Ben McKenzie Height, Weight, Age, Body Statistics

Ben McKenzie is an American actor, theatre artist, voice actor, writer, and director known for playing Ryan Atwood in the Fox series The O.C., Ben Sherman in the crime drama series Southland, James Gordon in the Fox action crime drama series Gotham, Tom in the drama film Decoding Annie Parker, Dean Keller in the 2019 action thriller Line of Duty, Bruce Wayne/Batman in the animated superhero film Batman: Year One, and Nick Randworth in the apocalyptic film Goodbye World. Apart from that, he has been cast as Jim O’Connor in the Mark Taper Forum production of The Glass Menagerie in 2010 and as Ben in the Hayes Theater production of Grand Horizons in 2020.

Born Name

Benjamin McKenzie Schenkkan

Nick Name

Ben

Sun Sign

Virgo

Born Place

Austin, Texas, United States

Residence

New York, United States

Nationality

Education

Ben McKenzie got his middle-level education from the St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Austin. After that, he was enrolled at the Austin High School from where he graduated in 1997.

In 1997, he got admission to the University of Virginia and graduated in 2001 with a major in foreign affairs and economics.

Occupation

Actor, Theatre Artist, Voice Actor, Writer, Director

Family

• Father – Pieter Meade “Pete” Schenkkan (Attorney)
• Mother – Frances Victory Schenkkan (Poet)
• Siblings – Nate McKenzie (Younger Brother), Zack McKenzie (Younger Brother)
• Others – Robert Frederic “Bob” Schenkkan (Paternal Grandfather) (Former Professor at the University of Texas at Austin), Jean Gregory McKenzie (Paternal Grandmother), Thomas Edward Victory (Maternal Grandfather), Currie Esther Horton (Maternal Grandmother), Robert Schenkkan (Paternal Uncle) (Playwright)

Manager

He has been signed with –

• Management 360, Talent Management Company, Los Angeles, California, United States
• Viewpoint, Inc., Public Relations Agency, Beverly Hills, California, United States

Build

Athletic

Height

5 ft 8 in or 173 cm

Weight

76 kg or 167.5 lbs

Girlfriend / Spouse

Ben McKenzie has dated –

1. Emily VanCamp (2004) – Ben McKenzie was reported to be dating actress Emily VanCamp in 2004. Although their publicists shot down reports of dating, the images leaked by numerous tabloids showed them kissing and getting cozy after a late-night date.
2. Mischa Barton – In February 2024, during an interview, actress Mischa Barton revealed that she dated Ben during the shooting of The O.C.
3. Amanda Loncar (2006-2007) – In 2006, Ben hooked up with television actress Amanda Loncar. Unlike his earlier relationship, Ben made no effort to hide this one as they were regularly pictured out and about.
4. Shelley Hennig (2013) – Ben was spotted on a date with actress Shelley Hennig in September 2013. According to the reports, they had been set up by Paul Wesley and Phoebe Tonkin, who accompanied them for the double date.
5. Nina Dobrev (2014) – After the Entertainment Weekly party held during the Comic-Con event in 2014, Ben was pictured hugging Nina outside the party venue. After trying to evade reporters, they left in a single cab and were pictured getting comfortable in the back seat of the cab.
6. Morena Baccarin (2015-Present) – Ben McKenzie started dating his Gotham co-star Morena Baccarin in September 2015. It was alleged that Morena was married to her ex-husband Austin Chick during their affair. In fact, in her divorce papers, she declared that she was pregnant and planning to marry McKenzie. On March 2, 2016, Morena gave birth to a daughter Frances Laiz Setta Schenkkan. Two weeks later, her divorce from her ex-husband finally became official. In November 2016, they got officially engaged and tied the knot in June 2017. In December 2020, it was announced that the couple was expecting their 2nd child together. They welcomed their son, Arthur, in March 2021.

Race / Ethnicity

White

Ben McKenzie is of Dutch Jewish (Ashkenazi Jewish and Sephardi Jewish) and British Isles (English and Scottish) descent.

Hair Color

Light Brown

Eye Color

Blue

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

Prominent nose

Measurements

His body measurements may be –

• Chest – 44 in or 112 cm
• Arms / Biceps – 16 in or 41 cm
• Waist – 34 in or 86 cm

Best Known For

• Playing the role of Ryan Atwood in the hit TV series, The O.C.
• Portraying Ben Sherman in the Warner Bros crime series, Southland.

First Film

He made his film debut in the role of Johnny Johnsten in the comedy-drama film Junebug in 2005.

First TV Show

In 2002, Ben guest appeared in the CBS police drama series The District as Tim Ruskin.

Ben McKenzie Favorite Things

• Food – BBQ and Mexican food
• Yogurt Flavor – Coconut Yogurt
• Action Stars – Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen
• Batman Movie – Tim Burton’s Batman (1989)
• Travel Destination – Brazil
• Drink – Añejo tequila on ice
• Superhero – Batman
• Pie – Pecan Pie
• College Football Team – Texas Longhorns

Source – Reddit, US Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar

Ben McKenzie Facts

1. Ben uses his middle name, McKenzie for his professional work to avoid getting confused with actor Ben Shenkman. McKenzie was also his paternal grandmother’s middle name.
2. Ben McKenzie wanted to become a lawyer before starting his acting career. In between, he took several miscellaneous jobs including waiting tables in New York to keep himself afloat financially.
3. While growing up, he used to work in a choir in All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Austin.
4. While studying at Austin High School, he used to play football and used to line up with star quarterback Drew Brees and even played against him later.
5. McKenzie also holds the distinction of being the first actor to play Bruce Wayne / Batman and his ally Commissioner James Gordon.
6. In the early 2000s, he was ranked in the 5th position in the list of 100 sexiest men alive by the British newspaper Independent using online voting.
7. In July 2005, he was among people in the list of “10 Hottest Bachelors Of Summer” by InStyle.
8. When he auditioned for his breakthrough role in The O.C., he was selling tickets for a theater group called Center Theater Group in LA.
9. He is a big fan of the graffiti artist, Banksy and follows him on Twitter.
10. The first-ever concert he attended was the Paul Simon show.
11. From 2014 to 2019, he appeared as James Gordon in Gotham and this role got him nominated for the People’s Choice Award for “Favorite Actor In A New TV Series” and Teen Choice Award for “Choice TV Actor Drama”.
12. He co-starred as Dean Keller in the 2019 action thriller film, Line of Duty.