José Ben Cura is an Argentine-born British actor, musician and director of film, television and theatre.

Early life

José Ben Cura was born in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

, the son of Argentine tenor/conductor

José Cura José Luis Victor Cura Gómez (born 5 December 1962) is an Argentine operatic tenor, conductor, director, scenographer and photographer known for intense and original interpretations of opera characters, notably ''Otello'' in Verdi’s ''Otello ...

. When he was a year old, he moved to

Santo Stefano Belbo Santo Stefano Belbo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located southeast of Turin and northeast of Cuneo. It is the birthplace of 20th century author Cesare Pavese. On its hill are a medieval ...

, Italy, where his father's grandfather was from. The family first lived in a convent while his father struggled to find work as an opera singer. He has two younger siblings, Yazmín and Nicolás. The family moved to France when he was six and then to Spain when he was 11. During this time, he frequently travelled with his parents around the world. Cura's first acting role came at age nine, as a

supernumerary Supernumerary means "exceeding the usual number". Supernumerary may also refer to: * Supernumerary actor, a performer in a film, television show, or stage production who has no role or purpose other than to appear in the background, more common ...

in a production of '' La Forza del Destino'' at the

Opéra de Marseille The Opéra de Marseille, known today as the Opéra Municipal, is an opera company located in Marseille, France. In 1685, the city was the second in France after Bordeaux to have an opera house, which was erected on a tennis court. However, the ...

, France. Whilst living in Paris, he received formal piano and solfège training. He subsequently attended the

New York Film Academy New York Film Academy – School of Film and Acting (NYFA) is a Private college, private For-profit higher education in the United States, for-profit film school and Drama school, acting school based in New York City, Los Angeles metropolitan ar ...

in Paris before eventually training and graduating from the

London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is a drama school located in Hammersmith, London. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest specialist drama school in the British Isles and a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools. In ...

in 2011 with a bachelor's degree with honours in professional acting.

Career

Cura made his film debut in a British independent film '' Comes a Bright Day'', appearing shortly after in

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...

's series ''

Threesome In human sexuality, a threesome is "a sexual interaction between three people whereby at least one engages in physical sexual behaviour with both the other individuals". While the term ''threesome'' typically refers to sexual activity involvin ...

'' and Bernard Rose's film '' The Devil's Violinist''. He made his West End debut playing Angel in the original cast of

Jennifer Saunders Jennifer Jane Saunders (born 6 July 1958) is an English actress, comedian, singer, and screenwriter. Saunders originally found attention in the 1980s, when she became a member of The Comic Strip after graduating from the Royal Central School ...

' musical ''

Viva Forever "Viva Forever" is a song by English girl group the Spice Girls from their second studio album, '' Spiceworld'' (1997). The song was co-written by the group with Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard, while production was handled by the latter two. ...

'' at the

Piccadilly Theatre The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at the junction of Denman Street and Sherwood Street, near Piccadilly Circus, in the City of Westminster, London. It opened in 1928. In its early years the theatre presented a wide range of ...

in London, UK. He was later cast as

Seve Ballesteros Severiano Ballesteros Sota (; 9 April 1957 – 7 May 2011) was a Spanish professional golfer, a World No. 1 who was one of the sport's leading figures from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. A member of a gifted golfing family, he won 90 inte ...

in British golf film ''Dream On''. Aged 24, he made his directorial debut with a film adaptation of

August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (; ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist, and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than 60 pla ...

's play ''Creditors''. for which he also wrote the screenplay and played one of the lead characters, Freddie Lynch. Later that year, he starred in the UK premiere of the award-winning American play ''

Next Fall ''Next Fall'' is a play written by Geoffrey Nauffts. The play is about two gay men in a committed relationship with a twist, with one, Luke, being devoutly religious and the other, Adam, an atheist. The play revolves around their five-year rela ...

'' at the

Southwark Playhouse Southwark Playhouse is a theatre in London with two venues, both located between Borough and Elephant and Castle tube stations. History The Southwark Playhouse Theatre Company was founded in 1993 by Juliet Alderdice and Tom Wilson. They ident ...

in London, UK. In April 2013, he co-founded London-based production company Tough Dance Ltd. with actress and producer

Andrea Deck Andrea Deck (born February 5, 1994) is an American film, television and theater actress. She trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. She is best known for her voice role as Amanda Ripley, daughter of Ellen Ripley, in '' Alien: ...

. The company's first production was award-winning feature film ''

Creditors A creditor or lender is a Party (law), party (e.g., person, organization, company, or government) that has a claim on the services of a second party. It is a person or institution to whom money is owed. The first party, in general, has provided ...

