Ben Schnetzer


Ben Schnetzer is an American actor. He was nominated for two British Independent Film Awards for his performance in the film Pride. His other films include The Book Thief, The Riot Club, and The Grizzlies.

Early life

Schnetzer is the son of actor Stephen Schnetzer, whose father had German, Irish, and Algerian ancestry, and actress Nancy Snyder. He graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.

Career

In 2010, Schnetzer appeared in an episode of Law & Order, the longest-running live-action scripted American primetime series and had a supporting role in the ABC series Happy Town.
As he began appearing in British films, Schnetzer was praised for his "superb mastery of accents". During his final year at Guildhall, he landed the role of Max Vandenburg in the film adaptation of The Book Thief. The following year, he starred as activist Mark Ashton in the historical film Pride, for which he received critical acclaim and two BIFA nominations. That same year, he played British-Greek Oxford University student Dimitri Mitropoulos in The Riot Club.
Schnetzer starred as Brad Land alongside Nick Jonas in Goat, a 2016 film about college hazing. That same year, he starred as Ross in Punk's Dead as well as appearing in Warcraft and Snowden. He played British-Kenyan journalist Dan Eldon in the biopic The Journey Is the Destination.
Schnetzer returned to television in 2018 with a role as Marcus Goldman in the Epix miniseries adaptation of Joël Dicker's The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair. He made his Broadway debut in The Nap at Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. He had film roles in Entebbe, The Grizzlies, The Death & Life of John F. Donovan, and Saint Judy in 2018 as well as The Giant in 2019. Nell Meadow of RogerEbert.com called Schnetzer's performances "exceptional" in a 2020 review of The Grizzlies and praised ability to disappear into his roles in The Book Thief, Snowden, and Pride.
In 2020, Schnetzer was cast as protagonist Yorick Brown in the 2021 FX on Hulu adaptation of the post-apocalyptic comic Y: The Last Man. In 2024, he played the role of young Mike Evans in the Netflix science fiction series 3 Body Problem.
In September 2022, Schnetzer played Eli in the European premiere of Eureka Day at The Old Vic in London.

Personal life

Schnetzer is in a relationship with Kate Hewitt, a theatre and television director from Newcastle upon Tyne. The couple have a daughter and a son.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2007Ben's PlanBen Stephens
2013The Book ThiefMax Vandenburg
2014PrideMark Ashton
2014The Riot ClubDimitri Mitropoulos
2016GoatBrad Land
2016Punk's DeadRoss
2016WarcraftKhadgar
2016SnowdenGabriel Sol
2016The Journey Is the DestinationDan Eldon
2018EntebbeZeev Hirsch
2018The GrizzliesRuss Sheppard
2018The Death & Life of John F. DonovanRupert Turner
2018Saint JudyParker
2019The GiantJoe
2025SwipedSean Rad
2025The Yellow TieSergiu Celibidache

Television

Stage

Awards and nominations