Benjamin John "Ben" Whishaw (born 14 October 1980) is an English actor who … Read Full Bio ↴Benjamin John "Ben" Whishaw (born 14 October 1980) is an English actor who trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Whishaw is perhaps best known for his breakthrough role as Hamlet, and his role as the lead character in Tom Tykwer's film Perfume: The Story of a Murderer.
Whishaw was born and raised in Bedfordshire, the son of Linda, who works in cosmetics, and Josey Whishaw, who works in information technology. He has a twin brother, James, and was a member of the Bancroft Players Youth Theatre at Hitchin's Queen Mother Theatre. He attended Henlow Middle School and then Samuel Whitbread Community College in Clifton, Bedfordshire. During his time with the group, he first rose to prominence during collaborations with their offshoot theatre company, Big Spirit. He was involved in many productions – perhaps most notably, If This Is A Man (also performed as The Drowned & The Saved). This was a piece devised by the company based on the book of the same name by Primo Levi, a survivor of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz. This harrowing and moving book was adapted into a physical theatre piece by the group and taken to the 1995 Edinburgh Festival where it garnered five-star reviews and great critical acclaim. Whishaw played the character of Levi in this and subsequent productions of the show.
As the lead in Trevor Nunn's 2004 young-cast production of Hamlet at the Old Vic, he received highly favourable reviews. The role was shared with Al Weaver in an unusual arrangement that saw Whishaw playing all nights except for Mondays and matinées. Nunn is reported to have made this arrangement due to the youth of the two actors playing the lead, to relieve some of the pressure on each. It was Whishaw, however, who featured most prominently in the marketing materials and in the majority of reviews.
Whishaw's film and TV credits include Layer Cake and Chris Morris's 2005 sitcom Nathan Barley, 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) and, in 2005, nominated as best actor in four award ceremonies for his Hamlet. He also played Keith Richards in the Brian Jones biopic Stoned. In the spring of 2005, Whishaw received lots of press for his turn as a drug dealer, acting alongside Robert Boulter and Fraser Ayres in Philip Ridley's post-apocalyptic fringe play Mercury Fur.
In Perfume, Whishaw plays Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, a perfume maker whose craft turns deadly. The film was released in Germany in September 2006 and in the U.S. in December 2006. In the same year Whishaw worked on Pawel Pawlikowski's abandoned The Restraint of Beasts.
Whishaw appeared in I'm Not There in 2007 as one of the Bob Dylan reincarnations; in Criminal Justice, a Tiger Aspect series for the BBC, in 2008; a new adaptation of Brideshead Revisited; and ...some trace of her, an adaptation of The Idiot at the National Theatre.
At the end of 2009 he starred in Cock, a new play by Mike Bartlett at the Royal Court Theatre. In 2009 he also starred as the poet John Keats in the film Bright Star, which was written and directed by Jane Campion.
In February, 2010 Whishaw made a very successful off-broadway debut at MCC Theater in the US premiere of the awarding winning play The Pride by Alexi Kaye Campbell. The performance co-starred Hugh Dancy and Andrea Riseborough and was directed by Joe Mantello.
He appears in Julie Taymor's forthcoming big-screen adaptation of The Tempest and is attached to work on the film Kill Your Darlings (in which he plays Lucien Carr).
Ben Whishaw's most recent project is The Hour, a BBC Two drama series, written and created by award-winning screenwriter Abi Morgan.
Whishaw was born and raised in Bedfordshire, the son of Linda, who works in cosmetics, and Josey Whishaw, who works in information technology. He has a twin brother, James, and was a member of the Bancroft Players Youth Theatre at Hitchin's Queen Mother Theatre. He attended Henlow Middle School and then Samuel Whitbread Community College in Clifton, Bedfordshire. During his time with the group, he first rose to prominence during collaborations with their offshoot theatre company, Big Spirit. He was involved in many productions – perhaps most notably, If This Is A Man (also performed as The Drowned & The Saved). This was a piece devised by the company based on the book of the same name by Primo Levi, a survivor of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz. This harrowing and moving book was adapted into a physical theatre piece by the group and taken to the 1995 Edinburgh Festival where it garnered five-star reviews and great critical acclaim. Whishaw played the character of Levi in this and subsequent productions of the show.
