Ben Cura is an Argentine-born British actor, musician and director of film, television and theatre.
Early life
José Ben Cura
was born in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, the son of Argentine tenor/conductor
José Cura
José Luis Victor Cura Gómez (born 5 December 1962) is an Argentine operatic tenor, conductor, director, scenographer and photographer known for intense and original interpretations of opera characters, notably ''Otello'' in Verdi’s ''Otello' ...
. When he was a year old, he moved to
Santo Stefano Belbo
Santo Stefano Belbo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located southeast of Turin and northeast of Cuneo.
It is the birthplace of 20th century author Cesare Pavese. On its hill are a medieval ...
, Italy, where his father's grandfather was from. The family first lived in a convent while his father struggled to find work as an opera singer. He has two younger siblings, Yazmín and Nicolás.
The family moved to France when he was six and then to Spain when he was 11. During this time, he frequently travelled with his parents around the world.
Cura's first acting role came at age nine, as a
supernumerary
Supernumerary means "exceeding the usual number".
Supernumerary may also refer to:
* Supernumerary actor, a performer in a film, television show, or stage production who has no role or purpose other than to appear in the background, more commonl ...
in a production of ''
La Forza del Destino'' at the
Opéra de Marseille
The Opéra de Marseille, known today as the Opéra Municipal, is an opera company located in Marseille, France. In 1685, the city was the second in France after Bordeaux to have an opera house which was erected on a tennis court.
However, the fi ...
, France. Whilst living in Paris, he received formal piano and solfège training. He subsequently attended the
New York Film Academy
New York Film Academy – School of Film and Acting (NYFA) is a private for-profit film school and acting school based in New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami. The New York Film Academy was founded in 1992 by Jerry Sherlock, a former film, ...
in Paris before eventually training and graduating from the
London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 2011 with a bachelor's degree with honours in professional acting.
Career
Cura made his film debut in a British independent film ''
Comes a Bright Day'', appearing shortly after in
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programmin ...
's series ''
Threesome
In human sexuality, a threesome is commonly understood as "a sexual interaction between three people whereby at least one engages in physical sexual behaviour with both the other individuals". Though ''threesome'' most commonly refers to sexua ...
'' and
Bernard Rose's film ''
The Devil's Violinist
''The Devil's Violinist'' is a 2013 film based on the life story of the 19th-century Italian violinist and composer Niccolò Paganini. The film had its US premiere on 10 March 2014 at the Miami International Film Festival.
Plot
Niccolo Paga ...
''.
He made his
West End debut playing Angel in the original cast of
Jennifer Saunders
Jennifer Jane Saunders (born 6 July 1958) is an English actress, comedian, singer and screenwriter. Saunders originally found attention in the 1980s, when she became a member of The Comic Strip after graduating from the Royal Central School of ...
' musical ''
Viva Forever
"Viva Forever" is a song by English girl group the Spice Girls from their second studio album, '' Spiceworld'' (1997). The song was co-written by the group with Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard, while production was handled by the latter two ...
'' at the
Piccadilly Theatre
The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at 16 Denman Street, behind Piccadilly Circus and adjacent to the Regent Palace Hotel, in the City of Westminster, London, England.
Early years
Built by Bertie Crewe and Edward A. Stone ...
in London, UK. He was later cast as
Seve Ballesteros in British golf film ''Dream On''.
Aged 24, he made his directorial debut with a film adaptation of
August Strindberg
Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than sixty p ...
's play
''Creditors''. for which he also wrote the screenplay and played one of the lead characters, Freddie Lynch. Later that year, he starred in the UK premiere of the award-winning American play ''
Next Fall
''Next Fall'' is a play written by Geoffrey Nauffts. The play is about two gay men in a committed relationship with a twist, with one, Luke, being devoutly religious and the other, Adam, an atheist. The play revolves around their five-year relat ...
'' at the
Southwark Playhouse
Southwark Playhouse is a theatre in London, located between Borough and Elephant and Castle tube stations.
History
The Southwark Playhouse Theatre Company was founded in 1993 by Juliet Alderdice and Tom Wilson. They identified the need for a ...
in London, UK.
In April 2013, he co-founded London-based production company Tough Dance Ltd. with actress and producer
Andrea Deck
Andrea Deck (born February 5, 1994) is an American film, television and theater actress. She trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. She is best known for her voice role as Amanda Ripley, daughter of Ellen Ripley, in '' Alien: I ...
. The company's first production was award-winning feature film ''
Creditors
A creditor or lender is a party (e.g., person, organization, company, or government) that has a claim on the services of a second party. It is a person or institution to whom money is owed. The first party, in general, has provided some property ...
''.
