Who is Ben Barnes?
Ben Barnes is an English actor and singer. He is best known for his role as General Kirigan/The Darkling in the Netflix series “Shadow and Bone“. Barnes is also known for his roles as Prince Caspian in The “Chronicles of Narnia” film series, Logan Delos in “Westworld” and Billy Russo/Jigsaw in the Marvel series “The Punisher“.
Ben Barnes’ full name is Benjamin Thomas Barnes. He was born on August 20, 1981, in London, United Kingdom. He is 41 years old as of April 2023.
Ben Barnes family
Ben Barnes was born in southwest London to his parents – Thomas Barnes (father) and Patricia Becker (mother). According to reports, both Ben Barnes’ parents are psychotherapists. His father has worked with patients with mental health issues for over 50 years while his mother is a sexual relationship psychotherapist. Ben Barnes is said to have a close relationship with his parents. He once revealed his parents were strict but were also very supportive.
About Ben Barnes’ father- Thomas Barnes
Thomas Barnes is a psychotherapist who has worked with mental health patients for over fifty years. He is popularly known as Ben Barnes’ father. He got married to Patricia Becker (Ben Barnes’ mother) and they have two children together. Further information about him is scarce at this time.
About Ben Barnes’ mother- Patricia Barnes (née Becker)
Ben Barnes’ mother, Patricia Barnes (née Becker) is a sexual relationship psychotherapist (sometimes called a sexpert). She got married to Thomas Barnes (Ben Barnes’ father) and they have two children together. According to reports, Ben Barnes took some time off while working on the American television series “Westworld” to take care of his mother who was battling cancer. In an interview with Foxes Magazine in 2022, the actor revealed that his mother was diagnosed with cancer during the second season of the show and he was grateful to the production team for being supportive during the period.
He said:
When the second season started, my mum was not very well, with cancer, and so I went to showrunners, Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan, who are forever soldered into my life as the best people in the industry.
He added:
I said, ‘I don’t know what to do, my mum’s got to go and have this surgery, and I can live with not being in the second season of the show, I can’t live with not being there for my mum. They literally said ‘bye-bye, get on the plane, we’ll figure it out’. That was the entire conversation, they just said we’ll figure it out, and hugged me.
Speaking about his mother’s cancer diagnosis and treatment, Ben Barnes wrote on his Instagram page:
My mum is the bravest human being I have ever known; she has shown me the meaning of true courage in facing bold treatments head-on without a flicker of hesitation. Her battle gives everything perspective and meaning. Stories of hope are so important in my life, but none more than hers. I love you, mama.
Ben Barnes siblings
Ben Barnes is the eldest of two children. He has a younger brother named Jack Barnes.
About Ben Barnes’ brother – Jack Barnes
Jack Barnes is the younger brother of Ben Barnes. In 2016, Ben Barnes posted a video of Jack who was participating in the London Marathon in support of ovarian cancer research & support. Further information about him is scarce at this time.
Ben Barnes education
Ben Barnes attended Homefield Preparatory School in Sutton, United Kingdom, and King’s College School in Wimbledon. He later studied English Literature and Drama at Kingston University, where he appeared in and directed a number of drama productions.
Ben Barnes’ Wiki profile
| Full name | Benjamin Thomas Barnes |
| Place of birth | London, United Kingdom |
| Date of birth | August 20, 1981 |
| Age | 41 years old |
| Origin | English ancestry/Dutch-German Jewish ancestry |
| Nationality | British |
| Parents | Thomas Barnes (Father) Patricia Becker (Mother) |
| Siblings | Jack Barnes |
| Marital status | Single |
| Height | 6”1 |
| Career | Actor and singer |
| Alma mater | Homefield Preparatory School, Sutton, United Kingdom. King’s College School, Wimbledon Kingston University, United Kingdom |
| @benbarnes |
Ben Barnes origin
Ben Barnes’ father is English and from a Christian background, while his mother is originally from South Africa and was raised Jewish. The actor’s ethnicity is mixed as he has English ancestry on his father’s side and Dutch-German/Jewish ancestry on his mother’s side.
Is Ben Barnes gay?
The “Shadow and Bone” actor’s sexuality has been a topic of discussion in the media a number of times. Speculations about Ben Barnes’ sexuality began spreading following the release of the 2009 movie “Damian Gray” where his character “Dorian Gray” had a kissing scene with another male character Basil Hallward (played by actor Ben Chaplin).
In an interview with Metro in 2010, Ben Barnes explained how he felt kissing Ben Chaplin.
He said:
You might be nervous now but when you see it on film you’ll be proud of it, it’s something to overcome. It didn’t register any differently to seeing myself kissing anyone else on the screen.