''. In 2015, he was cast in the US series '' The Royals'' as recurring character Holden. He later went on to star in British film '' White Island'' set in

Ibiza Ibiza (; ; ; #Names and pronunciation, see below) or Iviza is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is 150 kilometres (93 miles) from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of th ...

, and based on the novel ''A Bus Could Run You Over'' written by Colin Butts, alongside

Billy Zane William George Zane Jr. (born February 24, 1966) is an American actor. His breakthrough role was in the Australian film ''Dead Calm (film), Dead Calm'' (1989), a performance that earned him a nomination for the Chicago Film Critics Association, ...

and Billy Boyd. Cura's directorial debut, ''

'', world-premiered at the Nordic International Film Festival in New York City on 31 October 2015. The festival awarded it with an Honorable Mention in the Best Nordic Narrative Feature category. ''Latin Post'' film critic David Salazar called the film "A triumphant debut." ''Blazing Minds'' film critic Susanne Hodder said the actors "all give compelling performances, bringing their characters to life and giving them depth". ''Screen Relish'' film critic Stuie Greenfield said that "''Creditors'' is a beautiful, sometimes angry and surprising film that brings with it strong performances from the entire cast as well as an unexpected yet welcome twist", while ''Movie Marker'' film critic Darryl Griffiths said that "''Creditors'' is an incisive and accomplished piece of filmmaking .. possessing a rich, powerful psychology that instills an unnerving modern-day relevance to age-old material." ''Creditors'' received over ten awards from various film festivals, including Best Feature, Leading Actor, and Script/Writer for Cura. In 2016, Cura was cast as a series regular in ITV/

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

crime noir drama '' Marcella'' penned by ''

The Bridge The Bridge may refer to: Art, entertainment and media Art * ''The Bridge'' (sculpture), a 1997 sculpture in Atlanta, Georgia, US * Die Brücke (''The Bridge''), a group of German expressionist artists * ''The Bridge'' (M. C. Escher), a lithograph ...

'' writer Hans Rosenfeldt. The series premiered on UK television in April 2016, followed by a worldwide release on Netflix in July 2016. In 2017, he was cast in

Simon West Simon Alexander West (born 17 July 1961) is an English film director and producer. He has primarily worked in the action genre, most notably as the director of the films ''Con Air'', ''Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'', ''The Mechanic (2011 film), Th ...

's action/comedy feature film '' Gun Shy'' opposite

Antonio Banderas José Antonio Domínguez Bandera (born 10 August 1960), known professionally as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish actor. Known for his work in films of several genres, he has received numerous accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award ...

and

Olga Kurylenko Olga Kostyantynivna Kurylenko (born 14 November 1979) is a Ukrainian-born French actress. She rose to prominence by playing the Bond girl Camille Montes in the James Bond film '' Quantum of Solace'' (2008). Kurylenko began her career modellin ...

. Also in 2017, Cura was cast as CIA operative Philip Shafer in French historical war movie ''15 minutes de guerre'' (renamed '' L'Intervention''), directed by Fred Grivois. Later that year, he played the role of Steve in the screen adaptation of British stage play ''Life is a Gatecrash'', renamed '' Gatecrash'' and directed by Lawrence Gough, opposite

Olivia Bonamy Olivia Bonamy (born 21 September 1972) is a French actress. She is best known for her appearances in the films ''Jefferson in Paris'', Jacques Audiard's '' Read My Lips'', the thriller '' Ils'' and '' Le ciel, les oiseaux et ta mère''. Biograp ...

Anton Lesser Anton Lesser (born 14 February 1952) is a British actor. He is known for his roles as Qyburn in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones'', Harold Macmillan in ''The Crown'', Clement Attlee in '' A United Kingdom'', Chief Superintendent Bright in '' E ...

, and Sam West. In 2018, Cura guest-starred in season 2 of CBS's ''

Ransom Ransom refers to the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release. It also refers to the sum of money paid by the other party to secure a captive's freedom. When ransom means "payment", the word ...

'' and the first season of the TV series '' The Rook'', opposite

Olivia Munn Lisa Olivia Munn (born July 3, 1980) is an American actress. After an internship at a news station in Tulsa, she moved to Los Angeles where she began her professional career as a television host for the gaming network G4, and on the series '' ...

. In 2019, he was cast in Nicholas Wright's stage play ''8 Hotels'' directed by

Richard Eyre Sir Richard Charles Hastings Eyre (born 28 March 1943) is an English film, theatre, television and opera director. Eyre has received numerous accolades including three Laurence Olivier Awards as well as nominations for six BAFTA Awards and two ...

, world-premiering at the

Chichester Festival Theatre Chichester Festival Theatre is a theatre and Grade II* listed building situated in Oaklands Park in the city of Chichester, West Sussex, England. Designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, it was opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Mart ...

