Ben O'Toole is an Australian actor. He is known for his role as Rex Coen in Bloody Hell, his recurring roles in several Australian TV series such as Amazing Grace, as well as for his supporting roles in films such as Hacksaw Ridge (2016) and 12 Strong (2018).
Ben O'Toole | |
|---|---|
 Ben O'Toole during an interview about Everybody Loves Somebody in 2017 | |
| Born | |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2011–present |
Life and career
editO'Toole was born in Cairns and grew up in Brisbane.[2][1] He began performing in the theatre while he studied acting at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA)[3] near Perth. After graduating in 2011, his first screen appearance was in a web series titled Sintillate Studios.[4] He eventually relocated to Sydney where he continued his work in theater[5] and acted in several short films. His first appearance in an internationally released film was in The Water Diviner in 2014.[5] That same year, he was cast in the role of Pete in the first three seasons of the TV series Love Child. In 2016, he played the role of Corporal Tom, second in command to drill sergeant Howell played by Vince Vaughn in the award-winning biographical war film Hacksaw Ridge, directed by Mel Gibson.
O'Toole moved to Los Angeles in early 2016.[6] He acted in commercially successful Hollywood films that provided more international exposure and recognition of his acting abilities.[7][8] His first leading role was the romantic comedy, Everybody Loves Somebody (2017), which was well received by critics.[9][10] In 2018, he performed as main actor in the film Nekrotronic, which was nominated for Best Makeup at the 9th AACTA Awards, but otherwise was rather poorly received both by audiences and critics.[11][12]
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, he has almost exclusively appeared in Australian productions. In addition to his performances in series television, he had landed the lead role in the horror comedy Bloody Hell, where he assumed the role of protagonist and also embodied the hallucinations of his alter ego.[13]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The Water Diviner | Henry Connor | supporting role | [5] |
| 2016 | Hacksaw Ridge | Corporal Jessop | [7] | |
| 2017 | Everybody Loves Somebody | Asher | lead role | [14] |
| Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales | British Soldier | supporting role | [15] | |
| Detroit | Flynn Marko | [8] | ||
| 2018 | 12 Strong | Scott Black | [7] | |
| Nekrotronic | Howard North | leading actor | [16] | |
| 2020 | Bloody Hell | Rex Coen | leading actor | [13] |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Sintillate Studios | Justin | Web series, 6 Episodes | [4] |
| 2014-2016 | Love Child | Pete | 17 Episodes | [5] |
| 2019 | Catalina Aguilar Mastretta Project | Mack | pilot episode, unreleased | [17] |
| 2020 | Halifax: Retribution | Jarrod | 6 Episodes | |
| 2021 | Amazing Grace | Max Shaw | 8 Episodes | [18] |
| 2022 | Pieces of Her | Young Ali Wexler | 2 Episodes | |
| Barons | Snapper Webster | Lead Role, 8 Episodes | [19] | |
| 2023 | Caught | Rowdy Gaines | 6 episodes | |
| 2024 | Boy Swallows Universe | Teddy | 3 episodes |
Stage
editO'Toole has appeared regularly in theatre. In 2022 he appeared in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.[20] In 2024, O'Toole would reprise the role of Happy in Death of a Salesman.[21]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Blood Will Have Blood | Macbeth, Oberon | WAAPA | |
| The Laramie Project | Rulon Stacey, Father Roger | |||
| Ruben Guthrie | Ruben Guthrie | |||
| Nana | Marquis de Chouard | |||
| 2012 | Boy Gets Girl | Mercer | Black Swan Theatre Co | |
| 2013 | Death Of A Salesman | Happy | ||
| 2014 | Mojo | |||
| The Sublime | Liam | MTC | [22] | |
| 2015 | Freak Winds | Henry Crumb | ||
| Men | Crazy Bob | [5] | ||
| 2022 | The Tenant of Wildfell Hall | Arthur Huntington | STC | |
| 2023 | On The Beach | Peter Holmes | STC | |
| A Streetcar Named Desire | Stanley Kowalski | STC | [23] | |
| 2024 | Death of A Salesman | Happy | Perth / Sydney | [24] |
Source: [25]
References
edit- ^ a b Kornits, Dov (11 October 2020). "To Bloody Hell and Back". filmink.com. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
Born in Cairns, but growing up in Brisbane, Ben O'Toole headed west to study acting at the highly respected Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), before relocating to Sydney.
- ^ MacDougall, Adam. "How surfing changed an aussie stars life". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
"Prior to Barons I hadn't really surfed all that much, but I began taking lessons with a few of the other cast members," says Cairns-born O'Toole.
- ^ "WAAPA" (PDF). March 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
- ^ a b "A very sinful satire". Star Observer. 19 April 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Niland, Rose (13 July 2015). "Ben O'Toole in Men by Brendan Cowell – Rose Niland Interview". The Culture Concept Circle. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Schreffler, Laura (26 July 2017). "Where Ben O'Toole of Kathryn Bigelow's "Detroit" Hangs Out in L.A". hauteliving.com. Haute Media Group. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
I've called LA home since Feb, 2016
- ^ a b c Kroll, Justin (15 November 2016). "'Hacksaw Ridge's' Ben O'Toole Joins Chris Hemsworth in 'Horse Soldiers' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ a b Kroll, Justin (4 August 2016). "Kathryn Bigelow's Detroit Riots Film Casts Will Poulter, Ben O'Toole, Jack Reynor (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ Cordova, Randy (4 August 2016). "Review: Why you'll love 'Everybody Loves Somebody'". eu.azcentral.com. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ Farber, Stephen (11 January 2017). "'Everybody Loves Somebody': Film Review, Palm Springs 2017". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
- ^ "Nekrotronic". Metacritic Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ Dalton, Stephen (28 September 2018). "'Nekrotronic': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
- ^ a b Defore, John (14 January 2021). "Bloody Hell: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ "Reviews for February 17th, 2017". nycmovieguru.com. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ "Schneider, Sue_MCP Agency (June 18, 2017) Ben O'Toole - Assignment X". www.assignmentx.com. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ Wang, Cynthia (5 September 2019). "'Interview "This isn't The Shawshank Redemption, you know"". nowtolove.com. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ Groves, Don (19 June 2019). "Ben O'Toole learned a lot from Chris Hemsworth and Mel Gibson but yearns for more". Retrieved 21 August 2022.
Earlier this year O'Toole shot an untitled Amazon Studios pilot from writer-director Catalina Aguilar Mastretta, who made Everybody Loves Somebody, a 2017 Mexican-set comedy romance starring Karla Souza, José María Yazpik and O'Toole, which was acquired by Netflix.
- ^ "Amazing Grace actor Ben O'Toole on why he relates to Curb Your Enthusiasm". www.nine.com.au. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ "Sean Keenan & Ben O'Toole Direct ABC Surf Drama "Barons"". dubuqueriverrides.com. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ "STC gives us a compelling Bronte adaptation for our moment". The University of Sydney. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ Review, Arts (20 March 2024). "Outstanding cast to join Anthony LaPaglia for Sydney season of Death of a Salesman". Australian Arts Review. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ Peard, Anne-Marie (3 September 2014). "MTC: The Sublime". AussieTheatre.com. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ Travels, Theatre (12 June 2023). "Review: A Streetcar Named Desire at The Old Fitz". Theatre Travels. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ "Death becomes her in iconic play". The West Australian. 14 August 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ "Showcast". app.showcast.com.au. Retrieved 21 August 2024.