Ben Aldridge

• Name — Ben Aldridge • Birth Name — Benjamin Charles Aldridge • Born — 12 November 1985 • Birthplace — Exeter, Devon, England • Occupation — Actor • Education — London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art • Years Active — 2004–present

Aldridge was born in Exeter, Devon, on 12 November 1985. He worked with the National Youth Theatre and graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art with a bursary from the Genesis Foundation for young actors.

Aldridge's first professional acting role was in a play titled The at Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith in 2004. In 2008, he made his television debut in the Channel 4's four-part miniseries The Devil's Whore, playing Harry Fanshawe, the husband of the title character. That same year, Aldridge was featured on Screen International "Stars of Tomorrow" list. In addition to First Light, Lewis, Toast and Vera, Aldridge also appeared as Daniel Parish in the BBC One period drama Lark Rise to Candleford. In 2011, the American network The CW cast him as the lead character in the pilot Heavenly. Later on he spent time in Belgrade shooting the partially improvised romance short film In the Night for director Ivana Bobic and cinematographer Rain Li, starring along with supermodel Danijela Dimitrovska. Aldridge is a co-founder of In the Corner Productions. He additionally directed the comedy pilot Pet Shop Girls in late 2011, which he co-wrote and co-produced with actor and screenwriters Luke Norris, Ed Hancock and Kirsty Woodward. In 2013, Aldridge starred in Almeida Theatre's production of American Psycho as Paul Owen, where he was cast along with Matt Smith, Susannah Fielding, Jonathan Bailey, and Lucie Jones. Aldridge joined the BBC's original drama series Our Girl in September 2024, playing the role of Captain James. He left the series after the third season in 2018. In December 2014, Aldridge joined The CW's series Reign as King Antoine of Navarre. More recently Aldridge has starred in Fleabag (2016–2019), Pennyworth (2019–2023), Spoiler Alert (2022) and the post-apocalyptic horror movie Knock at the Cabin (2023).

Aldridge was raised as an evangelical Christian. Both his parents and grandparents were raised in the Plymouth Brethren church, although his parents both left the denomination at the age of 18. Commenting on his relationship with religion as an adult, Aldridge stated in a 2021 interview that there were no religious aspects in his life. In 2020, Aldridge publicly came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in a post on Instagram on the occasion of National Coming Out Day. In a 2021 interview with Attitude magazine, he said that he was gay and stated in another interview for Attitude in 2023 that his recent leading gay roles had helped him explore his own identity, adding that he felt more comfortable playing them than when he was younger. The magazine distinguished him as a "trailblazer" for the LGBTQ+ community in its 2023 article.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes — Ref. • 2008 — The — Harry Fanshawe — Miniseries; episode 1 • Compulsion — Alex — Television film • 2009 — Lewis — Daniel Rattenbury — Episode: "The Point of Vanishing" • 2010 — First Light — Brian Kingcome — Television film • Toast — Stuart — Television film • 2010–2011 — Lark Rise to Candleford — Daniel Parish — Starring role; 16 episodes • 2011 — Heavenly — Dashiel Coffee — Television film • 2012 — The — Joe Hazelhurst — Television film • Vera — Ollie/Alex Barton — Episode: "Sandancers" • 2013 — Pramface — Marcus — Episode: "If You Cry, I'll Cry" • The — Luke — Miniseries; episode: "Courage" • 2014–2018 — Our Girl — Captain James — Main role • 2014–2015 — Reign — Antoine of Navarre — 7 episodes • 2015 — DeTour — Michael Sturges — Unaired Television Pilot • 2016 — Stan Lee's Lucky Man — DS Ben Grady — 2 episodes • 2016, 2019 — Fleabag — Arsehole Guy — Recurring role; 6 episodes • 2019–2022 — Pennyworth — Thomas Wayne — Main role • 2021 — The Long Call — DI Matthew Venn — Main role • 2024 — Kite Man: Hell Yeah! — Jeremy Karne — Voice; Episode: "Prison Break, Hell Yeah!"

• Year — Title — Role — Theatre / Producer — Ref. References • 2004 — The — Pinstripe / Doctor — Lyric Hammersmith • 2005 — Antigone at Hell's Mouth — Rothenkopf — Kneehigh Theatre • 2006 — Fish and Company — Tom — Soho Theatre • Shelf Life — Dan — Old Red Lion • 2009 — Romeo and Juliet — Benvolio — Shakespeare's Globe • 2013 — The — Brian Hutchins — Menier Chocolate Factory • American Psycho — Paul Owen — Almeida Theatre • 2017 — Run The Beast Down — Titus Halder — The Marlowe Theatre

• Year — Title — Role — Notes — Ref. • 2012 — The — Saïd (voice) • 2022 — Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga — (voice)