Benny Safdie

Benjamin Safdie (born February 24, 1986) is an American filmmaker and actor, most known for his film collaborations with his elder brother, Josh, in Heaven Knows What, Good Time (2017), which he also starred in, and Uncut Gems (2019).

Safdie's career additionally includes co-creating, writing, and acting in the satirical series The Curse (2023) with comedian Nathan Fielder, and his solo directorial debut The Smashing Machine (2025), for which he won the Silver Lion at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival.

For his role in Good Time as Nick, Safdie was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male, and has since starred in Licorice Pizza (2021), Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret (2023), Oppenheimer (2023) and Happy Gilmore 2 (2025). In 2026, he voiced Bowser Jr. in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and portrayed Agamemnon in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey.

Early life Safdie's parents are Amy and Alberto Safdie. He is of Syrian Jewish descent on his father's side, and Ashkenazi Jewish descent on his mother's side. He was raised in New York. When their parents divorced, he and elder brother Josh divided their time between their father in Queens and their mother and stepfather in Manhattan. The film was showcased in the Directors' Fortnight at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. In 2013, they debuted the documentary film Lenny Cooke at the Tribeca Film Festival, a documentary they became attached to after Cooke approached them to review the footage. In 2014, the pair premiered their next film Heaven Knows What at the 71st Venice International Film Festival. In February 2016, the brothers began filming their crime thriller film Good Time, which Benny starred in alongside Robert Pattinson, in New York City. It premiered at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme d'Or. Benny, for his performance, was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male.

Uncut Gems, Josh and Benny's next film, starred Adam Sandler, Lakeith Stanfield and Julia Fox; Martin Scorsese was executive producer. The brothers won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Director, and Benny shared the Independent Spirit Award for Best Editing with Ronald Bronstein, with whom he has co-edited all the Safdie brother films.

Safdie and Nathan Fielder co-created the Showtime series The Curse, which premiered in November 2023. The show, in which they also starred, received critical acclaim, and Safdie earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series.

Safdie then, in his first directorial endeavour without his brother and his first solo writing credit, directed the MMA themed film The Smashing Machine, starring Dwayne Johnson as former wrestler and MMA fighter Mark Kerr. The film premiered at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, where Safdie won the Silver Lion for Best Direction. The film received a theatrical release in October 2025 by A24.

Acting In 2017, Safdie began taking on performances not directed by himself or Josh, appearing in a role in the film Person to Person. In 2020, he appeared in Pieces of a Woman, and in 2021 he took on a significant supporting role in the Paul Thomas Anderson film Licorice Pizza.

In 2022, Safdie appeared in Claire Denis' romantic thriller Stars at Noon, and as Nari in the Disney+ miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi. In 2023, he starred in the film adaptation Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret., and appears as Edward Teller in Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan.

In 2025, he appeared in Happy Gilmore 2, and reunited with Nolan to play King Agamemnon in The Odyssey in 2026. He played the voice of Bowser Jr. in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.

Personal life Safdie is Jewish. His father was born in Italy and raised in France, and is of Sephardic-Jewish and Syrian-Jewish descent. His mother is of Russian-Jewish descent. His great uncle is architect Moshe Safdie. His cousins once removed are playwright Oren Safdie and entrepreneur Dov Charney.

He is married to Ava Safdie ( Rawski), with whom he has two sons.

Filmography

Films

Year Title Director Writer Editor Producer Collaboration with Josh Notes 2008 The Pleasure of Being Robbed 2009 Daddy Longlegs 2013 Lenny Cooke 2014 Heaven Knows What 2017 Good Time 2019 Uncut Gems 2022 Funny Pages 2025 The Smashing Machine 2026 Public Access 2026 TBA

As actor Film Year Title Role Director NotesRef.2017 Person to Person Eugene Dustin Guy Defa Good Time Nick Nikas Safdie brothers 2020 Pieces of a Woman Chris Kornél Mundruczó 2021 Licorice Pizza Joel Wachs Paul Thomas Anderson 2022 Stars at Noon CIA Man Claire Denis 2023 Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. Herb Simon Kelly Fremon Craig Oppenheimer Edward Teller Christopher Nolan 2025 Happy Gilmore 2 Frank Manatee Kyle Newacheck 2026 The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Bowser Jr. Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic Voice The Odyssey Agamemnon Christopher Nolan

Television Year Title Role NotesRef. 2016 Togetherness Craddock Brother #2 Episode: "Advanced Pretend" 2022 Obi-Wan Kenobi Nari Episode: "Part I" 2023–2024 The Curse Dougie Schecter Main role, also co-creator, writer, executive producer and editor

Awards and nominations Safdie brothers

Solo Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Venice International Film Festival September 6, 2025 Golden Lion Benny Safdie Silver Lion Stockholm International Film Festival November 16, 2025 Stockholm Visionary Award