In 2015, he was cast in the US series ''
The Royals'' as recurring character Holden. He later went on to star in British film ''White Island'' set in
Ibiza, and based on the novel ''A Bus Could Run You Over'' written by
Colin Butts, alongside
Billy Zane and
Billy Boyd.
Cura's directorial debut, ''
Creditors
A creditor or lender is a party (e.g., person, organization, company, or government) that has a claim on the services of a second party. It is a person or institution to whom money is owed. The first party, in general, has provided some property ...
'', world-premiered at the Nordic International Film Festival in New York City on 31 October 2015. The festival awarded it with an Honorable Mention in the Best Nordic Narrative Feature category. ''Latin Post'' film critic David Salazar called the film "A triumphant debut." ''Blazing Minds'' film critic Susanne Hodder said the actors "all give compelling performances, bringing their characters to life and giving them depth". ''Screen Relish'' film critic Stuie Greenfield said that "''Creditors'' is a beautiful, sometimes angry and surprising film that brings with it strong performances from the entire cast as well as an unexpected yet welcome twist", while ''Movie Marker'' film critic Darryl Griffiths said that "''Creditors'' is an incisive and accomplished piece of filmmaking
.. possessing a rich, powerful psychology that instills an unnerving modern-day relevance to age-old material." ''Creditors'' received over ten awards from various film festivals, including Best Feature, Leading Actor, and Script/Writer for Cura.
Later that year, Cura was cast as a series regular in
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
/
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
crime noir drama ''
Marcella
Marcella is a Roman cognomen and Italian given name, the feminine version of Marcello (Mark in English). Marcella means warlike, martial, and strong. It could also mean 'young warrior'. The origin of the name Marcella is Latin.
Marcella may refer ...
'' penned by ''
The Bridge'' writer
Hans Rosenfeldt
Hans Rosenfeldt (born Hans Petersson on 13 July 1964) is a Swedish screenwriter, radio presenter, novelist and actor. He co-created the Swedish series ''De drabbade'' (2003) and ''Oskyldigt dömd'' (2008–09), and created the Scandinavian series ...
. The series premiered on UK television in April 2016, followed by a worldwide release on
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
in July 2016. and
Simon West
Simon Alexander West (born 1961) is an English film director and producer. He has primarily worked in the action genre, most notably as the director of the films ''Con Air'', '' Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'', '' The Mechanic'', and '' The Expenda ...
's action/comedy feature film ''
Gun Shy'' opposite
Antonio Banderas and
Olga Kurylenko
Olga Kostyantynivna Kurylenko ( uk, Ольга Костянтинівна Куриленко; born 14 November 1979) is a Ukrainian and French actress and model. She started her acting career in 2005, and first found success as an actress for ...
.
In 2017, Cura was cast as CIA operative Philip Shafer in French historical war movie ''15 minutes de guerre'' (renamed ''
L'Intervention''), directed by Fred Grivois. Later that year, he played the role of Steve in the screen adaptation of British stage play ''Life is a Gatecrash'', renamed ''
Gatecrash'' and directed by Lawrence Gough, opposite
Olivia Bonamy
Olivia Bonamy (born 21 September 1972) is a French actress. She is best known for her appearances in the films '' Jefferson in Paris'', Jacques Audiard's '' Read My Lips'', the thriller '' Ils'' and '' Le ciel, les oiseaux et ta mère''.
Biogr ...
,
Anton Lesser
Anton Lesser (born 14 February 1952) is an English actor. He is well known for his roles as Qyburn in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones'', as Thomas More in ''Wolf Hall'', as Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in ''The Crown'', as Prime Minister ...
, and
Sam West
Samuel Filmore West (October 5, 1904 – November 23, 1985) was a center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for three different teams from to . Listed at , 165 lb., West batted and threw left-handed. He was born in Longview, Texa ...
.
In 2018, Cura guest-starred in Season 2 of CBS's ''
Ransom'' and the first season of new TV series ''
The Rook'', opposite
Olivia Munn
Lisa Olivia Munn (born July 3, 1980) is an American actress and former television host. After an internship at a news station in Tulsa, she moved to Los Angeles where she began her professional career as a television host for the gaming netwo ...
.
In 2019, he was cast in
Nicholas Wright's new stage play ''8 Hotels'' directed by
Richard Eyre
Sir Richard Charles Hastings Eyre (born 28 March 1943) is an English film, theatre, television and opera director.
Biography
Eyre was born in Barnstaple, Devon, England, the son of Richard Galfridus Hastings Giles Eyre and his wife, Minna Mar ...
, world-premiering at the
Chichester Festival Theatre
Chichester Festival Theatre is a theatre and Grade II* listed building situated in Oaklands Park in the city of Chichester, West Sussex, England. Designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, it was opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Mart ...
