One of the famous Australian actors Ben Mendelssohn mainly stars in science fiction films and thrillers. Many viewers know him best from The Dark Knight Rises (2012) and Captain Marvel (2019).
Biography
The actor was born in 1969 in Melbourne, the third of brothers. His father was a neuroscientist and his mother served as a nurse. When the children grew up, the Mendelssohn family emigrated to America, then to Europe, but then they returned to Australia again.
The childhood of the future actor was spent like all ordinary children, and by adolescence, he grew aggressive and uncontrollable, for which he was expelled from school.
His parents transferred him to another school, where he became interested in acting. Here his hyperactivity got a way out, and he could throw out his emotions on the stage.
However, this did not help calm the youthful rebellion, and Paul started to use drugs. Later he got rid of this addiction and became a preacher of a healthy lifestyle, but in his youth, he caused a lot of trouble for his parents.
Film career
And yet it was the film industry that made Ben reconsider his views on life and his behavior when he began filming with famous artists and saw their attitude to their health and life in general. This example has helped in many ways to change the mindset about drugs and other stimulants.
While he was a pupil, he starred in the television projects “Children of the Hendersons” and “Fixed Point”. And very soon he already had a role in the full-length film “The Year When My Voice Began to Break” (1987). He played the role of Trevor Leishman here, for which he received the Australian Film Institute’s Best Supporting Actor award.
This success helped him to believe in himself, and Ben began to actively pass auditions. As a result, in the nineties, he was quite active in successful projects. For example, the film “Expert” (1992) was nominated for the “Crystal Globe”. And Mendelssohn’s companions in it were Anthony Hopkins and Russell Crowe. The film was very popular not only in Australia.
Ben was lucky to be partners on the set: in 1994 he starred in the comedy “Sirens” with Hugh Grant. The comedy tells about the artist and the models whom the true Grant wants to set on the path in the form of a priest. But he does it badly.
In 1997, he partnered with Rachel Griffiths in the musical Amy, about a deaf and dumb girl who has to sing to learn to speak.
Mendelssohn faced the new century in good shape, at the age of thirty, with decent baggage of experience and plans for the future. And this was justified because, with each role played, his demand grew.
In the year 2000, Ben starred in the film “Vertical Limit”, which tried to answer the question “how much is a human life.” This is a story about climbers, among whom some are willing to sacrifice themselves to save others. But some easily sacrifice someone else’s life, just to save their own. It was filmed in New Zealand and the picture was very beautiful. The film raised many important questions and generated a lot of controversies. The film was also nominated for a BAFTA Award for Visual Effects.
The actor’s portfolio includes films of different genres, including historical ones. For example, the film “New World” tells about America of the seventeenth century and the fate of the North American Indians. These shootings once again allowed Mendelssohn to enjoy working with celebrities such as Christian Bale and Colin Farrell. The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Cinematography.
All the pictures that are considered the best in the actor’s filmography were shot in the twenty-first century. Among them are the films “Dark Times” (2017), “Ready Player One” (2018), “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012), “The Place Beyond the Pines” (2012), “Australia” (2008), and the series “Pedigree “(2015-2017),” Far in the Universe “(1999 – 2003),” Girls “(2012-2017).
Mendelson was once lucky to be filming in his hometown, and it was a double pleasure. Besides, the main role in the movie “The Sign” (2009) was played by no different than Nicolas Cage. The plot of the film does not differ in originality: the heroes are waiting for the end of the world, predicted in one encrypted letter. Therefore, the opinions of critics and viewers about the film were divided: the first scolded him, and the second was delighted. Nevertheless, after looking at the picture, many thought about the frailty of life.
Among the notable works of the actor, critics call roles in the films “By the Laws of the Wolf” (2010), “Rogue One. Star Wars: Tales “(2018),” Dark Times “(2018),” Robin Hood: The Beginning “(2018). And, of course, Captain Marvel (2019) and The King (2019).
Personal life
Ben Mendelssohn has always enjoyed success with the weaker sex. And, like many actors, he met the most beautiful girls. One of them was the model Kate Fisher, as the Australian tabloids wrote.
Ben then had an affair with actress Justin Clarke. It would seem that common interests could bring them closer together, but this relationship did not end in marriage.
Finally, in 2012, Mendelssohn married the writer Emma Forrest. The couple lived together, gave interviews, and made plans. Soon they had a daughter, and their union became even stronger. However, when the girl was two years old, Ben and Emma divorced.
The actor has another daughter from a previous relationship, and he acknowledged his paternity.
Now, when meticulous journalists ask Mendelssohn about his youth and addiction to drugs, he replies that the experience helps him tell young people how terrible this addiction is. In addition, the actor is a trustee of a foundation that helps parents of children with various addictions.
