Ben Lawson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 6 February 1980 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian, American (since March 9, 2023) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Family | Josh Lawson (brother) |
Ben Lawson (born 6 February 1980) is an Australian actor. From 2006 until 2008, he played Frazer Yeats in the Australian soap opera Neighbours. The role earned him a Logie Award nomination. Lawson has since appeared in several American television series, including The Deep End, Covert Affairs, and Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23. In 2011, he starred opposite Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher in the film No Strings Attached. From 2017 to 2018, he starred as Damien Rennett on the ABC political drama Designated Survivor. He also played baseball coach Rick Wlodimierzin in the second season of 13 Reasons Why, and Larry Hemsworth on The Good Place. Lawson portrays Lachlan Murdoch in the 2019 film Bombshell, alongside his brother Josh Lawson who played James Murdoch. Since 2021, he stars in the Netflix series Firefly Lane.
Early life
Lawson was born and raised in Brisbane, Queensland. He attended St. Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace. His father Peter is a GP and his mother Dianne was a flight attendant then secretary.[1] He is the third of five boys including Josh Lawson, an actor who is known for his appearances on Thank God You're Here.[2] Their parents divorced when Lawson was seven.[1] He has said he was "kicked out" of drama school at the University of Southern Queensland before graduating from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA).[2][1][3]
Career
Acting
Lawson began a starring role in the Australian soap opera Neighbours as Frazer Yeats in 2006. His role earned him a nomination for Most Popular New Male Talent at the 2007 Logie Awards.[4] His character Yeats left in April 2008.[5]
Lawson moved to Los Angeles in 2008.[2][3] He had a small role in the film No Strings Attached, which starred Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher. In August 2012, he landed a recurring role in the ABC sitcom Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 as Benjamin, a love interest for main character Chloe (Krysten Ritter).[6] In 2017, Lawson starred in the short lived CBS drama Doubt opposite Laverne Cox. On The Talk, Cox said that Lawson was "an amazing actor".[7]
Lawson played Larry Hemsworth, the fictional "hideous shame" of the Hemsworth family on The Good Place, and he and his brother Josh played Lachlan and James Murdoch respectively in the 2019 film Bombshell.[3]
In July 2017, Lawson was cast as MI6 agent Damien Rennett on the second season of the ABC political drama, Designated Survivor.[8] In 2018, Lawson played high school coach Rick on the second season of the Netflix original series, 13 Reasons Why.[9] In 2019, Lawson starred as Thomas 'Clay' Fox Jr. in Dolly Parton's Heartstrings, Netflix's anthology series about Dolly Parton. In 2021, Lawson starred in the Netflix series Firefly Lane opposite Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke.[10]
Poetry
During the 2020 Australian bushfires, Lawson wrote a poem titled To My Country, and a video of him reading it went viral on social media.[1][3] In January 2021, the poem was turned into a book of the same name with illustrations by Bruce Whatley and proceeds from sales going to the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital.[3][1][11][12] In January 2021, he wrote a poem entitled The 26th of January about the history of Australia Day, using sarcasm to support the movement to change the date.[13]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Silent Hunter | Bud | |
| 2011 | No Strings Attached | Sam | |
| 2011 | In Loco Parentis | Richard | Short film |
| 2014 | The Little Death | Glenn | |
| 2015 | Now Add Honey | Joshua Redlich | |
| 2016 | Keep the Chocolates | Man | Short film |
| 2019 | The Way We Weren't | Brandon | |
| 2019 | Bombshell | Lachlan Murdoch | |
