Ben Cross (born Harry Bernard Cross on December 16, 1947 in London) is an English actor of the stage and screen, best known for his portrayal of the Jewish Olympic athlete Harold Abrahams in the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire.

He began acting at a very young age and participated in grammar school plays – most notably playing “Jesus” in a school pageant at age 12. Ben left home and school at age 15 and worked various jobs including work as a window washer, waiter and carpenter. He was master carpenter for the Welsh National Opera and property master at the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham.

Driven by his desire to be an actor, Ben accepted and overcame the enormous challenges and obstacles that came with the profession. In 1970 at the age of 22, he was accepted into London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) - the alma mater of legendary actors such as Sir John Gielgud, Glenda Jackson and Sir Anthony Hopkins.

Upon graduation from RADA, Ben performed in several stage plays at Duke’s Playhouse where he was seen in “Macbeth,” “The Importance of Being Earnest,” and Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. He then joined the Prospect Theatre Company and played roles in Pericles, Twelfth Night, and Royal Hunt of the Sun. Ben also joined the cast in the immensely popular musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and played leading roles in Sir Peter Shaffer’s Equus, Mind Your Head and the musical Irma La Douce – all at Leicester’s Haymarket Theatre.

Ben is a director, writer and musician as well. He can be found writing music, screenplays and articles for English language publications. Ben has written the lyrics for an album with Bulgaria's "Frank Sinatra," singer Vasil Petrov which will be released in late 2007. He also sang two Sinatra songs with Vasil Petrov in the Apollonia Festival at the Black Sea in September 2007. Among many of his original works is the musical Rage about Ruth Ellis, which was performed in various regional towns in the London area. He also starred in it and played the part of the hangman. Ben’s first single as a lyricist was released by Polydor Records in the late 1970’s and was titled “Mickey Moonshine.” Other works include The Best We’ve Ever Had and Nearly Midnight, both written by Ben and directed by his son Theo. In addition, the original soundtrack for Nearly Midnight was written, produced and performed by his daughter Lauren. These works were performed in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 2002 and 2003 respectively. Square One, directed by Ben, was performed at the Etcetera Theatre in London in 2004.

Ben has lived all over the world, including London, Los Angeles, New York, Southern Spain, Vienna, and, most recently, Sofia. He is familiar with the Spanish, Italian and German languages and enrolled in a course studying Bulgarian.

Ben Cross (born December 6 1978 in Wagga Wagga, Australia) is a rugby league player for the Melbourne Storm and previously for the Canberra Raiders.

Ben Cross, also known as "The Boss", had an explosive start to his NRL career with a suspension for striking following his debut match in 2003. After moving to Melbourne, his judiciary record improved, until a citing for contrary conduct was made against him for an incident in the 2007 NRL Telstra Grand Final. The charge resulted in a two week suspension.

A powerful ball-runner, Ben Cross endeared himself to Melbourne Storm fans with his wholehearted efforts, and aggression. He was a member of Melbourne's Premiership team in 2007, and of the losing Grand Final team in 2006.

Cross has signed with the Newcastle Knights for the 2008 season.

Ben Cross was born Harry Bernard Cross on December 16th, 1947 in London, England. He began acting at a very young age and participated in grammar school plays - most notably playing "Jesus" in a school pageant at age 12. Ben left home and school at age 15 and worked various jobs including work as a window washer, waiter and carpenter. He was master carpenter for the Welsh National Opera and property master at the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham, England. Driven by his desire to be an actor, Ben accepted and overcame the enormous challenges and obstacles that came with the profession. In 1970 at the age of 22, he was accepted into London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) - the alma mater of legendary actors such as Sir John Gielgud, Glenda Jackson and Sir Anthony Hopkins. Upon graduation from RADA, Ben performed in several stage plays at Duke's Playhouse where he was seen in "Macbeth," "The Importance of Being Earnest," and Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman." He then joined the Prospect Theatre Company and played roles in "Pericles," "Twelfth Night," and "Royal Hunt of the Sun." Ben also joined the cast in the immensely popular musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and played leading roles in Peter Shaffer's "Equurs", "Mind Your Head" and the musical "Irma La Douce" - all at Leicester's Haymarket Theatre. Ben's first big screen film appearance came in 1976 when he went on location to Deventer, Holland to play "Trooper Binns" in Joseph E. Levine's World War II epic "A Bridge Too Far" which starred a very famous international cast - namely Dirk Bogarde, Sir Sean Connery, Sir Michael Caine and James Caan. In 1977, Ben became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and performed in the premier of "Privates on Parade" as "Kevin Cartwright" and played "Rover" in a revival of a Restoration play titled "Wild Oats." Ben's path to international stardom began in 1978 with his extraordinary performance in the play "Chicago" which he played Billy Flynn, the slick lawyer of murderess "Roxie Hart." During his performance in this play he was recognized and recommended for a leading role in the multiple Oscar- winning "Chariots of Fire." The major success of "Chariots of Fire" opened the doors to the international film market. Ben followed up "Chariots of Fire" with strong and successful performances most notably in the Masterpiece Theatre miniseries "The Citadel" in which he played a Scottish physician struggling with the politics of the British medical system during the 1920's and his performance as "Ash Pelham-Martyn," a British cavalry officer torn between two cultures in the Home Box Office miniseries "The Far Pavilions." During the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, Ben appeared in a commercial for American Express with Jackson Scholz, a sprinter for the 1924 American Olympic team whose character was featured in the film Chariots of Fire. He subsequently replaced James Garner as the featured actor endorsing the Polaroid Spectra camera in 1986. Ben was also featured in "GQ Magazine" as one of the annual "Manstyle" winners in January, 1985 followed by a featured photo shoot in March, 1985. Having stuck by his desire to choose quality roles over monetary potential, Ben has enjoyed long-term success in the film industry, currently over 30 years. Over the years, Ben has played several outstanding roles including his portrayal of "Solomon," one of the most fascinatingly complex characters of the Bible, in the Trimark Pictures production "Solomon" in 1997. Other outstanding roles included his "Barnabus" in the 1991 MGM remake of the miniseries "Dark Shadows;" "Sir Harold Pearson" in the 1994 Italian production "Caro Dolce Amore (Honey Sweet Love);" "Ikey Solomon" in the Australian production "The Potato Factory" in 2000; and most recently, his role as "Rudolf Hess" in the 2006 BBC production "The Nuremburg Trials." Ben is a director, writer and musician as well. Among many of his original works is the musical "Rage" about Ruth Ellis, which was performed in various regional towns in the London area. He also starred in it and played the part of the hangman. Ben's first single as a lyricist was released by Polydor Records in the late 1970s and was titled "Mickey Moonshine." Other works include "The Best We've Ever Had" and "Nearly Midnight," both written by Ben and directed by his son Theo. In addition, the original soundtrack for "Nearly Midnight" was written, produced and performed by his daughter Lauren. These works were performed in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2002 and 2003 respectively. "Square One," directed by Ben, was performed at the Etcetera Theatre in London in 2004. Ben has lived all over the world, including London, Los Angeles, New York, Southern Spain, Vienna, and, most recently, Sofia. He is familiar with the Spanish, Italian and German languages and has enrolled in a course studying Bulgarian. When he's not filming, he can be found writing music, screenplays and articles for English language publications.