Ben Foster (actor)

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Ben Foster

Foster in December 2007
Born October 29, 1980 (1980-10-29) (age 31)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation Actor
Years active 1996–present

Ben Foster (born October 29, 1980) is an American actor. His film roles include The Laramie Project, Liberty Heights, Get Over It, Hostage, X-Men: The Last Stand, Alpha Dog, 30 Days of Night, The Messenger, Bang Bang You're Dead and Pandorum.[1] He received best supporting actor nominations from both the Saturn and Satellite Awards for his 2007 role in the film 3:10 to Yuma.[2]

Contents

[edit] Early life

Foster was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of restaurant owners Gillian Kirwan (née Sterling) and Steven Foster.[3][4][5] He has described his parents as "free-spirited, Vietnam-protesting hippies".[6] He has a younger brother, Jon, who is also an actor. When Foster was four years old, his family relocated to Fairfield, Iowa, after their Boston home was burgled while they were present.[5][6]

Foster was raised in his father's Jewish religion.[6][7] His paternal grandmother emigrated from Russia to escape pogroms in 1923.[8] Foster has practiced Transcendental Meditation since he was four years old[9] and, while living in Fairfield, attended the Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment, which included Transcendental Meditation in its curriculum.[5]

[edit] Career

Foster began working as an actor when he was sixteen years old.[5] Foster dropped out of high school and moved to Los Angeles to pursue his career.[citation needed] In 1996 and 1997, he appeared in the television series Flash Forward and had an unsuccessful audition for the lead role in Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko. Over the next three years, Foster obtained small roles in two made-for-TV movies as well as two episodes of the TV series Freaks and Geeks.

In 2001, he acted in the film Get Over It. Foster also had a recurring role as Russell Corwin (22 episodes) in the HBO Original Series, Six Feet Under.[5] After appearing in the films 11:14 and The Punisher, Foster appeared in Hostage with Bruce Willis, Kevin Pollak and Michelle Horn. In 2006, Foster appeared in X-Men: The Last Stand as the comic-book hero Angel/Warren Worthington III.[5] In the crime thriller Alpha Dog, he played the character Jake Mazursky and added glaucoma drops to his eyes to simulate the appearance of a drug addict in the film.[10] In 2007, he played cold-blooded killer Charlie Prince in the critically acclaimed Western 3:10 to Yuma.

[edit] Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1996–1997 Flash Forward Tucker James 26 episodes
1997 Kounterfeit Travis
1998 I've Been Waiting for You Charlie TV movie
You Wish Earl Episode: "Future Shock"
Breakfast with Einstein Ryan TV movie
1973 Peter TV movie
1999 Liberty Heights Ben Kurtzman
Freaks and Geeks Eli Episode: "Pilot" "Carded and Discarded"[citation needed]
2000 Family Law Jason Nelson Episode: "A Mother's Son"
2001 Get Over It Berke Landers
Boston Public Max Warner Episode: "Chapter Twenty-Nine"
2002 The Laramie Project Aaron Kreifels
Big Trouble Matt Arnold
Bang Bang You're Dead Trevor Adams
Phone Booth Big Q (uncredited)
2003 Northfork Cod
11:14 Eddie
Six Feet Under Russell Corwin 22 episodes
2004 The Punisher Spacker Dave
The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things Fleshy Boy
2005 Hostage Mars Krupcheck
Dead Zone, TheThe Dead Zone Darren Foldes Episode: "The Last Goodbye"
2006 X-Men: The Last Stand Warren Worthington III/Angel
2007 Alpha Dog Jake Mazursky
3:10 to Yuma Charlie Prince
My Name Is Earl Glenn Episode: "My Name Is Inmate#2801-016: Part 1"
Episode: "My Name Is Inmate#2801-016: Part 2"
30 Days of Night The Stranger
2008 Birds of America Jay
2009 Messenger, TheThe Messenger Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery
Blink AJ Short film
Pandorum Bower
2010 Here[11] Will Shepard
2011 Mechanic, TheThe Mechanic[12] Steve McKenna
Rampart Terry
2012 Yellow Nowell Post-production
Contraband Sebastian Abney
360 Tyler Post-production

