Jump to content

Ben Ahlers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ben Ahlers
Born (1996-08-17) August 17, 1996 (age 28)
Fort Dodge, Iowa, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active2016–present

Ben Ahlers (born August 17, 1996) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Liam Kelly on the NBC drama series The Village (2019), John Trotter on the HBO historical drama series The Gilded Age (2022–present), and Burton on the HBO post-apocalyptic drama series The Last of Us (2025).

Early life and career

[edit]

Ahlers was born on August 17, 1996,[1][2] in Fort Dodge, Iowa. He began singing and acting in community theatre from 6-years old, landing his first role as an orphan in a local production of Oliver!.[3] After graduating as valedictorian from Fort Dodge Senior High School, he attended the University of Michigan, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theatre.[3]

In 2017, Ahlers starred in the short film Anna Garcia Does a One Woman Play. He then landed a small role on the NBC drama The Village, his first appearance on network television.[3] In 2020, he starred in the Quibi miniseries When the Streetlights Go On, playing the main role of Brad Kirchoff.[4][5][6] He also briefly appeared in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina playing Lucas Hunt, a love interest of the main character.[7]

In 2022, Ahlers was cast on the HBO series The Gilded Age, playing the role of footman and clockmaker John "Jack" Trotter.[8] Beginning as a recurring role, he was promoted to a series regular in the second season.[9][10][11][12] In preparation of the show's second season, Ahlers took watch-making classes with the Horological Society of New York.[13]

In 2025, Ahlers was cast in the second season of HBO series The Last of Us as Burton, a loyal soldier of the Seattle rebel militia group Washington Liberation Front (WLF).[14] Introduced during a flashback as a naïve rookie serving the government, he is recruited to the WLF by Jeffrey Wright's Isaac.[15][16]

Personal Life

[edit]

Outside of acting, Ahlers enjoys yoga and meditation;[17] he used to work as a personal trainer before his acting career became sustainable.[12]

He describes himself as a fan of directors Sean Baker, Chloé Zhao, Sam Mendes and Yorgos Lanthimos,[18] and says his favourite author is David Foster Wallace.[17]

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2017 Anna Garcia Does a One Woman Play Ben Short film
2019 Walk Off Ben Larson Short film; also associate producer
2023 Smago Charles Short film
2024 A Wonderful Way with Dragons Gray [19]
2025 12 Hours in the Life of Jason Bruckner Jason Bruckner Post-production

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2016–2019 The University Kyle Clark Episodes: "What We Know" (2016), "Measures of Protection" (2019) [20]
2019 The Village Liam Kelly 7 episodes
Instinct Boyd Carter Episode: "Big Splash"
2020 When the Streetlights Go On Brad Kirchoff Main role [5]
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Lucas Hunt Episode: "Chapter Thirty One: The Weird" [7]
2022–present The Gilded Age John "Jack" Trotter Main role (seasons 2 and 3); recurring (season 1) [8]
2025 The Last of Us Burton 2 Episodes ("Day One" and "Convergence") [14]

Stage

[edit]
Year Production Role Theater Ref.
2018 The Closet Jack O'Reilly Williamstown Theatre Festival [21]
2019 Good Boys Brandon Hardy Pasadena Playhouse [22]
2024 Tender Napalm Man Theaterlab, Off-Broadway [23]
2025 John Wilkes Booth: One Night Only! John Wilkes Booth Baltimore Center Stage [24]

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2024
 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Various[a] Nominated [25]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Ben Ahlers, Ashlie Atkinson, Christine Baranski, Denée Benton, Nicole Brydon Bloom, Michael Cerveris, Carrie Coon, Kelley Curran, Taissa Farmiga, David Furr, Jack Gilpin, Ward Horton, Louisa Jacobson, Simon Jones, Sullivan Jones, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Nathan Lane, Matilda Lawler, Robert Sean Leonard, Audra McDonald, Debra Monk, Donna Murphy, Kristine Nielsen, Cynthia Nixon, Kelli O'Hara, Patrick Page, Harry Richardson, Taylor Richardson, Blake Ritson, Jeremy Shamos, Douglas Sills, Morgan Spector, John Douglas Thompson, and Erin Wilhelmi

