Benjamin Mitchell (born 7 July 1979
Retrieved 23 October 2009. ), is a New Zealand actor best known for his role as TK Samuels, Dr. TK Samuels in the

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

Shortland Street ''Shortland Street'' is a New Zealand Prime time, prime-time soap opera centring on the fictitious Shortland Street Hospital. The show was first broadcast on TVNZ 2 on 25 May 1992 and is New Zealand's longest-running drama and soap opera, be ...

''.

Biography

Mitchell was born and raised in Hamilton. He is the oldest of three children, and left home at 15. He is of

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

descent, of

Tainui Tainui is a tribal waka (canoe), waka confederation of New Zealand Māori people, Māori iwi. The Tainui confederation comprises four principal related Māori iwi of the central North Island of New Zealand: Hauraki Māori, Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapo ...

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

(tribe). He attended secondary school at St John's College,

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. A personal trainer and winner of Mr. New Zealand in 1999, Mitchell moved to

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

in 2000 to pursue an acting career. His first role was as a reporter on ''

'' in 2000. This was followed by parts on shows including '' Power Rangers: Ninja Storm'' and '' Outrageous Fortune''. In 2006, Mitchell joined the cast of ''

'' as young doctor TK Samuels. Described as one of ''Shortland Streets "most recognisable faces," Mitchell has gained "great popularity throughout New Zealand, especially with female viewers." In 2007 Mitchell starred alongside

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...

actress Celina Jaitley in the film '' Love Has No Language'', a "big budget" New Zealand-

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n co-production released in 2008. He also appeared in the

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

New Zealand feature '' I'm Not Harry Jenson''. Mitchell speaks fluent Te Reo Māori, and lent his support to Māori Language Week campaigns in 2006 and 2008. Since 2023, Mitchell has worked in construction.

Personal life

Mitchll has three children with partner Kate - daughters Sofia and Mila, and son, Nico. In 2015 he was publicly shamed for parking in a disabled car parking space.

Filmography

*''

Father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. A biological fat ...

'' (1990) *'' Mr. Nice Guy'' (1997) *''

Reporter A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

'' (2000) *'' Stingers'' (TV series 2002) *''

Power Rangers Ninja Storm ''Power Rangers Ninja Storm'' is a television series and the eleventh season of the ''Power Rangers'' franchise, based on the 26th Super Sentai series '' Ninpu Sentai Hurricaneger''. The season marked a series of firsts in the franchise, being ...

'' (TV series 2003) *'' Outrageous Fortune'' (TV series 2005) *'' An Aggressive Gift'' (short 2008) *'' Love Has No Language'' (2008) *'' The Shoe Box'' (short 2009) *'' I'm Not Harry Jenson.'' (2009) *'' Curry Munchers'' (2011) *''

'' (TV series 2006–2023) *'' The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug'' (2013) *'' Pork Pie (film)'' (2017)

References

External links

Benjamin Mitchell profile - Official ''Shortland Street'' website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Benjamin 1979 births Living people New Zealand male Māori actors New Zealand male television actors Māori language revivalists People educated at St John's College, Hamilton People from Hamilton, New Zealand