[edit] Awards

[edit] Wins

2003 
Daytime Emmy, for Bang Bang You're Dead
2004 
Screen Actors Guild Awards, for Six Feet Under
2006 
Young Hollywood Awards, for Alpha Dog

[edit] Nominations

1997 
Gemini Award, for Flash Forward
1998 
Gemini Award, for Flash Forward
2001 
Teen Choice Awards, for Get Over It
2005 
Screen Actors Guild Awards, for Six Feet Under
2007 
Satellite Awards, for 3:10 to Yuma
2008 
Screen Actors Guild Awards, for 3:10 to Yuma
Saturn Award, for 3:10 to Yuma
2009 
Gotham Awards, for The Messenger

[edit] References

  1. ^ Ordona, Michael (2009-11-01). "Ben Foster puts his heart into 'The Messenger'". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2009/nov/01/entertainment/ca-foster1. Retrieved 2010-11-15. 
  2. ^ "Ben Foster". Yahoo! Movies. 2010. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800332837/bio. Retrieved 2010-11-15. 
  3. ^ Fee, Gayle; Laura Raposa (1995-09-03). "INSIDE TRACK Pool barons foster son's fledgling career". Boston Herald. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/bostonherald/access/20531991.html?dids=20531991:20531991&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Sep+03%2C+1995&author=Gayle+Fee+%26+Laura+Raposa&pub=Boston+Herald&desc=INSIDE+TRACK+Pool+barons+foster+son's+fledgling+career&pqatl=google. Retrieved 2010-11-15. 
  4. ^ Sherman, Paul (1999-12-09). "New `Heights'; After landing the lead role in Barry Levinson's latest film, Boston native Ben Foster is flying". Boston Herald. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/bostonherald/access/47037101.html?dids=47037101:47037101&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Dec+09%2C+1999&author=PAUL+SHERMAN&pub=Boston+Herald&desc=New+%60Heights'%3B+After+landing+the+lead+role+in+Barry+Levinson's+latest+film%2C+Boston+native+Ben+Foster+is+flying&pqatl=google. Retrieved 2010-11-15. 
  5. ^ a b c d e f Abel, Judy (2009-11-15). "Exploring life’s ‘darker corners’". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2009/11/15/ben_foster_addresses_grief_and_loss_in_the_messenger/?page=2. Retrieved 2010-11-15. 
  6. ^ a b c Miller, Gerri (1999). "Foster Reaches for the "Heights"". JVibe. http://www.jvibe.com/Pop_culture/BenFoster.php. Retrieved 2006-12-12. 
  7. ^ Sragow, Michael (1999-12-16). "It's a boy's, boy's, boy's world (and a girl's)". Salon.com. http://www.salon.com/entertainment/col/srag/1999/12/16/liberty_heights. Retrieved 2010-11-15. 
  8. ^ Breed, Allan G. (1999-02-04). "Ben Foster reaches for new 'Heights'". Lawrence Journal-World. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6oEyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=veYFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5145,1266634&dq=ben-foster-reaches-for-new-heights&hl=en. Retrieved 2007-12-10. 
  9. ^ DeYoung, Bill (2009-20-27). "Extreme closeup: Ben Foster". Connect Savannah. http://www.connectsavannah.com/news/article/101305/. Retrieved 2010-11-15. 
  10. ^ "X-MEN STAR FOSTER RISKS EYESIGHT TO PLAY DRUGGIE". Contact Music. 2006-12-12. http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/x-men%20star%20foster%20risks%20eyesight%20to%20play%20druggie_1016263. Retrieved 2006-12-12. 
  11. ^ Mitchell, Wendy (2009-07-27). "Ben Foster, Lubna Azabal join Braden King's Armenia-set Here". Screen Daily. http://www.screendaily.com/production/europe/ben-foster-lubna-azabal-join-braden-kings-armenia-set-here/5003959.article. Retrieved 2010-11-15. 
  12. ^ Scott, Mike (2009-11-09). "New Orleans film shoot to disrupt traffic on Convention Center Boulevard". Nola.com. http://www.nola.com/movies/index.ssf/2009/11/new_orleans_film_shoot_to_disr.html. Retrieved 2010-11-15. 

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