As the lead in Trevor Nunn's 2004 young-cast production of Hamlet at the Old Vic, he received highly favourable reviews. The role was shared with Al Weaver in an unusual arrangement that saw Whishaw playing all nights except for Mondays and matinées. Nunn is reported to have made this arrangement due to the youth of the two actors playing the lead, to relieve some of the pressure on each. It was Whishaw, however, who featured most prominently in the marketing materials and in the majority of reviews.
Whishaw's film and TV credits include Layer Cake and Chris Morris's 2005 sitcom Nathan Barley, 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) and, in 2005, nominated as best actor in four award ceremonies for his Hamlet. He also played Keith Richards in the Brian Jones biopic Stoned. In the spring of 2005, Whishaw received lots of press for his turn as a drug dealer, acting alongside Robert Boulter and Fraser Ayres in Philip Ridley's post-apocalyptic fringe play Mercury Fur.
In Perfume, Whishaw plays Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, a perfume maker whose craft turns deadly. The film was released in Germany in September 2006 and in the U.S. in December 2006. In the same year Whishaw worked on Pawel Pawlikowski's abandoned The Restraint of Beasts.
Whishaw appeared in I'm Not There in 2007 as one of the Bob Dylan reincarnations; in Criminal Justice, a Tiger Aspect series for the BBC, in 2008; a new adaptation of Brideshead Revisited; and ...some trace of her, an adaptation of The Idiot at the National Theatre.
At the end of 2009 he starred in Cock, a new play by Mike Bartlett at the Royal Court Theatre. In 2009 he also starred as the poet John Keats in the film Bright Star, which was written and directed by Jane Campion.
In February, 2010 Whishaw made a very successful off-broadway debut at MCC Theater in the US premiere of the awarding winning play The Pride by Alexi Kaye Campbell. The performance co-starred Hugh Dancy and Andrea Riseborough and was directed by Joe Mantello.
He appears in Julie Taymor's forthcoming big-screen adaptation of The Tempest and is attached to work on the film Kill Your Darlings (in which he plays Lucien Carr).
Ben Whishaw's most recent project is The Hour, a BBC Two drama series, written and created by award-winning screenwriter Abi Morgan.
To Autumn by John Keats. Borodin
Ben Whishaw Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Ben Whishaw:
A Conversation "We haven't spoken in so long, dear" This year has gone…
La Belle Dame Sans Merci I. O WHAT can ail thee, knight-at-arms, Alone and palely…
Nowhere to Go But Up Life's a balloon That tumbles or rises Depending on what is …
Trip a Little Light Fantastic "I may be circling the drain, but I got a…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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Maxi Davis
This is so comforting. I'm in a tough time of my life right now and this is like my "blankie" that I hold on to when I'm scared or stressed or worried.
Anastasia
John Keats died of consumption at 25 in Rome. Deep in debt and thinking himself a failure. Due to his bffs being lord byron and the shelly's.
Noah MP
u have no idea 2020 mate
Silvia 75
His voice is like feathers, gently, precisely touching the surface of a lake.
Ember
I really need Ben Whishaw to narrate an audio book of nothing but hours and hours of shakespeare and poetry.
Listra Thessalonia
The way he plays Keats is just so beautiful. Also, I love Keats, like he's so honest in his poems.
Luciana Canarin
His voice capture so perfectly the nature of the poem. He's so within the poem, like he'd wrote. I would love this in a audio book. Love Keats.
Cheyenne Sanders
This reading is so beautiful. He definitely does Keats' poem justice. I could listen to Ben Whishaw read poetry to me all day and night.
Tim Dean
Ben really entered into the mind and heart of Keats to play him in 'Bright Star'. How appropriate that a major actor of today should have a love of poetry….
Malin Bohman
I just want to cry hearing this. His voice is mesmerizing in all its simplicity, smooth like honey, tender, and so very, very soft. I could listen to this for hours...