Ben Miles Biography
Ben Miles (Benjamin Charles Miles) is an English actor born on 29th September 1966 in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. He is popularly known for his role as Patrick Maitland in TV comedy Coupling.
He attended Tupton Hall School and began acting in school productions. He trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He moved into television roles in the 1990s, playing supporting roles in such series as Zorro, Soldier Soldier, Is It Legal?, The Bill, Peak Practice and Wonderful You.
Other television credits include: Love Again (BBC); The Project (BBC); Ed Stone is Dead (BBC); two series of The Forsyte Saga (Granada); Holby City (BBC); the part of Fay Ripley’s boyfriend Robert in the third series of Cold Feet (Granada); The Innocent (YTV); Rough Treatment (World Prods); Reach for the Moon (LWT); Peak Practice (Carlton); Wonderful You (Hartswood); The Life and Crimes of William Palmer (Yorkshire); Catherine Cookson’s The Round Tower (Festival); Melissa (Channel 4); Is It Legal? (Hartswood); Measure for Measure (BBC); Zorro (New World) and Zig Zag (BBC Schools).
Films include: Three Blind Mice; The Affair of the Necklace; Keep the Aspidistra Flying; Wings of the Dove; Paris, Brixton and Getting it Right.
Ben Miles Photo
Theatre includes: Hand in Hand to the Promised Land (Hampstead Theatre); The Cherry Orchard (National Theatre); The London Cuckolds (National Theatre); Mary Stuart (National Theatre); The Tower (Almeida); The Miser (Chichester); Two Gentlemen of Verona (RSC); MacBeth (National Theatre); Trelawny of the Wells (National Theatre); Fuente Ovejuna (National Theatre); Winters Tale (Young Vic); Hamlet (RSC); Romeo and Juliet (RSC); Have (RSC); Ispanka (RSC); The Tempest (Phoebus Cart); A Woman of No Importance (Cambridge Theatre Co); Scars (Lyric Hammersmith, Studio) and Chiefly Yourselves (National Youth Theatre).
Ben Miles Age
He was born on 29th September 1966 in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom.
Ben Miles Award
2009: Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance.
Ben Miles Wife
He is married to the actress Emily Raymond and they have three children. Emily Raymond starred in the film Love Lies Bleeding alongside Faye Dunaway. The two also appeared together in the episode of Peak Practice, “Before The Lights Go Out” in 1999.
Ben Miles Movies and TV Shows
- 2013: Five Years
- 2009: Ninja Assassin
- 2008: Speed Racer
- 2006: After Thomas
- 2006: Bon Voyage
- 2005: Under the Greenwood Tree
- 2005: V for Vendetta
- 2005: Imagine Me & You
- 2005: Mr. Harvey Lights a Candle
- 2003: Prime Suspect: The Last Witness
- 2003: Three Blind Mice
- 1998: The Life and Crimes of William Palmer
- 1997: The Wings of the Dove
- 2010: Pulse
- Rough Treatment
- Love Again
- Measure for Measure
- 2000 – 2004: Coupling
- Since 2002: The Forsyte Saga
- Since 2004: A Thing Called Love
- 2006: Bon Voyage
- 2008 – 2011: Lark Rise to Candleford
- Since 2008: Freezing
- 2011: Zen
- 2011: The Suspicions of Mr Whicher: The Murder at Road Hill House
- 2013 – 2014: Dracula
- Since 2016: The Crown
- Since 2017: The Last Post
- 1999: Wonderful You
- Since 2016: The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses
Ben Miles Interview
Ben Miles starred in the London-to-Broadway transfer of “Wolf Hall”
Tell us about “Wolf Hall.”
Ben Miles: “Wolf Hall” is a production in two parts based on the best-selling novels by Hilary Mantel [that tell] the story of Thomas Cromwell. He’s a man who comes from the wrong side of the river and rises through the royal court of 16th-century England to become the most powerful man in the country, second to King Henry VIII himself. It’s a story about politics and power and survival. It’s got everything in it. It’s about the life and times of this one man who managed to change the course of history.
What have you learned about yourself playing Cromwell?
Ben Miles: One of his great skills is the ability to listen and respond. He’s a master of timing. That’s made me think about how important it is to listen to people, to allow people to communicate with you. Often you’re rushing around and you’re concerned with yourself. The way these people operate in the 16th century is very different from how we operate today; from their look, their eyes, the tone of voice, Cromwell could tell a lot about a person. He was very intuitive in that sense, and that allowed him to survive. That’s a great skill. In this world of cellphones and emails, relations are becoming less and less personal. There’s still nothing to beat face-to-face.
Do you have an audition horror story?
Ben Miles: I auditioned for a musical very early on. I brought in what I thought was the music for this song. The pianist looked at me askance and said, “Where’s the music?” I said, “This is the music.” He said, “No, that’s the melody line. Where’s the piano music?” I said, “I haven’t got any piano music.” So I ended up trying to sing this song—I forget what it was—and this pianist did his best to kind of make up chords around it. It was the worst! And the last musical audition I’ve ever been up for. It really was a killer. I rang my agent and said, “Please don’t send me for musical auditions again.” And we stuck to that plan.
Any acting crushes?
Ben Miles: Loads, loads! Paul Newman, I like. He’s good. He’s going to do well.
Is there something you wish you’d known before you started acting?
Ben Miles: Don’t take rejection personally. You don’t get more jobs than you get! It’s easy to imagine there’s something failing, something wrong in yourself, and that’s not the case. Whatever reason, it’s not about you as a person. I think for actors starting out, there’s a great neurosis about that; if you don’t get a job it somehow means you’re less of a person. And that’s not the case. The way [casting directors] pick is very arbitrary, very random. There are no guarantees.
What’s been your worst survival job?
Ben Miles: My worst job ever, this was when I was a kid, was picking potatoes on the back of a trailer in March. It was freezing, absolutely freezing. We had to sort the good ones from the bad ones. Once you do that for a day in March in the north of England, it makes you think there must be better jobs than this!
What audition prep advice do you have for actors?
Ben Miles: Research! Learn the lines, that’s the main thing. Know what you’re going to be saying so you’re not thinking about that. Just try to be yourself in the room. People sense a desperation, and I know because I’ve been desperate for jobs, and people pick that up. I don’t mean be nonchalant and impolite, just try to be yourself in every opportunity. That gets you a long way. That and do your homework. Know a bit about the subject, the story, but try and bring yourself as much as you can. You often forget to do that.
Which performance of yours has left a lasting mark on you?
Ben Miles: I think this role is having an influence on me. So far it’s gone down well, I hope it does the same here. It’s taught me a lot about the history of England, the motion of Englishness. It’s a history I wasn’t that clued up about. One of the great things about this job is you learn about the context of the job in the research you do. You always come away knowing more than before. It’s an education. It’s lucky to be an actor in that respect because you get to investigate how human beings interact with each other. It’s very good for you, I think, as a person.
Source: www.backstage.com