Ben Sharples (born July 22, 1974) is an American actor, screenwriter, producer, and director. He is known for his role as Jack Hafey in Takashi Shimizu’s horror movie Flight 7500.[1] He is the writer, producer director, and lead actor of the comedy film Gentlemen's Fury.[2]
Ben Sharples | |
|---|---|
 Sharples in 2017 | |
| Born | Benjamin Albert Sharples July 22, 1974 Hollywood, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley American Conservatory Theater |
| Occupation | Actor · screenwriter · producer · director |
| Years active | 1998-present |
| Spouse | Marissa Hall (m. 2010) |
Early life edit
Sharples was born in Hollywood, CA. He lived on the island of Kwajalein from ages two to four, then relocated to Manhattan Beach, CA where he grew up. He discovered his love of filmmaking at age 13, when he began making movies with his friends and an RCA camcorder. He pursued his interest further at Crossroads School in Santa Monica, CA, focusing on film studies. He took an acting class on a dare while at the University of California, Berkeley and loved it so much that he went on to drama school at the American Conservatory Theater, graduating from their MFA Program.[3]
Tennis edit
An accomplished tennis player, Sharples was awarded Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player three years in a row by the Crossroads School tennis team. He finished his junior career ranked in the top twenty in Southern California and went on to play for the U.C. Berkeley men's tennis team for four years. He coached professional tennis player Zack Fleishman at the US Open in 2011.[4]
Career edit
Before Flight 7500 and Gentlemen's Fury, Sharples played real estate mogul Stephen in the underground romantic comedy hit film X’s & O's, reported by The New York Times to be downloaded over 150,000 times in one week. He also appeared in the season three opening episode of 90210 as a professional tennis player who takes out Teddy Montgomery, as well as in the feature films Alien Abduction and I'll Believe You. Ben starred in the dark comedy short film Time Capsule, which premiered at the Regards sur le Cinéma du Monde in Rouen, France, and he played a drug addicted thief in the heist short Blue Plate, an official selection of the Downtown Film Festival Los Angeles.
Sharples was the acting coach of streetball player Grayson "The Professor" Boucher on the basketball movie Ball Don't Lie.
Personal life edit
On August 14, 2010, Sharples married actress Marissa Hall, whom he met in high school.
Filmography edit
Film edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Hades Night | Random Guy | |
| 2006 | Bagged | Dirk Powers | |
| I'll Believe You | Ned Firewall | ||
| 2007 | X's & O's | Stephen | |
| 2008 | Ball Don't Lie | Businessman | Also acting coach (Grayson Boucher) |
| Blue Plate | Larry | Short film; also producer | |
| 2009 | Not Necessary | Pauly | Short film; also director |
| 2013 | Time Capsule | Benny Medino | Short film; also writer and producer |
| 2014 | Alien Abduction | Agent | |
| Flight 7500 | Jack Hafey | ||
| 2017 | Gentlemen's Fury | Aaron Faust | Also director, writer and producer |
| 2020 | A Perfect Husband | Dan | Short film; also director, writer and producer |
| 2020 | Taken In | Brad Manler | Short film; also writer and producer |
| TBA | Murder Van | Sgt. Tyler |
Television edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 90210 | Teddy's Opponent | Episode: "Senior Year, Baby" |
| 2020 | Quarantine Assassin | Assassin | 5 episodes: also writer, producer and director |
| Buried in the Backyard | Bill Stevens | Episode: "Saint and Sinner" | |
| TBA | Gentlemen's Fury: Reloaded | Aaron Faust | 12 episodes: also writer, producer and director |
External links edit
References edit
- ^ "Ben Sharples".
- ^ Hixon, Michael (May 16, 2017). "'Fight Club' meets tennis in new comedy feature from Manhattan Beach native". The Beach Reporter. Archived from the original on 2019-06-10. Retrieved 2019-12-25.
- ^ Poulter, Madison (August 26, 2010). "Breaking Sharples". The Sundance Kidd. Archived from the original on 2014-09-05. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
- ^ Hasegawa, Izumi (May 16, 2017). "Gentlemen's Fury star, Ben Sharples serves up a hilarious new comedy". What's Up Hollywood. Archived from the original on 2020-10-21. Retrieved January 2, 2020.