Ben Foster

He also had a recurring role as Russell Corwin in Six Feet Under (2003–05). Foster has often received praise from critics for his "intense" and "unhinged" performances in numerous films. Film critic Matt Zoller Seitz described Foster in 2016 as "one of those actors who makes even a bad film worth seeing. Sometimes he suggests the film you'd rather be watching."

• Name — Ben Foster • Birth Name — Benjamin A. Foster • Born — 29 October 1980 • Birthplace — Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1995–present • Children — 2 • Relatives — Jon Foster (brother)

Foster was born in Boston on October 29, 1980, the son of Steven and Gillian Foster (Kirwan), both restaurant owners. He has described his parents as "free-spirited, Vietnam-protesting hippies". He has a younger brother, Jon, who is also an actor. In 1984, the Foster family relocated to Fairfield, Iowa, when their Boston home was broken into by robbers while they were present. Foster's father is Jewish and his mother is Irish. Foster was raised in his father's faith. His paternal grandparents were Celia (née Segal) and Abraham Foster, who was a prominent judge and politician in Boston; their families were of Romanian Jewish and Ukrainian Jewish origins and had emigrated from the Russian Empire. As a youth he attended Interlochen Arts Camp and studied theatre there.

• Illustration — Foster at the Toronto Film Festival in 2015 Foster began working as an actor when he was 14 years old. From 1995 to 1997, he starred in the Disney Channel television series Flash Forward. His first major film role was in the 1999 Barry Levinson film, Liberty Heights, which Todd McCarthy described as an "outstanding bigscreen debut." 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. 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. 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. In 2007, he played cold-blooded killer and outlaw Charlie Prince in the Western film 3:10 to Yuma. In February 2013, he was cast to replace Shia LaBeouf in the Broadway play Orphans as his first theater performance. In May 2014, it was announced that he would star opposite Gillian Anderson and Vanessa Kirby in Benedict Andrews' new production of A Streetcar Named Desire at the Young Vic in London. The same production closed on September 19, 2014 and transferred to New York in 2016, opening at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn. Foster played Lance Armstrong in the biopic The Program, and co-starred in the fantasy adventure Warcraft, released in June 2016. Also in 2016, Foster appeared in Hell or High Water as the dangerous Tanner Howard, opposite Chris Pine and Jeff Bridges. He reunited with director Barry Levinson to make The Survivor in 2021. In 2025, Foster played James V. Martin, the coach and abusive husband of boxer Christy Martin, in the biopic Christy. Sonia Rao of The Washington Post wrote that Foster "tries his best" to provide a nuanced portrayal of Martin but that his "efforts are thwarted by an uninspired script". He is next set to play Evel Knievel in The Stunt Driver.

Foster was in a relationship with German actress Antje Traue, his co-star in the movie Pandorum. Traue moved to Los Angeles and lived with Foster until their relationship ended around 2010. In early 2012, Foster began a relationship with actress Robin Wright. They became engaged in early 2014, but called off their engagement in November 2014. Foster and Wright reconciled in early 2015. In August 2015, they announced they were ending their second engagement. In October 2016, Foster announced his engagement to actress Laura Prepon. Prepon gave birth to their first child, a daughter, Ella, in August 2017. Foster and Prepon married in June 2018. Their son was born in February 2020. Foster filed for divorce from Prepon on November 12, 2024, citing “irreconcilable differences”. After filming of the movie Here ended, five members of the cast and crew, including Foster, got tattooed with the letters T.I.A., which stand for "This is Armenia". Foster practices transcendental meditation.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1996–1997 — Flash Forward — Tucker "Tuck" James — Lead role; 26 episodes Nominated—Gemini Award for Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series (1997, 1998) • 1998 — You Wish — Earl — Episode: "Future Shock" • I've Been Waiting for You — Charlie — Television film • Breakfast with Einstein — Ryan — Television film • 1999–2000 — Freaks and Geeks — Eli — 2 episodes • 2000 — Family Law — Jason Nelson — Episode: "A Mother's Son" • 2001–2002 — Boston Public — Max Warner — 2 episodes • 2002 — Bang Bang You're Dead — Trevor Adams — Television film Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in Children's Programming • 2003–2005 — Six Feet Under — Russell Corwin — 22 episodes (1 uncredited) Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2004) Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2005) • 2005 — The — Darren Foldes — Episode: "The Last Goodbye" • 2007 — My Name Is Earl — Glenn — 2 episodes • 2012 — Robot Chicken — Orville Redenbacher / Man from the Vegetarian Future — Voice; episode: "Executed by the State" • 2021 — The Survivor — Harry Haft — Television film; also executive producer Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie

• Year — Title — Role — Venue — Notes • 2013 — Orphans — Treat — Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre — Broadway • 2014 — A Streetcar Named Desire — Stanley Kowalski — Young Vic

Ben Foster was recorded at birth as Benjamin A. The authorities additionally record the heading Benjamin A. His recorded language was English. His recorded confession was Judaism. He married Laura Prepon.