Benjamin John Whishaw, a renowned stage and screen actor, was born in Clifton, Bedfordshire, to Linda (Hope),who works in cosmetics, and Jose Whishaw, who works in information technology. He has a twin brother, James, and is of French, German, Russian, and English descent.
Ben's interest in theatre grew during his time at Samuel Whitbread Community College, where he became a member of the Bancroft Players Youth Theatre at Hitchin's Queen Mother Theatre. He rose to prominence in many productions, most notably "If This Is a Man," based on the book by Primo Levi, a survivor of Nazi World War II prisoner of war camp. The play was taken to the Edinburgh Festival in 1995, garnering five-star reviews and great critical acclaim, with Ben Whishaw receiving rave reviews for his portrayal of Levi.
Ben then enrolled in RADA, graduating in 2004, and soon landed the role of Hamlet in Trevor Nunn's 2004 production, making him one of the youngest actors to portray Hamlet on stage. Hamlet opened to rave reviews, with many critics hailing Ben as the next Laurence Olivier and applauding his portrayal of Hamlet, with leading critics hailing the birth of a star.
Whishaw's film and TV credits include "Layer Cake" (2004) and "Nathan Barley" (2005),in which he played a character called Pingu. He was named "Most Promising Newcomer" at the 2001 British Independent Film Awards for "My Brother Tom" (2001) and was nominated as best actor in four award ceremonies for his Hamlet performance in 2005. He also played Keith Richards in the Stephen Woolley biopic "Stoned" (2005).
Whishaw played Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, a perfume maker whose craft turns deadly, in "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer" (2006),receiving rave reviews for his stunning portrayal. He appeared in "I'm Not There" (2007) as one of the Bob Dylan reincarnations and in "Criminal Justice" (2008) a TV series. He is set to appear in the forthcoming films "The Tempest" (2010) and "Bright Star" (2009).