| TBA | Everything I Ever Wanted to Tell My Daughter About Men | Longfellow | In post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Time Trax | 12-year-old Darien | Episode: "A Stranger in Time" |
| 1993 | The Adventures of Skippy | Christopher | Episode: "Skippy and the Tiger" |
| 1997 | The Wayne Manifesto | Mervyn | Episode: "Wheels Within Wheels" |
| 1999 | Sabrina Down Under | Waiter | Television film |
| 1999 | Chameleon II: Death Match | Tyler Kubica | Television film |
| 2001 | TwentyfourSeven | Scott | Episode: "It's My Life" |
| 2006 | Perfect Disaster | Ken | Episode: "Fire Storm" |
| 2006–2008 | Neighbours | Frazer Yeats | 188 episodes Role held: 12 October 2006 – 25 April 2008 Nominated—Logie for Most Popular New Male Talent |
| 2009 | Ghostly Encounters | Theatre Ghost | Episode: "Buildings with History" |
| 2010 | The Deep End | Liam Priory | Main role; 6 episodes |
| 2011 | Covert Affairs | Dr. Scott Weiss | 3 episodes |
| 2012 | The League | Dr. Levenson | Episode: "The Hoodie" |
| 2012–2013 | Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 | Benjamin Lovett | 3 episodes |
| 2013 | Bones | Martin Zand | Episode: "The Fury in the Jury" |
| 2013 | The Exes | Derek | Episode: "How the Grinch Spent Xmas" |
| 2014 | Rake | Craig | 3 episodes |
| 2014 | Secrets & Lies | Paul Murnane | 3 episodes |
| 2014 | Love Child | Colin Ryan | 3 episodes |
| 2014 | 2 Broke Girls | Tim | Episode: "And the Wedding Cake Cake Cake" |
| 2014 | Jennifer Falls | David | Episode: "Triangle" |
| 2014 | Friends with Better Lives | Doug | Episode: "No More Mr. Nice Guy" |
| 2014 | Modern Family | George | Episode: "Won't You Be Our Neighbor" |
| 2014 | Mulaney | Greg | Episode: "In the Name of the Mother, and the Son, and the Holy Andre" |
| 2016 | iZombie | Andy LeGare | Episode: "Fifty Shades of Grey Matter" |
| 2016 | Angel from Hell | Darren Jensen | Episode: "Soulmates" |
| 2016 | Billions | Mikey | Episode: "Where the F*ck Is Donnie?" |
| 2017 | Grimm | William Stillman | Episode: "The Seven Year Itch" |
| 2017 | Doubt | DA Peter Garrett | 9 episodes |
| 2017–2018 | Designated Survivor | Damian Rennett | Main role (season 2) |
| 2018 | 13 Reasons Why | Coach Rick Wlodimierz | 7 episodes |
| 2018 | The Good Place | Larry Hemsworth | 3 episodes |
| 2019 | Dollface | Oliver | Episode: "F*** Buddy" |
| 2019 | Heartstrings | Clay Fox | Episode: "If I Had Wings" |
| 2021–2023 | Firefly Lane | Johnny[10] | Main role |
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Ben Lawson: Why I penned the poem to My Country". 23 January 2021.
- 1 2 3 Idato, Michael (9 January 2018). "Surviving fame: Ben Lawson on failure, success and Hollywood's pound of flesh". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Sams, Lauren (22 January 2021). "'I've failed very gradually upwards,' says actor Ben Lawson". Financial Review. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
- ↑ "Logie Nominations 2007". David Knox. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 18 August 2007.
- ↑ "Blair is right neighbourly". Herald Sun.
- ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (17 August 2012). "'Apartment 23': Ben Lawson to Romance Chloe". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
- ↑ "The Talk". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ↑ Petski, Denise (14 July 2017). "'Designated Survivor': Ben Lawson Cast As Series Regular in Season 2". Deadline. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ↑ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (8 August 2017). "'13 Reasons Why' Adds Seven New Actors for Season 2". Variety. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
- 1 2 "'Firefly Lane': Ben Lawson Joins Katherine Heigl in Netflix Drama Series". 13 August 2019.
- ↑ "Book Review: To My Country". -MindFood. 3 November 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
- ↑ Tam, Adrienne (21 November 2020). "Ben Lawson: LA-based actor says US response to COVID has him homesick". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
- ↑ Anabel, Anita (25 January 2021). "Actor Ben Lawson's Rousing Poem Points Out What's Wrong With Australia Day". The Latch. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
External links
- Ben Lawson at IMDb