Ben Hardy (born Ben Jones; 2 January 1991) is an English actor. A graduate of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, he began his professional career on stage before moving into television and film.
He made his film debut as Archangel in X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) and portrayed Queen drummer Roger Taylor in the biographical film Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) for which the cast received an Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. His other film roles include Only the Brave (2017), 6 Underground (2019), The Voyeurs (2021), Love At First Sight (2023) and The Conjuring: Last Rites. (2025)
On television, Hardy has appeared in the miniseries The Woman in White (2018) and The Girl Before (2021). Earlier in his career, he played Peter Beale in the BBC soap opera EastEnders (2013–2015).
Early life Hardy was born 2 January 1991 in Bournemouth, Dorset, and grew up in Sherborne. He attended Sherborne Abbey Primary School and the Gryphon School. As a student at Gryphon, Hardy starred as Sergeant Francis Troy in a school film adaptation of Far from the Madding Crowd.
Career Early Career In 2012, Hardy starred as Arthur Wellesley in the David Hare play The Judas Kiss, also featuring Rupert Everett. The production initially had a limited run at the Hampstead Theatre from September to October 2012 followed by a short tour to Bath, Richmond, Brighton and Cambridge before, after rave reviews, transferring to the West End's Duke of York's Theatre in January 2013.
On 19 April 2013, it was announced that Hardy would play Peter Beale in the long-running BBC soap opera EastEnders. He made his first appearance on 7 June 2013. On 19 November 2014, it was announced that Hardy would leave the series. He made his final appearance on 24 February 2015.
Film and Television (2016–present) Hardy made his film debut in Bryan Singer's superhero film X-Men: Apocalypse, released on 27 May 2016, co-starring as the winged mutant Archangel. He subsequently portrayed John William Polidori in Haifaa Al-Mansour's period romance film Mary Shelley and Granite Mountain Hotshots firefighter Wade Parker, who lost his life in the 2013 Yarnell Hill Fire, in Joseph Kosinski's action-drama Only the Brave. Both films were released in 2017.
In 2018, he played the lead role of Walter Hartright in the BBC adaptation of the Wilkie Collins novel The Woman in White. That year, he also portrayed Queen drummer Roger Taylor in the biographical film Bohemian Rhapsody. Hardy and the film's ensemble were nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Hardy next appeared in the Netflix action thriller film 6 Underground, directed by Michael Bay. The film was released on 13 December 2019. In 2020, he played Frank in the movie Pixie, alongside Olivia Cooke and Daryl McCormack, among others and directed by Barnaby Thompson.
In 2021, he starred opposite Sydney Sweeney in the Amazon Prime Video Thriller The Voyeurs and appeared in the HBO Max and BBC psychological thriller miniseries The Girl Before.
In 2023, he starred in the romantic comedy Love at First Sight, an adaptation of Jennifer E Smith's novel The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. The film topped Netflix's global English language film chart during each of its first two weeks of release.
That year, Hardy starred in the drama Unicorns, directed by Sally El Hosaini and James Krishna Floyd. Hardy portrayed Luke, a single father who begins a relationship with a British Indian drag performer. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Hardy and co-star Jason Patel were nominated for Best Joint Lead Performance at the British Independent Film Awards.
In 2025, Hardy portrayed Tony Spera in Michael Chaves' supernatural horror film The Conjuring: Last Rites, the ninth installment in The Conjuring Universe.
Filmography
+Key Denotes works that have not yet been released
Film Year Title Role Notes 2016 X-Men: Apocalypse Warren Worthington III / Archangel 2017 Mary Shelley John William Polidori Only the Brave Wade Parker 2018 Bohemian Rhapsody Roger Taylor 2019 6 Underground "Four" 2020 Pixie Frank 2021 The Voyeurs Seb2023 Unicorns Luke Love at First Sight Oliver 2025 The Conjuring: Last Rites Tony Spera TBA Filming
Television Year Title Role Notes 2012 Call the Midwife Reporter Uncredited; 1 episode 2013–2015 EastEnders Peter Beale Series regular; 192 episodes 2017 Drunk History King Arthur Episode: "King Arthur/Eric Liddell" 2018 The Woman in White Walter Hartright Miniseries; main role 2021 The Girl Before Simon Wakefield 2027 The Cadburys Francis Fry
Stage Year Title Role Notes 2012 The Judas Kiss Arthur Wellesley Hampstead Theatre and Duke of York's Theatre
Awards and nominations YearAwardCategoryNominee/workResult 2013Inside Soap AwardBest NewcomerEastEnders2014TV Choice AwardBest Soap ActorEastEnders2017Kids' Choice Award#SquadX-Men: Apocalypse2019Screen Actors Guild AwardOutstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion PictureBohemian Rhapsody2024British Independent Film AwardsBest Joint Lead PerformanceUnicornsNominated
References
External links