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Ahlers, Ben [@benahlers]; (August 17, 2022). "Another one down". Archived from the original on June 12, 2025. Retrieved June 12, 2025 – via Instagram.
  2. ^ Pratt, Eric (November 26, 2021). "NYC Marathon serves a purpose for Ahlers". The Messenger. Archived from the original on November 26, 2021. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Sparks, Alyssa (December 9, 2018). "Hometown Storyteller Making His Way on Stage and TV". The Messenger. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  4. ^ Porter, Rick (September 23, 2019). "Queen Latifah to Star in Quibi Drama 'When the Street Lights Go On' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
  5. ^ a b Foreman, Alison (April 6, 2020). "Quibi's 'When the Streetlights Go On' proves bite-sized drama can be satisfying". Mashable. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  6. ^ Reilly, Kaitlin (April 15, 2020). "The Killer Reveal In "When The Streetlights Go On" Is More Disturbing That You Might Think". Refinery29. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  7. ^ a b Bundel, Ani (December 31, 2020). "Here's What To Know About Sabrina's New Love Interest In 'CAOS' Part 4". Elite Daily. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  8. ^ a b Petski, Denise (December 10, 2020). "'The Gilded Age': HBO Adds Seven To Cast Of Julian Fellowes' Drama". Deadline. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  9. ^ O'Keefe, Meghan (December 7, 2023). "Who Invented the Alarm Clock on 'The Gilded Age'?". Decider. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  10. ^ Naas, Roberta (December 19, 2023). "The Horological Society of New York Takes Center Stage in HBO's The Gilded Age Season 2". ATimelyPerspective. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  11. ^ Fraser, Emma (December 7, 2023). "The 'Gilded Age' Alarm Clock Plot Is So Silly and So Perfect". The Daily Beast. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  12. ^ a b "Ben Ahlers | A Conversation with 'The Gilded Age' Actor". Flaunt. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  13. ^ "HSNY Featured in Season 2 of HBO's "The Gilded Age"". Horological Society of New York. December 18, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  14. ^ a b Vary, Adam B. (March 5, 2025). "'The Last of Us' Adds Joe Pantoliano, Alanna Ubach, Ben Ahlers and More for Season 2 (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  15. ^ O'Keefe, Meghan (May 4, 2025). "'The Last of Us' Reveals the Wolves' Brutal Origin Story (With the Help of a Josh Peck Cameo)". Decider. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  16. ^ Romano, Nick (May 4, 2025). "Who is Isaac on 'The Last of Us'? Jeffrey Wright's expanded origin story, explained". EW.com. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
  17. ^ a b MacDowell, Connor; MacDowell, Dylan (November 13, 2024). ""The Clock Twink" with Ben Ahlers". DRAMA. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
  18. ^ Lawson, Kate (January 11, 2024). "SHINY DREAMS". Behind The Blinds. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
  19. ^ B, Jayabhuvaneshwari (May 15, 2023). "M3GAN-fame Violet McGraw boards A Wonderful Way With Dragons". Cinema Express. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  20. ^ "The University: A Web Series". The University: A Web Series. May 6, 2025. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  21. ^ "The Closet | 2018". Williamstown Theatre Festival. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  22. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (July 8, 2019). "Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's 'Good Boys' Puts Blinding Spotlight On Toxic Masculinity: Review". Deadline. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
  23. ^ "Tender Napalm | November 27 – December 15, 2024". Theaterlab. November 2, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  24. ^ "Review | From the creator of 'Mad Men,' a thrilling new play about John Wilkes Booth". The Washington Post. May 28, 2025. Archived from the original on May 30, 2025. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
  25. ^ "Nominations Announced for the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards" (Press release). Screen Actors Guild. January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ben_Ahlers&oldid=1295264445"