, playing the lead role of

José Ferrer José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón (January 8, 1912 – January 26, 1992) was a Puerto Ricans, Puerto Rican actor and director of stage, film and television. He was one of the most celebrated and esteemed Hispanic and Latino Americans, Hi ...

opposite Tory Kittles, Emma Paetz, and Pandora Colin, opening 7 August of that year to excellent reviews: "Joe, played masterfully by Ben Cura, is wonderful as the philanderer who can accept his wife's adultery but not her lover's flaunting of it"; "Jose Ferrer ..Ben Cura, who captures him very well, has a wonderful mutually mistrustful good-pals-act with the impressive Kittles"; "Ben Cura is excellent as Ferrer ..with charisma to spare"; "Ben Cura plays José Ferrer as a much disappointed jobbing actor ..playing Iago for peanuts opposite the better paid Robeson ..This Ferrer becomes increasingly jealous of Robeson and is convinced that his wife, Uta Hagen ..is having an affair with the charismatic Robeson (she is), which fills him with an angry cynicism that he can barely control with his erudite and scathing humour that cannot disguise his underlying lack of confidence. Cura's Ferrer is a brilliant creation: a brilliant Iago in fact." In 2021, Cura founded production company and music label W.I.P. Media. Later that year, Cura released his debut music single ''Water'' on streaming platforms, accompanied by an official music video on

VEVO Vevo LLC ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized in all caps until 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available ...

followed by second single ''Toutes Les Couleurs'' and its accompanying VEVO music video and a third single ''Argento'' alongside a third VEVO music video. On 30 July, he released his debut instrumental E.P. ''Extended Play No.1''. In 2022, Cura made his animation debut voicing Rayan in ''

Tad, the Lost Explorer and the Emerald Tablet ''Tad, the Lost Explorer and the Emerald Tablet'' () is a 2022 Spanish animated adventure comedy film directed by Enrique Gato and written by Josep Gatell and Manuel Burque. It is a follow-up to ''Tad, the Lost Explorer'' and '' Tad the Lost Expl ...

'' while guest starring in

HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...

and

Hulu Japan Hulu, known outside Japan as Hulu Japan, is a Japanese Subscription business model, subscription Streaming media, streaming service owned and operated by HJ Holdings, a subsidiary of Nippon Television, Nippon Television Network Corporation. Laun ...

's season 2 of '' The Head'' as Liam Ruddock, and starring in

BFI The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, d ...

and

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

short film ''My Eyes Are Up Here'' co-produced by his company W.I.P. Media, which premiered at the

London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival held in London, England, in collaboration with the British Film Institute. Founded in 1957, the festival runs for two weeks every October. In 2016, the British Film Institute, BFI estim ...

in 2022 and

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...

in 2023. He also saw his debut as a film composer, with his original score for feature film ''Among The Beasts'' which released that year in the US and other territories. Also that year, he appeared in '' Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story'' produced by

Shondaland Shondaland (stylized as ShondaLand from 2005 to 2016 and shondaland thereafter) is an American television production company founded by television writer and producer Shonda Rhimes. She founded it to be one of the production companies of her fir ...

and premiering on Netflix, in the recurring role of Prince Augustus. At the end of 2024 Cura appeared again as Liam Ruddock in Season 3 of '' The Head'' as a now recurring character throughout the entire season. Early in 2025, he guest starred in '' Outlander'' as Captain Jared Leckie in episode "Written In My Own Heart's Blood".

Personal life

Cura was married to actress

from 2013 until their divorce in 2015. He dated actress

, but they broke up just before the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Stage

*2012: ''

'' by

at the

London *2014: ''

'' by Geoffrey Nauffts at the

London *2019: ''8 Hotels'' by Nicholas Wright at the

Chichester

Voice work

*2012: ''Swimming with Piranhas'' Radio Documentary for

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

*2015: ''Credit Card Baby'' Radio Drama written by Annie Caulfield for

, directed by Mary Ward-Lowery *2019: ''Alien III'' audiobook by Audible *2020: ''Trafalgar'' Audiobook for Penguin and Audible *2020: ''Camino De Santiago'' Sleep story for Calm and Calm France *2022: ''The Limits to Growth'' Radio drama written by Sarah Woods for

, directed by Emma Harding *2023: ''Chronicle Of A Death Foretold'' Audiobook for Penguin and Audible *2023: ''Tomás Nevinson'' Audiobook for Penguin and AudibleTomás Nevinson Audiobook
/ref>

Discography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cura, Ben Living people Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art Argentine people of Italian descent British film directors British film producers British male film actors British male musicians British male screenwriters British male stage actors British people of Argentine descent British people of Italian descent Male actors from London Year of birth missing (living people)