, playing the lead role of
José Ferrer
José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón (January 8, 1912 – January 26, 1992) was a Puerto Rican actor and director of stage, film and television. He was one of the most celebrated and esteemed Hispanic American actors during his lifetime, w ...
opposite
Tory Kittles
Tory Kittles is an American actor. He has appeared in the films '' Malibu's Most Wanted'' (2003), ''Get Rich or Die Tryin (2005), ''Next'' (2007), ''Miracle at St. Anna'' (2008), and ''Dragged Across Concrete'' (2018). He is known mostly for h ...
, Emma Paetz, and Pandora Colin, opening August 7 of that year to excellent reviews: "Joe, played masterfully by Ben Cura, is wonderful as the philanderer who can accept his wife's adultery but not her lover's flaunting of it"; "Jose Ferrer
..Ben Cura, who captures him very well, has a wonderful mutually mistrustful good-pals-act with the impressive Kittles"; "Ben Cura is excellent as Ferrer
..with charisma to spare"; "Ben Cura plays José Ferrer as a much disappointed jobbing actor
..playing Iago for peanuts opposite the better paid Robeson
..This Ferrer becomes increasingly jealous of Robeson and is convinced that his wife, Uta Hagen
..is having an affair with the charismatic Robeson (she is), which fills him with an angry cynicism that he can barely control with his erudite and scathing humour that cannot disguise his underlying lack of confidence. Cura's Ferrer is a brilliant creation: a brilliant Iago in fact."
In 2021, Cura founded production company and music label W.I.P. Media. Later that year, Cura released his debut music single "Water" on streaming platforms, accompanied by an official music video on
VEVO
Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, ...
followed by second single "Toutes Les Couleurs" and its accompanying
VEVO
Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, ...
music video and a third single "Argento" alongside a third
VEVO
Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, ...
music video. On July 30, he released his debut instrumental E.P. ''Extended Play No.1''.
Personal life
Cura was married to actress
Andrea Deck
Andrea Deck (born February 5, 1994) is an American film, television and theater actress. She trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. She is best known for her voice role as Amanda Ripley, daughter of Ellen Ripley, in '' Alien: I ...
from 2013 until their divorce in 2015. He dated actress
Olga Kurylenko
Olga Kostyantynivna Kurylenko ( uk, Ольга Костянтинівна Куриленко; born 14 November 1979) is a Ukrainian and French actress and model. She started her acting career in 2005, and first found success as an actress for ...
, but they broke up just before the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
.
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games
Stage
*2012: ''
Viva Forever
"Viva Forever" is a song by English girl group the Spice Girls from their second studio album, '' Spiceworld'' (1997). The song was co-written by the group with Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard, while production was handled by the latter two ...
'' by
Jennifer Saunders
Jennifer Jane Saunders (born 6 July 1958) is an English actress, comedian, singer and screenwriter. Saunders originally found attention in the 1980s, when she became a member of The Comic Strip after graduating from the Royal Central School of ...
at the
Piccadilly Theatre
The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at 16 Denman Street, behind Piccadilly Circus and adjacent to the Regent Palace Hotel, in the City of Westminster, London, England.
Early years
Built by Bertie Crewe and Edward A. Stone ...
London
*2014: ''
Next Fall
''Next Fall'' is a play written by Geoffrey Nauffts. The play is about two gay men in a committed relationship with a twist, with one, Luke, being devoutly religious and the other, Adam, an atheist. The play revolves around their five-year relat ...
'' by Geoffrey Nauffts at the
Southwark Playhouse
Southwark Playhouse is a theatre in London, located between Borough and Elephant and Castle tube stations.
History
The Southwark Playhouse Theatre Company was founded in 1993 by Juliet Alderdice and Tom Wilson. They identified the need for a ...
London
*2019: ''8 Hotels'' by
Nicholas Wright at the
Chichester Festival Theatre
Chichester Festival Theatre is a theatre and Grade II* listed building situated in Oaklands Park in the city of Chichester, West Sussex, England. Designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, it was opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Mart ...
Chichester
Voice work
*2012: ''Swimming with Piranhas'' Radio Documentary for
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
*2015: ''Credit Card Baby'' Radio Drama written by Annie Caulfield for
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
, directed by Mary Ward-Lowery
*2019: ''Alien III'' audiobook by Audible
*2020: ''Trafalgar'' Audiobook for Penguin and Audible
*2020: ''Camino De Santiago'' Sleep story for Calm and Calm France
*2022: ''The Limits to Growth'' Radio drama written by Sarah Woods for
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
,
directed by Emma Harding
Discography
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cura, Ben
Living people
Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
Argentine people of Italian descent
British actors of Latin American descent
British film directors
British film producers
British male film actors
British male musicians
British male screenwriters
British male stage actors
British people of Argentine descent
British people of Italian descent
Male actors from London
Year of birth missing (living people)