Ben Barnes’ role as the bisexual Logan Delos in HBO’s acclaimed sci-fi series “Westworld” has also contributed to speculations about his sexuality. However, the actor has never confirmed being gay nor addressed any of these speculations.
In an interview with Interview Magazine in November 2008, Ben Barnes commented on his opinion about playing gay characters.
He said:
Sexuality is a topic that has had huge shifts in society. Attitudes toward different sexualities change, but the actual sexuality of a human being is something that’s consistent.
He added:
And it’s consistently interesting, so people write about it. But having said that, I think that for all the characters I’ve played – obviously Caspian – sexuality hasn’t been the most interesting thing about them.
Ben Barnes’ marriage and wedding
As of the time of publishing this article (April 2023), Ben Barnes is unmarried and does not have a wife. According to reports, the actor is not in a relationship at the moment.
Not much is known about Ben Barnes’ love life because the actor is good at keeping his personal life off the media. Still, he’s been involved in a few dating rumours over the years. While he has never confirmed or denied any of them, it hasn’t stopped fans from speculating about his relationships and romantic affairs.
List of Ben Barnes’ girlfriends/ past relationships
Though Ben Barnes is currently unmarried, the actor has been linked to several women (most of these relationships are only speculative). Here is a list of women Ben Barnes has been romantically linked with in the past:
- Ben Barnes was romantically linked to Tamsin Egerton in 2009.
- Ben Barnes was rumoured to have dated Felicity Jones in 2014.
- Ben Barnes was rumoured to have dated Amanda Seyfried in 2015.
- Ben Barnes was rumoured to have dated Meganne Young in 2017.
- Ben Barnes is believed to have dated Julianne Hough in 2020.
- Ben Barnes was romantically linked to his “Shadow and Bone” co-star Jessie Mei Li in 2019.
About Ben Barnes and Tamsin Egerton’s relationship
Tamsin Egerton is a British actress. She was born on November 26, 1988, in Hampshire, United Kingdom. She is 34 years old as of April 2023.
Ben Barnes was romantically linked with Tamsin Egerton in September 2009, after it was reported that Tamsin visited Ben in Australia, where he was filming “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader”. However, when asked about the rumours, Tamsin Egerton denied there was anything romantic going on between her and Ben Barnes. Instead, she revealed she tried to set him up with one of her friends once but he never agreed. Further information about their relationship is scarce at this time.
About Ben Barnes and Felicity Jones’ relationship
Felicity Jones is a British actress. She was born on October 17, 1983, in Birmingham, United Kingdom. She is 39 years old as of April 2023.
Dating rumours between Ben Barnes and Felicity Jones circulated in October 2014 after the pair posed for photos together at the Britannia Awards. They were also spotted in a car at LAX airport.
According to reports, Ben Barnes and Jones were on the same flight, and after landing at LAX airport, Barnes saw Felicity waiting for her limo and asked her to wait with him inside his car until her ride arrived. It appeared the rumours of romantic involvement between them held no truth.
About Ben Barnes’ relationship with Julianne Hough
Julianne Hough is an American actress, dancer, and singer. She was born on July 20, 1988, in Orem, Utah, United States. She is 34 years old as of April 2023.
After rumours of Julianne Hough’s separation from her then-husband Brooks Laich circulated in January 2020, Ben Barnes and Hough sparked dating rumours when they were spotted hanging out. They were also photographed taking a walk in Los Angeles around the same time news came out that Julianne and her then-husband Brooks Laich were no longer living together amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The rumours of Ben Barnes and Julianne Hough dating died down after it was confirmed that Julianne Hough and Laich were still together but just living apart.
In May 2020, Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich finally announced they were separating. In January 2021, reports of Ben Barnes and Julianne Hough being romantically involved resurfaced after it was reported they had gone on an ice cream date together in Los Angeles. Interestingly, neither party ever addressed the speculations.
About Ben Barnes and Jessie Mei Li’s relationship
Jessie Mei Li is an English actress. She was born on August 27, 1995, in Brighton, United Kingdom. She is 27 years old as of April 2023.
Ben Barnes and Jessie Mei Li play the characters of General Kirigan and Alina Starkov respectively in the Netflix series “Shadow and Bone”. Possibly due to their on-screen chemistry on the show, Barnes and Jessie Mei Li have faced rumours of being romantically involved. The speculations got stronger after the two were captured in a flirty video during the press tour of the second season of “Shadow and Bone”. As of the time of writing, neither party has confirmed anything. It is not uncommon for fans to link co-stars together especially when they interpret their roles with believable chemistry.
Ben Barnes children
As of the time of publishing this article (April 2023), Ben Barnes does not have any children yet. The actor has not revealed any plans about having children at this time.
