British Actors You Should Know: Ben Whishaw
We run down some of Ben Whishaw’s best roles.
As any Anglophile rightly knows, the world of British entertainment is full of “hey, it’s that guy!” performers: talented, seemingly omnipresent actors who pop up in every sort of production but never seem to earn the widespread acclaim they so obviously deserve. Ben Whishaw is a perfect example of this trend, an actor who has voiced Paddington Bear and starred opposite Daniel Craig in several James Bond films. However, it’s sadly likely that a not insignificant number of viewers of either probably wouldn’t be able to tell you his name.
An actor’s actor, Whishaw is best known for the sheer variety of his roles, which range from classic period dramas and Shakespeare plays to contemporary thrillers. (And, of course, the whole James Bond thing.) He’s taken home two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe; he is notably not from an upper-class family, but one of those from modest means who managed to break into acting on sheer strength of talent. (His mother works in the makeup industry; his father was a school sports coach.)
Between his PBS roles, his theater work, and his more pop fare, Whishaw has quite the range of projects worth checking out. Here’s our rundown of some of his best work.
