Ben McKenzie

American actor and producerTemplate:SHORTDESC:American actor and producer[[Category:**Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Pagetype/config' not found.**s with short description]]

* Actor
* director
* writer

**Benjamin McKenzie Schenkkan** (born September 12, 1978), is an American actor, writer, and director. His first high profile role was in 2003, starring as Ryan Atwood in the television series *The O.C.* and subsequently starred as Ben Sherman in *Southland.* From 2014 to 2019, he starred as James Gordon in the television series *Gotham*, for which he also wrote and directed episodes.

McKenzie's first starring role in a feature film was in the 2008 film adaptation of Dalton Trumbo's *Johnny Got His Gun.* He also appeared in the films *Junebug* and *88 Minutes*, and voiced Batman in *Batman: Year One*. In January 2020, McKenzie made his Broadway debut in the Bess Wohl play *Grand Horizons*.

## Early life and education

Benjamin McKenzie Schenkkan was born on September 12, 1978 in Austin, Texas. He is of Dutch-Jewish, English, and Scottish descent. He is one of three boys born to Frances Victory Schenkkan, a poet, and Pieter Meade Schenkkan, an attorney. His middle name, McKenzie, is his paternal grandmother's maiden name. His grandfather, Robert F. Schenkkan, was a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and worked with President Lyndon B. Johnson on passing the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967. He is a nephew of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Robert Schenkkan.

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. From 1997–2001, he attended the University of Virginia, his father and paternal grandfather's *alma mater*, where he majored in foreign affairs and economics. He uses his middle name as his stage name to avoid confusion with actor Ben Shenkman.

## Career

### 2001–2007: Early career and *The O.C.*

After graduating college in 2001, McKenzie moved to New York City where 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.

Ay 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 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 and "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.Template:R 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 was also voted one of *InStyle'*s "10 Hottest Bachelors of Summer" in July 2005. *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 *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". 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.

### 2007–2019: *Southland* and *Gotham*

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 feature 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 movie *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. TNT bought the rights for the show and showed the seven episodes that had been produced. The show was subsequently renewed. However, the show was once again canceled after the fifth season.

In Fall 2010, he starred in an off-Broadway transfer of *The Glass Menagerie* at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.

McKenzie returned to Fox in the Batman prequel television show *Gotham*, which premiered on September 22, 2014. In the series, he portrayed James Gordon as a young detective new to Gotham City.Template:R In the same series, he made his directorial debut with the season 3 episode "These Delicate and Dark Obsessions". McKenzie went on to direct "One of My Three Soups" and write "The Demon's Head" from the fourth season. He shot *Live!*, a real-time action thriller, in Birmingham, Alabama in early summer 2018, with the film slated for release in 2019.

### 2019–Present: New projects and theater

On June 24, 2019 McKenzie, along with an ensemble cast, presented *The Investigation: A Search for the Truth in Ten Acts*, a dramatic reading of Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III's Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election. McKenzie portrayed President Donald Trump's former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, as well as the President's son and political advisor Donald Trump, Jr.

McKenzie made his Broadway debut on January 23, 2020 in the Second Stage production of *Grand Horizons* at the Hayes Theater. McKenzie stars as Ben, one of two sons struggling with their elderly parents' divorce. A limited-run production, the play began previews on December 23, 2019 and is scheduled to close on March 1, 2020.

## Personal life

In September 2015, actress Morena Baccarin said in a legal declaration involving her divorce that she planned to marry her *Gotham* co-star, McKenzie, adding that she was pregnant with their child. Their daughter was born in March 2016. Baccarin and McKenzie announced their engagement in November 2016. They were married on June 2, 2017 in Brooklyn, New York.

McKenzie and his family live in Brooklyn, New York.

