Benjamin Maurice Silverstone (born 9 April 1979) is an English

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

and former actor. Silverstone's appeared in the 1998

Paramount Classics Paramount Vantage (also known as Paramount Classics) was a film distribution label of Paramount Pictures (which, in turn, has Paramount Global as its parent company), charged with producing, purchasing, distributing and marketing films, generally ...

feature film, '' Get Real''.

Early life and education

Silverstone was born in Camden,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, the son of Beverly and Anthony Silverstone. He has one sister and one brother. He studied English at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

, and law (LLM) at the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...

Career

Prior to '' Get Real'', Silverstone appeared in Adrian Lyne's adaptation of ''

Lolita ''Lolita'' is a 1955 novel written by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. The novel is notable for its controversial subject: the protagonist and unreliable narrator, a middle-aged literature professor under the pseudonym Humbert Humber ...

'' in 1997 and

Mike Figgis Michael Figgis (born 28 February 1948) is an English film director, screenwriter, and composer. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for his work in ''Leaving Las Vegas'' (1995). Figgis was the founding patron of the independent filmmakers o ...

' '' The Browning Version'' in 1994. ''Get Real'' was based on

Patrick Wilde Patrick Wilde is an English playwright, screenwriter, actor, and director for television, film and theatre. Early work Most of Wilde's early work was centred on the classics. He played Hamlet, Mark Antony for ATC and Amnon in Tirso de Molina's ...

's stage play '' What's Wrong with Angry?'', and is a love story between two British schoolboys. Silverstone made the front cover of ''

Gay Times ''Gay Times'' (stylized in all caps), also known as ''Gay Times Magazine'' and as ''GT'', is a UK-based LGBTQ+ media brand established in 1975. Originally a magazine for gay and bisexual men, the company now includes content for the LGBTQ+ commu ...

'' in May 1999 to mark the release of the film. The film achieved cult status with many fans, and even gave rise to two fan-organised gatherings in the filming locations around

Basingstoke Basingstoke ( ) is the largest town in the county of Hampshire. It is situated in south-central England and lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon, at the far western edge of The North Downs. It is located north-east of Southa ...

.BenSilverstone.net
, ''Basingstoke Pilgrimage''. URL last accessed on 2007-04-09. The events in themselves attracted the attention of the television media, as fans of the film travelled several thousand miles to the event.Meridian Television
, ''Meridian Tonight News''. URL last accessed on 2007-04-09. Immediately after the release of ''Get Real'', Silverstone went to

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. While there, he acted in student productions of ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane an ...

'', ''The Whiteheaded Boy'', ''

The Duchess of Malfi ''The Duchess of Malfi'' (originally published as ''The Tragedy of the Dutchesse of Malfy'') is a Jacobean revenge tragedy written by English dramatist John Webster in 1612–1613. It was first performed privately at the Blackfriars Theatre, ...

'', ''

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui ''The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui'' (german: Der aufhaltsame Aufstieg des Arturo Ui, links=no), subtitled "A parable play", is a 1941 play by the German playwright Bertolt Brecht. It chronicles the rise of Arturo Ui, a fictional 1930s Chicago m ...

'', ''Near Miss'' and ''

The Winter's Tale ''The Winter's Tale'' is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, many modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some criti ...

''. Silverstone left Cambridge in 2001 with a

first First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

class

degree Degree may refer to: As a unit of measurement * Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement ** Degree of geographical latitude ** Degree of geographical longitude * Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathematics ...

. Since 2001, Silverstone has appeared in numerous stage productions such as '' The Tempest'' and '' My Boy Jack'' and was nominated for both a ''The Times'' Theatre Award and an ''Evening Standard'' Theatre Award for his portrayal of Basil Anthony in the West End production of '' Man and Boy'' His most recent film project is ''Jump!'' (2007), in which he starred as a young Jewish photographer charged with the murder of his father, based on the real-life story of

Philippe Halsman Philippe Halsman ( lv, Filips Halsmans, german: Philipp Halsmann; 2 May 1906 – 25 June 1979) was an American portrait photographer. He was born in Riga in the part of the Russian Empire which later became Latvia, and died in New York City. Li ...

, opposite

Patrick Swayze Patrick Wayne Swayze (; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for playing distinctive lead roles, particularly romantic, tough, and comedic characters. He was also known for his media image and ...

and

Martine McCutcheon Martine Kimberley Sherrie McCutcheon (formerly Ponting, born 14 May 1976) is an English actress and singer. She began appearing in television commercials at an early age and made her television debut in the children's television drama '' Bluebir ...

. As a lawyer, Silverstone works at

Matrix Chambers Matrix Chambers is a barristers' chambers in Gray's Inn London, Brussels, and Geneva. Founded in April 2000 by 22 barristers from 7 different chambers, it now has over 90 independent and specialist lawyers who work throughout the UK and interna ...

Selected credits

Theatre

* ''The Age of Consent'' (Timmy),

Edinburgh Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...

(2001) * ''The Age of Consent'' (Timmy), Bush Theatre,

(2002) * ''The Lady's Not For Burning'' (Richard),

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 ...

(2002) * '' The Tempest'' (Ariel), UK Tour (2002) * '' Electra'' (Orestes), The Gate Theatre, London (2003) * '' My Boy Jack'' (Jack Kipling), UK Tour (2004) * '' Man and Boy'' (Basil Anthony), UK Tour (2004) * ''Man and Boy'' (Basil Anthony), Duchess Theatre, London (2005)

Film

* '' The Browning Version'' (Taplow), dir.

(1994) * ''

'' (Young Humbert), dir. Adrian Lyne (1997) * '' Get Real'' (Steven Carter), dir. Simon Shore (1998) * '' Jump!'' (

), dir. Joshua Sinclair (2007)

Television

* '' Shackleton'' (Young Applicant),

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

(2001) * ''Timewatch: Through Hell for Hitler'' (Henry Metalmann), BBC2 (2003) * ''

Doctors Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

'' (Joe Nyland),

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

(2003)

Radio

* '' Phobos'' (Drew),

BBC 7 BBC Radio 4 Extra (formerly BBC Radio 7) is a British digital radio station from the BBC, broadcasting archived repeats of comedy, drama and documentary programmes nationally, 24 hours a day. It is the sister station of BBC Radio 4 and the p ...

(2007)

References

External links

*
BenSilverstone.net

Profile at Matrix Chambers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Silverstone, Ben 1979 births 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors Alumni of the London School of Economics Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge English barristers English male child actors English male film actors English male radio actors English male stage actors English male television actors Living people Male actors from London People from the London Borough of Camden