Ben Byer (January 8, 1971 – July 3, 2008) was an American stage actor and playwright. His experiences after being diagnosed with

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most comm ...

(ALS) are documented in the 2007 film ''Indestructible''.

Biography

Early life and education

Benjamin Saul Byer was born January 8, 1971, to Barbara and Stephen Byer. One of five children, he graduated from Evanston Township High School. He studied journalism at Indiana University and film theory at the University of Paris.

Career

Byer began his career as a translator at the Cannes Film Festival, which led him to theatre and movie industry jobs in Los Angeles. He also worked in theatre in Chicago as a playwright and actor. He directed his first play, ''Take it Deep'', in 2000. After being diagnosed with

in 2002, he began documenting his life on camera. He spent the next three years keeping a video diary as he sought treatments in six countries, including having fetal cells injected directly into his brain in 2004. Although Byer did show improvements in his speech in the days following the procedure, the improvements did not last. Within the first month following the procedure, his previous ALS symptoms had returned. His footage was incorporated into film shot by

Roko Belic Roko Belic is an American film producer and director. His directorial debut, ''Genghis Blues'', was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Early life and education Belic was born to Czechoslovakian and Yugoslavian parents, ...

to form the 2007 documentary film '' Indestructible film.''

Marriage and children

Byer and his wife, Josephine Christopher, adopted a son, John Anthony Byer, shortly before his diagnosis with ALS.

Death and afterward

Byer died of ALS complications on July 3, 2008, in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

. He was interred at Shalom Memorial Park in

Arlington Heights, Illinois Arlington Heights is a municipality in Cook County with a small portion in Lake County in the U.S. state of Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it lies about northwest of the city's downtown. Per the 2020 Census, the population was 77,676. Per the ...

Awards

Ben Byer won the award of Best Documentary Film at the 2008 Byron Bay International Film Festival for the movie Indestructible. Top Ten documentaries of all time.

Published works

*''Take It Deep'' (play, 2000) *''Versailles'' (play, 2003)

References

External links

*
Interview with ''Lifted'' magazine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Byer, Ben 1971 births 2008 deaths 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American male stage actors Neurological disease deaths in Ohio Deaths from motor neuron disease in the United States Male actors from Evanston, Illinois Writers from Evanston, Illinois