Ben Mendelsohn is an Australian actor best known as Pope Cody in Animal Kingdom, Danny Rayburn in the Netflix drama Bloodline, and Orson Krennic in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. He is a charismatic character actor who has built a career playing menacing, complicated men, and he is one of the few Australian actors to have won both an AACTA Award and a Primetime Emmy Award.
At 57, Mendelsohn remains in high demand in Hollywood and at home. He returned as Krennic in the Star Wars series Andor (2025) and played fashion designer Christian Dior in the Apple TV+ series The New Look (2024). He was previously married to writer Emma Forrest, and he has two children.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Paul Benjamin Mendelsohn |
| Date of Birth | 3 April 1969 |
| Age | 57 years old (as of November 2026) |
| Birthplace | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Former Wife | Emma Forrest (married 2012; divorced 2016) |
| Children | Two |
| Nationality | Australian |
Who Is Ben Mendelsohn?
Ben Mendelsohn is an Australian actor who first came to attention as a teenager in the Australian films The Year My Voice Broke (1987) and The Big Steal (1990). He then worked steadily in Australian film and television for two decades before his role as Andrew “Pope” Cody in the crime film Animal Kingdom (2010) brought him international recognition and the AACTA Award for Best Actor.
Mendelsohn is best known to global audiences as Danny Rayburn, the troubled eldest son, in the Netflix drama Bloodline (2015–2017), for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2016. He also played the villain Orson Krennic in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), the leader of the Death Star project, and Nolan Sorrento in Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One (2018).
Early Life & Background
Paul Benjamin Mendelsohn was born on 3 April 1969 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, the son of Ann and Frederick Mendelsohn, a medical researcher who became head of the Howard Florey Institute. His mother was a nurse. Mendelsohn grew up in Melbourne and attended Eltham High School and Heidelberg High School, and he was expelled from both schools.
He became interested in acting after seeing the film The Blues Brothers, and he auditioned for the Australian children’s television series The Henderson Kids (1985), in which he played Warren. He then appeared in the drama series The Flying Doctors and in the film The Year My Voice Broke, in which he played Trevor Leow, for which he won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Career
After his early success, Mendelsohn worked in Australian film and television for many years, including the films Spotswood (1992), Idiot Box (1996) and Mullet (2001), and the television series Love My Way and Tangle. He also worked in the United States, appearing in the film Vertical Limit (2000).
Animal Kingdom changed Mendelsohn’s career. He played Pope Cody, the eldest of the Cody brothers, in David Michôd’s crime film, and the performance won him an AACTA Award and a Film Critics Circle of Australia Award. He then appeared in the American films Killing Them Softly (2012), The Place Beyond the Pines (2012), The Dark Knight Rises (2012), in which he played John Daggett, and Starred Up (2013).
In recent years Mendelsohn has played Talos, the Skrull leader, in the Marvel films Captain Marvel (2019) and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), and in the Disney+ series Secret Invasion (2023). He played Ralph Anderson in the HBO miniseries The Outsider (2020), Christian Dior in The New Look (2024), and he returned as Orson Krennic in the second season of Andor (2025).
Facts About Ben Mendelsohn
- He won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama for Bloodline in 2016.
- He won the AACTA Award for Best Actor for his role as Pope Cody in Animal Kingdom (2010).
- He played Orson Krennic in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) and returned to the role in Andor (2025).
- He played Christian Dior in the Apple TV+ series The New Look (2024).
- He appeared in the film The Year My Voice Broke (1987) as a teenager, winning an AFI Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Ben Mendelsohn?
Ben Mendelsohn was born on 3 April 1969, making him 57 years old as of November 2026.
Where is Ben Mendelsohn from?
He was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and he grew up in the city.
Who is Ben Mendelsohn’s wife?
He was married to British-American writer Emma Forrest from 2012 until they divorced in 2016. They have a daughter together, and Mendelsohn has two children in total.
What is Ben Mendelsohn best known for?
He is best known for Animal Kingdom, Bloodline, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Ready Player One, Captain Marvel and Andor.
What is Ben Mendelsohn doing now?
He played Christian Dior in The New Look (2024) and returned as Orson Krennic in the second season of Andor (2025).