Benjamin Louis Whalen was born on March 25, 1988, in Oceanside, New York, to Timothy Whalen, a high school psychology teacher and football coach, and an attorney mother. As the youngest of three children, Benjamin's ancestry was a mix of Irish and Italian, common among New Yorkers of that time and place. Growing up on Long Island, he was just a short train ride away from New York City, where he began his career as an actor and producer.
Benjamin played sports such as football, basketball, and baseball throughout high school and went on to attend the University of Maryland. During his time at the university, he started doing stand-up comedy and student films, taking several film classes that sparked his fascination with movies. In 2008, a close friend, Patrick Altema, who is now an Emmy award-winning producer, cast him in his first feature film. After falling in love with acting and filmmaking, Benjamin dropped out of college after his junior year to pursue acting and producing full-time.
From 2009 to 2011, Benjamin studied at the Stella Adler Conservatory of Acting in New York City, immersing himself in theater, plays, films, and television. He loved being on set as often as he could and, in 2011, produced and starred in Dream, directed by Patrick Altema. After graduating, several teachers encouraged him to give Los Angeles a try, expressing their certainty that he would be successful in film and television.
In 2013, within his first two years in LA, Benjamin booked a lead role in Anarchy Parlor, filmed in Vilnius, Lithuania, starring alongside veteran actor Robert LaSardo. It felt like all his dreams were coming true. The following years had several ups and downs, successes and disappointments, but by 2017, Benjamin had racked up over 25 acting credits in film and television. His most notable roles were James Rooker in A Neighbor's Deception on Lifetime and Dante in Trip, playing the love interest of international music star, Jhene Aiko.
Since beginning his professional career in 2011, Benjamin has worked on shows that have premiered on Lifetime, TLC, BET, Investigation Discovery, LMN, and Travel Channel. After a three-year hiatus working as VP of Sales and Marketing for a successful start-up from 2017 to 2020, Benjamin has returned to the entertainment industry with renewed love and respect.
