• Ben Smith-Petersen was born in Byron Bay, Australia in 1991
• He is a professional actor and stuntman, having worked in films such as The Great Gatsby and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
• He is married to actress and producer Riley Keough
• He enjoys skateboarding and surfing and used to teach flying trapeze to children
• His net worth is estimated at over $1 million as of late-2019
Contents
Early life, family, educational background
Ben Smith-Petersen was born on 13 July 1991, in Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia. Ben’s parents still reside in Australia, but their names and the existence of any sibling(s) are unknown.
Who is Riley Keough?
Danielle Riley Keough was born on 29 May 1989, in Florida, USA – she prefers to uses her second name. Riley is the daughter of musician Danny Keough and singer-songwriter, Lisa Marie Presley, making her Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s eldest grandchild. Riley’s family is heavily involved in show business, her exposure to which was enhanced when her mother was married to Michael Jackson from 1994 to 1996.
In her early teen years, Riley naturally joined the business field of her family, starting with modelling in her early teens. In 2004, she graced the cover of “Vogue” and walked in Dolce & Gabbana’s fashion catwalk show in Italy, Riley’s first such appearance. In 2010, Riley moved from modelling to acting – her debut film was “The Runaways,” in which she co-starred alongside Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart. Riley is now most commonly known for working with American filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, and actor, Steven Soderbergh; she appeared in “Magic Mike” (2012) and “Logan Lucky” (2017), both of which were directed by Steven.
In 2016, Riley played the main character in the television series, “The Girlfriend Experience,” produced by Steven and eponymously named and based on his film of the same title. Riley received a Golden Globe nomination in the category Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television, for her role as law student Christine Reade, who moonlights as an escort. As of late-2019, Riley has an estimated net worth of $5 million accumulated from her modelling and acting career over the last two decades.
Ben’s Career
Ben is a professional actor and stuntman. In 2013 he landed his first movie as a stuntman in “The Great Gatsby”, based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel. The film accumulated over $350 million at the box office, so it may be assumed that Ben was well rewarded for his efforts. Ben has also done stunt work in 2013’s “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” and “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”; 2014’s “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”; 2015’s George Miller’s “Mad Max: Fury Road”; and 2016’s “Suicide Squad.”
Blockbuster movies are not the only items on Ben’s resume. In 2012, Ben acted in “Agent Provocateur,” an action-drama film, and in 2014 in “Brawl.” He was a stunt co-ordinator for “Come Swim” in 2017, and in 2018 gained experience as a stunt double in “Peter Rabbit”, and once again in “Triple Frontier” in 2019.
In his singing career, in 2013 Ben released the song entitled “Sandpaper,” and showed-off his stuntman skills in the accompanying music video released the same year on Facebook. In the almost three-minute video, Ben takes the opportunity to introduce himself and the music video.
‘My name is Ben, I’m a stunt man & I made a song…There are many more to come. A few months back I got together with my good friend Murry Burns & we recorded Sandpaper just for fun. Then my Radical mates the Van Vuuren Bros made this clip for me. Both were self-funded, with nearly all the crew working for nothing other than love. I could never thank them enough, but still…Thank you guys, you truly are the best. I’m currently recording an LP with Murry, totally independently.’
Personal life
Ben is married to actress, model and producer, Riley Keough. They first met in 2012 in the Namibian desert, while filming “Mad Max: Fury Road,” the fourth in the series. Ben did stunt work in the movie, and played the Chanting War Boy, Red Flare Warrior. However, they only got to know one another in Australia during re-shooting, as the crew was smaller. Soon after filming wrapped up, the two began dating; Riley has commented that after merely two weeks of dating, she knew that Ben was the right man for her, and could see herself having a family with him.
Even in the early days, Riley felt comfortable around Ben, deciding to always be at his side. On 14 August 2014 Ben proposed, announced on social media, showing Riley’s diamond engagement ring. He captioned the photo on Facebook as, “So that happened.”
This was Riley’s second engagement within two years, having previously been engaged to actor Alex Pettyfer, but which lasted for less than a year. Ben and Riley married on 4 February 2015 in the vineyards of Napa Valley, California, in front of an A-list attendance register includin, Cara Delevingne, Zoe Kravitz, Kristen Stewart, Dakota Johnson, and “Mad Max” co-stars Courtney Eaton and Abbey Lee.
Riley has said that she and Ben are madly in love and obsessed with each other. The couple recently got the chance to work together once again, in the indie crime drama, “Dixieland,” Riley starring as Rachel, with Ben the stunt co-ordinator.
Hobbies, favorite things and interesting facts
At 14, a friend of Ben’s mom introduced him to a flying trapeze, which he took to it naturally. Ben trained at Circus Arts Australia, and was taught personally by the owner and director Belinda Hultgren. As he improved and became more confident in his skill, Ben began teaching flying trapeze to children.
The father of one of his regular students was a stunt co-ordinator, who offered Ben stunt work in a movie.
Ben enjoys skateboarding and, like most Australians, surfing.
After marrying Riley, Ben obtained Permanent Resident Status in the US.
Appearance
Ben has brown hair and brown eyes. He is 6ft 3ins (1.9m) tall.
Net worth and salary
Ben’s net worth is estimated at over $1 million, as of late-2019, earned largely as a stuntman in films; his annual income depends on the work he gets in any one year – Ben’s experience and reputation suggests that it could be quite considerable.
