Ben McKenzie

His grandfather, Robert F. Schenkkan, was a professor at the University of Texas at Austin and worked on passing the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.

Benjamin McKenzie Schenkkan (born September 12, 1978) is an American actor, author and commentator.

From 1997 to 2001 he attended the University of Virginia, his father and paternal grandfather's alma mater, where he majored in foreign affairs and economics.

After graduating from college in 2001, McKenzie moved to New York City where he worked in part-time jobs and performed in some off-off-Broadway productions.

During this period, he also participated in summer stock theater and the Williamstown Theatre Festival.

At age twenty-three, he moved to Los Angeles where he waited tables and slept on the floor of his friend Ernie Sabella's apartment.

He is best known for his starring television roles as Ryan Atwood on the teen drama The O.C. (2003–2007), Ben Sherman on the crime drama Southland (2009–2013), and James "Jim" Gordon on the crime drama Gotham (2014–2019).

He was soon cast as Ryan Atwood in The O.C. On August 5, 2003, Fox premiered the television series, about affluent teenagers with stormy personal lives in Orange County, California.

The show became an overnight success and made McKenzie famous.

His performance in The O.C. earned him "Choice Breakout TV Star – Male" and "Choice TV Chemistry" nominations in the Teen Choice Awards as well as "Choice TV Actor – Drama/Action Adventure" and "Choice TV Actor – Drama" wins.

McKenzie reportedly earned between about $15,000 and $25,000 per episode throughout the show's run.

The O.C. was the first time McKenzie played what The New York Times later described as the "quiet, guarded leading man" role he would repeatedly portray.

As a result of the show's success, McKenzie appeared in magazines including People, In Touch Weekly and Us Weekly.

He was ranked No. 5 in Independent Online's "100 Sexiest Men Alive" and twice appeared on Teen People magazine's annual list of "25 Sexiest Stars under 25".

McKenzie made his film debut in the Academy Award-nominated film Junebug (2005), before appearing in films including 88 Minutes (2007), Goodbye World (2013), Some Kind of Beautiful (2014), and Line of Duty (2019).

McKenzie was also voted one of InStyle's "10 Hottest Bachelors of Summer" in July 2005.

It also received high praise at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.

According to Production Weekly, McKenzie was set to star in the thriller Snakes on a Plane, formerly known as Pacific Air 121, but later dropped out to film 88 Minutes, which starred Al Pacino.

The O.C. dropped in ratings dramatically during its third and fourth seasons, and ended in early 2007.

While appearing in The O.C., McKenzie made his feature film debut in the Academy Award-nominated film Junebug alongside Amy Adams and Embeth Davidtz.

The film was nominated for "Best International Film" and "Outstanding Ensemble Acting" in the Amanda Awards and won the Sarasota Film Festival award for "Outstanding Ensemble Acting".

In 2008, McKenzie earned critical acclaim for his solo performance in the "live on stage, on film" version of Dalton Trumbo's 1939 novel Johnny Got His Gun, his first starring role in a film.

He stars as Joe Bonham, a role previously played by James Cagney, Jeff Daniels, and Timothy Bottoms.

The movie premiered at the Paramount Theater in Austin, McKenzie's hometown, while he was filming the pilot for Southland.

In 2009, he appeared in the short film The Eight Percent.

The movie won the Delta Air Lines Fly-in Movie Contest and entered as an official selection on the Tribeca Film Festival's Short film category.

McKenzie starred as rookie police officer Ben Sherman on the NBC drama Southland, which premiered on April 9, 2009.

The show was canceled while in production on its second season.

He is a nephew of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Robert Schenkkan; McKenzie appeared in his 2019 work The Investigation.

His middle name, McKenzie, is his paternal grandmother's maiden name; he uses it as part of his stage name to avoid confusion with actor Ben Shenkman.

His second cousin is actress Sarah Drew.

For middle school, he attended St. Andrew's Episcopal School, where he was friends and flag football teammates with future Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees.

He attended Stephen F. Austin High School, playing wide receiver and defensive back for the school's football team.

In 2020, he made his Broadway debut in the Bess Wohl play Grand Horizons.

Outside of acting, McKenzie is noted for his critical commentary on the cryptocurrency bubble and fraud with journalist Jacob Silverman.

Their book on the subject, Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud, was published in July 2023.

Benjamin McKenzie Schenkkan was born in Austin, Texas.

He is one of three sons born to Frances Schenkkan, a poet, and Pete Schenkkan, an attorney.

He has two younger brothers, both of whom are former actors.

He is the brother-in-law of photojournalist Scout Tufankjian.