Quick Info→
Age: 47 Years Wife: Taapsi Ramchandani Hometown: Columbia, Missouri, United States Of America
| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Profession(s) | • Actor • Photographer • Drummer • Author |
| Famous Role | Donze in the OTT series Saas, Bahu Aur Flamingo (2023) |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters– 183 cm in meters– 1.83 m in feet & inches– 6’ 0” |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Hair Colour | Brown |
| Career | |
| Debut | Film: And Then Came Summer (2000) as Kevin TV: Diagnosis Murder (2000) as Teamster |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 20 March 1976 (Saturday) |
| Age (as of 2023) | 47 Years |
| Birthplace | Columbia, Missouri, United States of America |
| Zodiac sign | Pisces |
| Nationality | American |
| Hometown | Columbia, Missouri, United States of America |
| School | Davis Senior High School, Davis, California |
| College/University | New Actors Work Shop, New York |
| Educational Qualification | Master of Fine Arts |
| Controversy | In 2023, Mark made accusation against the team of the film Devil. Mark revealed that the film’s team failed to fulfill payment. Mark claimed that he finished filming for the movie nine months ago and did not receive the payment. In an interview, he added,
I do not want to sound like a poor white guy, who complains about not getting paid. Everything was fine for the first few month,s but things changed while filming the last schedule. It has been 9 months since I completed my part but they haven’t paid me yet. I saw they used someone else’s voice for my character in the trailer, which is a clear violation of my contract.” The executive producer Mohit Rawlyani commented under Mark’s post on Instagram about the allegations and wrote, Your manager doesn’t seem to understand and is blackmailing us to pay extra for mental harassment.. seriously ?! Your payment has been cleared ..Now coming to the voice used .. can you please tell me if you can speak Telugu ?? How can you expect us to use your voice for English lines and someone else for Telugu lines ??” |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Marriage Date | 22 December 2013 |
| Family | |
| Wife/Spouse | Taapsi Ramchandani (CEO of Poocho) |
| Children | Daughter(s)– 2 • Yodhi • Yaari |
| Parents | Father– Kent (psychologist) Mother– Cynthia (educator/activist) |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Mark Bennington
- Mark Bennington is an American actor, photographer, drummer, and author who is known for playing the role of Donze in the OTT series Saas, Bahu Aur Flamingo (2023).
- Mark spent his childhood between Davis, California and the neighborhood of South Sacramento. When he was young, his only career goal was to be an actor. When he was a child, he aspired to become a ballet dancer and architect.
- He began his journey in New York City, attending the New Actor Workshop by Mike Nichols in Manhattan. After finishing his master’s degree, he relocated to Hollywood, where he took on roles in TV series like Star Trek: Voyager, Titans, and NYPD Blue.
- Additionally, he spent three years in the experimental theatre with Tony Award-winning director Diane Paulus’s ensemble, ‘Project 400’.
- He took part in various plays and played the role of Sir Trevor Nunn in ‘An Enemy of the People’ with Sir Ian McKellen, Paul Sills in ‘Ghost & Love Stories,’ ‘William Shakespeare’ in Marowitz’s play ‘Murdering Marlowe,’ Elyot in ‘Private Lives,’ Lomov in ‘A Marriage Proposal,’ Sebastian in ‘Twelfth Night,’ Howard Rudd in ‘Holy Ghosts’ and Bassino in ‘The Merchant of Venice.’
- He also worked as a theatre director and staged the first production of Elizabeth Logun’s ‘On My Knees’ and off-Broadway at Alice’s ‘Fourth Floor.’ He also directed Noel Coward’s “Mild Oats” in Los Angeles at The Classical Theater Lab.
- After being an actor for sometime, he found himself picking up a camera and venturing into photography. He not only started doing it but also developed a deep passion for photography, and it became a new career option for him. The shift to making a living through photography happened quickly for him.
- As a photographer, Mark’s work was published in The Atlantic, The Huffington Post, UpWorthy, CNN, PDN, GQ India, Varity, Verve, Man’s World, Forbes, Lucky, Self, Platform, The Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, The Wall Street Journal, Times of India, Virginia Quarterly Review, Boston Globe, and BuzzFeed.
- In 2010, he went to India for a photography project. During his time in India, his casting director friend, Shanoo Sharma, asked him to audition for an English character she was casting. Initially, he was hesitant but ended up getting a role in the movie “The Letters,” a biographical drama about Mother Teresa’s life.
- Later, his friend Dibakar Banerjee cast him in “Detective Byomkesh Bakshy.”
- Additionally, he took on an acting role in “Devika Rani: Goddess of the Silver Screen,” directed by Lillette Dubey.
- After that, he returned to the United States, focusing on photography full-time.
- In 2016, his photography project called America 2.0, focusing on Muslim youth in NYC, gained global recognition.
- He ranked among the ‘Top 10’ photographers for actor headshots in both Los Angeles and New York.
- Additionally, he served as an adjunct professor of photography at The S.I. Newhouse School of Media and Communication at Syracuse University. His photography was displayed in various locations worldwide, including Jerusalem, Rome, Tokyo, New York City, Hudson, San Francisco, Berlin, and London.
- In 2016, he wrote the photography book ‘Living the Dream: The Life of the ‘Bollywood’ Actor published by HarperCollins. In an interview, he said that the idea was sparked by David Alan Harvey, a Nat Geo photographer, who suggested he create a book about the acting community in LA. Although he started working on it, meeting people was challenging, and his other professional commitments kept him busy. Then, he thought about focusing on the acting community in Mumbai. The book emerged from a genuine curiosity about the lives of Bollywood actors. With the help of his friend Guneet, he got introduced to numerous people, meeting about 100 actors in 5 months. Since he wasn’t well-versed in Bollywood, he spent extensive time researching online, reading books, and watching two movies daily to immerse himself. He had a unique advantage of insider access and spent a lot of time with stars like Salman Khan and Dev Anand.
- In 2017, he came back to India for a book launch. During this visit, his friend Shruti was casting for the film “Parmanu” and insisted that he take a role.
- Following that, he secured three more film projects, a couple of web series, and a TV show – a total of about 11 projects in just two months. Realizing the potential for work in India, he decided to move here. His wife was also eager to return to complete her dissertation. So, he relocated to India and soon signed up for the film “Kesari” and the TV series “Chandrashekhar.”
- In 2019, Mark made a comeback to the theatre world after a 16-year hiatus. He directed ‘The Mumbai Terror Attacks’ by Jeff Goldberg at The Royal Opera House in Mumbai.
- He was a musician as well. His friend had a band called 50 Cent Haircut, and they needed a drummer. It was a highly popular band in Los Angeles, and he joined them on a full-time basis. They performed all over southern California, including venues like BB King’s, and within 5 years, they did more than 400 shows. During that period, his musical influences were mainly The Police and Led Zeppelin. However, in LA, there were numerous bands, with about 50 or more playing on any given night.
- He had a passion for interior design, and he worked on designing his friend Guneet Monga’s office.
- Switching accents for different projects was challenging for him, but in an interview, he said, that once he fully embraces a character, the accent naturally becomes a crucial part of his thinking process. In an interview, he said,
By the time I get in the room and we’re actually doing the scene, I don’t have to think about it at all. I can focus on the scene and be in the moment.”