Ben Foster

Benjamin A. Foster (born October 29, 1980) is an American actor. His films include The Punisher, X-Men: The Last Stand and Alpha Dog (both 2006), 30 Days of Night (2007), The Messenger and Pandorum (both 2009), The Mechanic (2011), Contraband (2012), Kill Your Darlings and Lone Survivor (both 2013), The Program (2015), Warcraft (2016), and Leave No Trace (2018). He has won an Independent Spirit Award for portraying Tanner Howard in Hell or High Water (2016). He also had a recurring role as Russell Corwin in Six Feet Under (2003–05).

Foster has often received praise from critics for his "intense" and "unhinged" performances in numerous films. Film critic Matt Zoller Seitz described Foster in 2016 as "one of those actors who makes even a bad film worth seeing. Sometimes he suggests the film you'd rather be watching."

Early life Foster was born in Boston on October 29, 1980, the son of Steven and Gillian Foster ( Kirwan), both restaurant owners. He has described his parents as "free-spirited, Vietnam-protesting hippies". He has a younger brother, Jon, who is also an actor. In 1984, the Foster family relocated to Fairfield, Iowa, when their Boston home was broken into by robbers while they were present. Foster was raised in his father's faith. His paternal grandparents were Celia (née Segal) and Abraham Foster, who was a prominent judge and politician in Boston; their families were of Romanian Jewish and Ukrainian Jewish origins and had emigrated from the Russian Empire. As a youth he attended Interlochen Arts Camp and studied theatre there.

Career

Foster began working as an actor when he was 14 years old.

In 2001, he acted in the film Get Over It. Foster also had a recurring role as Russell Corwin (22 episodes) in the HBO original series, Six Feet Under.

In 2007, he played cold-blooded killer and outlaw Charlie Prince in the Western film 3:10 to Yuma. In February 2013, he was cast to replace Shia LaBeouf in the Broadway play Orphans as his first theater performance. In May 2014, it was announced that he would star opposite Gillian Anderson and Vanessa Kirby in Benedict Andrews' new production of A Streetcar Named Desire at the Young Vic in London. The same production closed on September 19, 2014 and transferred to New York in 2016, opening at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn.

Foster played Lance Armstrong in the biopic The Program, and co-starred in the fantasy adventure Warcraft, released in June 2016. Also in 2016, Foster appeared in Hell or High Water as the dangerous Tanner Howard, opposite Chris Pine and Jeff Bridges. He reunited with director Barry Levinson to make The Survivor in 2021. In 2025, Foster played James V. Martin, the coach and abusive husband of boxer Christy Martin, in the biopic Christy. Sonia Rao of The Washington Post wrote that Foster "tries his best" to provide a nuanced portrayal of Martin but that his "efforts are thwarted by an uninspired script".

He is next set to play Evel Knievel in The Stunt Driver.

Personal life Foster was in a relationship with German actress Antje Traue, his co-star in the movie Pandorum. Traue moved to Los Angeles and lived with Foster until their relationship ended around 2010. In early 2012, Foster began a relationship with actress Robin Wright. They became engaged in early 2014, but called off their engagement in November 2014. Foster and Wright reconciled in early 2015. In August 2015, they announced they were ending their second engagement.

In October 2016, Foster announced his engagement to actress Laura Prepon. Prepon gave birth to their first child, a daughter, Ella, in August 2017. Foster and Prepon married in June 2018. Their son was born in February 2020. Foster filed for divorce from Prepon on November 12, 2024, citing “irreconcilable differences”.

After filming of the movie Here ended, five members of the cast and crew, including Foster, got tattooed with the letters T.I.A., which stand for "This is Armenia". Foster practices transcendental meditation.

Acting credits Film

Television Year Title Role Notes 1996–1997 Flash Forward Tucker "Tuck" James Lead role; 26 episodesNominated—Gemini Award for Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series (1997, 1998)1998 You Wish Earl Episode: "Future Shock" I've Been Waiting for You Charlie Television film Breakfast with Einstein Ryan Television film 1999–2000 Freaks and Geeks Eli 2 episodes 2000 Family Law Jason Nelson Episode: "A Mother's Son" 2001–2002 Boston Public Max Warner 2 episodes 2002 Bang Bang You're Dead Trevor Adams Television filmDaytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in Children's Programming 2003–2005 Six Feet Under Russell Corwin 22 episodes (1 uncredited)Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2004)Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2005) 2005 Darren Foldes Episode: "The Last Goodbye" 2007 My Name Is Earl Glenn 2 episodes 2012 Robot Chicken Orville Redenbacher /Man from the Vegetarian Future Voice; episode: "Executed by the State" 2021 The Survivor Harry Haft Television film; also executive producerNominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie Stage Year Title Role Venue Notes 2013 Orphans Treat Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre Broadway 2014 A Streetcar Named Desire Stanley Kowalski Young Vic