- Women Talking
- Platinum Party at the Palace
- Good Boy
- Black Doves
Ben Whishaw Theatre
- His Dark Materials at the Royal National Theatre
- Hamlet at the Old Vic
- Mercury Fur Paines Plough at the Menier Chocolate Factory
- The Seagull at the Royal National Theatre
- Leaves of Glass at Soho Theatre
- Cock at the Royal Court Theatre
- The Pride at Lucille Lortel Theatre
- Peter and Alice at Noël Coward Theatre
- Mojo at Harold Pinter Theatre
- Bakkhai at Almeida Theatre
- The Crucible at Walter Kerr Theatre
- Against at Almeida Theatre
- Julius Caesar at Bridge Theatre
- Norma Jeane Baker of Troy at The Shed
- Bluets at the Royal Court Theatre
- Waiting for Godot at the Theatre Royal Haymarket
Ben Whishaw Instagram
Whishaw doesn’t have an official Instagram account but there is an Instagram fan page account including @benwhishaw which has over 30K followers.