# Luke Benward

Luke Aaron Benward (born May 12, 1995) is an American actor and singer. He is most known for his Disney Channel roles as Charlie in Minutemen (2008), Ryan in Girl vs. Monster (2012), and Will in Cloud 9 (2014). He played the role of Dillon in the Pretty Little Liars spin-off Ravenswood (2013–14) and Bo in the Netflix film Dumplin' (2018). He recurred as Teddy's boyfriend, Beau, on the fourth and final season of the Disney Channel series Good Luck Charlie (2013).

## Early life

Benward was born in Franklin, Tennessee, the son of Kenda (née Wilkerson) and Aaron Benward. His father is in the country duo Blue County, his mother is a part-time actress, model, and acting coach, and his grandfather is Contemporary Christian music artist Jeoffrey Benward. He has two younger sisters.

## Career

Benward's acting career started when he landed a role in the film We Were Soldiers as David Moore in 2002. His success grew in 2006, when he played Billy Forrester in the movie How to Eat Fried Worms, which he won a Young Artist Award for in the category of Best Young Ensemble in a Feature Film.
He also played 14-year-old Charlie Tuttle in the Disney Channel movie Minutemen, the 14-year-old Alan in Dear John, and the little boy who helps the abused girl in the music video "Concrete Angel" by Martina McBride. Benward's first release, a 5-song EP titled Let Your Love Out, came out on January 5, 2009.
He also toured with the Christian group iShine LIVE for a short time, where he would sing his music in concert. The record label that signed him is called In Crowd Productions, whose collective credits include Hilary Duff, India.Arie, the Backstreet Boys, Mat Kearney, Death Cab for Cutie, and the Jonas Brothers.
He has also been in various commercials, including Nintendo, McDonald's, Willy Wonka, American Express, and Hamburger Helper. He also played the role of Nicky in Mostly Ghostly and played Stevie Dewberry in the film Because of Winn-Dixie. He also played in the Disney Channel Original Movie Girl vs. Monster as Ryan Dean, the love interest of Skylar Lewis (Olivia Holt).
Benward also had a recurring role as Matthew Pearson, the ex-boyfriend of Emily Hobbs (Ryan Newman) on See Dad Run. He was in the movie Cloud 9 from Disney Channel with Liv and Maddie star Dove Cameron and appeared as Beau, Teddy's love interest, on six episodes of Good Luck Charlie, reuniting him with his Minutemen costar Jason Dolley. He appeared as Thor in the third-season premiere of the Disney Channel series Girl Meets World.

## Personal life

Benward dated Olivia Holt after meeting her on the set for Disney Channel’s Girl vs. Monster. The couple split in 2017. Since 2020, he has been in a relationship with actress Ariel Winter.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2002 | We Were Soldiers | David Moore |
| 2005 | Because of Winn-Dixie | Steven "Stevie" Dewberry |
| 2006 | How to Eat Fried Worms | Billy Forrester |
| 2008 | Mostly Ghostly | Nicholas "Nicky" Roland |
| 2008 | Dog Gone | Owen |
| 2010 | Dear John | Alan Wheddon (age 14) |
| 2014 | Field of Lost Shoes | John Wise |
| 2018 | Life of the Party | Jack Strong |
| 2018 | Dumplin' | Bo Larson |
| 2018 | Measure of a Man | Pete Marino |
| 2019 | Grand Isle | Buddy |
| 2021 | Wildcat | Luke |
| 2021 | Playing God | Micah |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2002 | Family Affair | Jody Davis | Episode: "Pilot: Parts 1 & 2" |
| 2008 | Minutemen | Charles "Charlie" Tuttle | Television film |
| 2012–13 | See Dad Run | Matthew Pearson | 3 episodes |
| 2012 | Girl vs. Monster | Ryan Dean | Television film |
| 2013 | Good Luck Charlie | Beau Landry | Recurring role (Season 4, six episodes) |
| 2013–14 | Ravenswood | Dillon Sanders | Main role (8 episodes) |
| 2014 | Cloud 9 | Will Cloud | Television film |
| 2014 | The Goldbergs | Bruce | Episode: "The Age of Darkness" |
| 2014 | R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour | Ted | Episode: "Near Mint Condition" (Season 4) |
| 2015 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Axel Vargas | Episode: "Under My Skin" |
| 2016 | Girl Meets World | Thor | Episodes: "Girl Meets High School: Parts One and Two" |
| 2016 | Pitch | | Episodes: "The Interim" |
| 2017 | Still the King | Lloy Danderson | Recurring role (Season 2) |
| 2022 | Criminal Minds: Evolution | Benjamin Reeves | Episodes: "Oedipus Wrecks" |

## Discography
### Extended play

| Title | Details |
| Let Your Love Out | Released: January 5, 2009 Formats: Digital download Label: iShine Records |

### Promotional singles

| Title | Year | Album |
| "Cloud 9" (with Dove Cameron) | 2014 | Disney Channel Play It Loud |

### Other appearances

| Title | Year | Album |
| "Had Me @ Hello" | 2012 | Make Your Mark: Ultimate Playlist |

### Music videos

List of music videos, showing and director :
| Title | Year | Director(s) | Notes |
| "Concrete Angel" | 2002 | — | Martina McBride's music video; guest appearance |
| "That's Cool" | 2004 | — | Blue County's music video; guest appearance |
| "Everyday Hero" | 2009 | Kenda Benward and Bart Conover | |
| "Make You Stay" | 2016 | — | The Girl and the Dreamcatcher music video; guest appearance |
| "You Make It Easy" | 2018 | — | Jason Aldean's music video; |