## Filmography

### Theater

 2020
December 23, 2019 – March 1, 2020

## References

1. ↑ "Benjamin McKenzie". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on September 10, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150910173517/http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/benjamin-mckenzie/bio/189542. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
2. ↑ "Pieter Meade Schenkkan (Attorney)". Archived from the original on September 27, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150927210327/http://www.plainsite.org/attorneys/graves-dougherty-hearon-and-moody-pc/pieter-meade-schenkkan/. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
3. ↑ "Barnes: Pete Schenkkan is a poet of the law", *Austin American-Statesman* (Austin, Texas) (January 28, 2013). Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. "His wife, Frances Victory Schenkkan, is a prize-winning poet. One son, Ben McKenzie, who opted to use his middle name, sizzles on the TV cop drama *Southland* after melting hearts on *The O.C.* His other sons, both former actors, are involved in nonprofits and the law."
4. ↑ "Robert Schenkkan Obituary - Austin, TX". Austin American-Statesman. http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/statesman/obituary.aspx?pid=148529709. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
5. ↑ Powers, William; Greninger, Sue Alexander. "In Memoriam: Robert F. Schenkkan". http://www.utexas.edu/faculty/council/2011-2012/memorials/schenkkan.html. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
6. ↑ "A brush with greatness - why I want Drew Brees to win tonight" Template:Webarchive, texascollegetennis.com; retrieved March 8, 2010.
7. ↑ "Before Batman", *U.Va. Magazine*, University of Virginia Alumni Association (Winter 2014).
8. ↑ "Life — High Profile", *The Cavalier Daily*, University of Virginia (January 21, 2004).
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Hale, Mike (2014-11-23). "Sometimes, Old-Fashioned Pays Off", *The New York Times*, pp. AR19. Retrieved on 18 January 2015.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 McHenry, Jackson (2020-01-23). "With Grand Horizons, Ben McKenzie Is Getting Back Into Theater" (in en-us). https://www.vulture.com/2020/01/with-grand-horizons-ben-mckenzie-is-getting-into-broadway.html.
11. ↑ Template:Citation
12. ↑ Template:Citation
13. ↑ "'The O.C.' Cancelled Due to Poor Ratings". *FoxNews*. January 4, 2007. http://www.foxnews.com/story/2007/01/04/oc-cancelled-due-to-poor-ratings/. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
14. ↑ Benjamin McKenzie Us Weekly Magazine Biography*Us Weekly*. Template:Webarchive
15. ↑ "Benjamin McKenzie set to star in Pacific Air 121". *MovieWeb*. Archived from the original on November 12, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20071112063113/http://www.movieweb.com/news/18/7518.php. Retrieved February 4, 2008.
16. ↑ "Dalton Trumbo's Johnny Got His Gun". *Variety*. http://www.johnnygothisgunthemovie.com/JGHG\_Variety\_Review.pdf. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
17. ↑ "Ben McKenzie of 'Southland' and 'The O.C.' to star in 'Glass Menagerie' at Mark Taper Forum" (in en-US). 2010-08-12. https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2010/08/ben-mckenzie-of-southland-and-the-oc-to-star-in-glass-menagerie-at-mark-taper-forum-.html.
18. ↑ Andreea, Nellie (February 8, 2014). "Ben McKenzie to Star As Detective James Gordon in Fox's Batman Series 'Gotham'". http://deadline.com/2014/02/ben-mckenzie-fox-batman-gotham-tv-show/. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
19. ↑ "(GTH-316) "Heroes Rise: These Delicate and Dark Obsessions"". The Futon Critic. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings/20170412fox03/. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
20. ↑ "Law Works: The Investigation". June 24, 2019. https://lawworksaction.org/. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
21. ↑ "Second Stage Theater". https://2st.com/shows/grand-horizons?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIiIbI0dGa5wIVzJ6zCh1s4w\_5EAAYASAAEgKmjPD\_BwE.
22. ↑ "Grand Horizons". January 23, 2020. https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/grand-horizons-522074.
23. ↑ Gomez, Patrick (September 21, 2015). "Gotham's Morena Baccarin and Benjamin McKenzie Dating". *People*. https://people.com/tv/gothams-morena-baccarin-and-ben-mckenzie-are-dating/. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
24. ↑ Lovece, Frank (September 28, 2015). "Morena Baccarin, Ben McKenzie plan to marry, her divorce docs say", *Newsday*. Retrieved on September 28, 2015.
25. ↑ Mandell, Andrea (March 11, 2016). "Exclusive: Morena Baccarin, Ben McKenzie welcome baby girl", *USA Today*. Retrieved on May 5, 2016. Archived from the original on May 12, 2016.
26. ↑ Jordan, Julie (June 7, 2017). "Morena Baccarin and Ben McKenzie Are Married!", *People*.
27. ↑ "People's Choice Awards 2015 hosts, nominees announced". November 4, 2014. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/peoples-choice-awards-2015-hosts-nominees-announced/. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
28. ↑ "NOMINEES & WINNERS". *People's Choice Awards*. http://www.peopleschoice.com/pca/awards/nominees/. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
29. ↑ Moreau, Jordan (19 June 2019). "‘Avengers: Endgame,’ ‘Riverdale,’ ‘Aladdin’ Top 2019 Teen Choice Award Nominations" (in en). https://variety.com/2019/film/news/teen-choice-awards-nominations-avengers-endgame-riverdale-1203247410/. Retrieved 19 July 2019.

## External links

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* Template:IMDb name
* Template:TV Guide
* Ben McKenzie at TV.com
* Benjamin McKenzie at BuddyTV.com
* Ben McKenzie on Facebook
* Ben McKenzie on Twitter**Lua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 36: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).**Template:WikidataCheck
* Gotham on Fox.com

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