Mark Bennington is an American actor, photographer, drummer and writer, recognized for his role as Donze in the OTT series Saas, Bahu Aur Flamingo (2023).
Wiki/Biography
Mark Bennington was born on Saturday, March 20, 1976 in Davis, California (47 years old; as of 2023). His zodiac sign is Pisces. He attended Davis High School in Davis, California. In 1994, he studied for a Master of Fine Arts degree at New Actors Work Shop in New York. Mark spent his childhood in Davis, California, and the South Sacramento communities, where he became fascinated with acting after watching John Travolta’s “Saturday Night Fever” on television at the age of eight. Initially unsure if he wanted to be a dancer, actor or musician, he eventually realized his passion for acting and began participating in school plays.
Mark Bennington as a child
When he achieved his purpose of making a living, he committed himself to the serious pursuit of acting. At the age of 18, he enrolled in acting classes at the Mike Nichols New Actors Studio in Manhattan, New York, marking the beginning of his acting journey.
Mark Bennington during acting school
As a child, he also dreamed of becoming a ballet dancer and an architect.
appearance
Height (approximately): 6′0″
Hair color: brown
Eye color: black
family
Parents and siblings
Max’s father, Kent Bennington, is a psychologist. He died in 2019.
Mark Bennington and his father
His mother’s name was Cynthia Selby, an educator and activist.
Mark Bennington’s mother
wife and children
Mark married Poocho CEO Taapsi Ramchandani on December 21, 2013.
Mark Bennington wedding photos
Mark Bennington and his wife
They have two daughters, Yodhi and Yaari.
Mark Bennington and his daughter Eudi
Mark Bennington’s daughter Ari
Profession
musician
From October 2005 to November 2010, Mark joined the band 50 Cent Haircut as drummer. The Los Angeles-based band was extremely popular, playing over 400 shows at various venues throughout Southern California, including BB King’s. Mark’s musical inspiration during this period came mainly from The Police and Led Zeppelin. Although Los Angeles has a vibrant music scene with over 50 bands playing every night, Mark’s focus is his musical journey with 50 Cent Haircut.
Mark Bennington plays drums
theater
After completing acting courses, he began working as a theater artist for a while and participated in regional projects in France.
Mark Bennington in theater
He spent three years working on experimental theater, working with Tony Award-winning director Diane Paulus to form a theater company called Project 400. He has appeared in a number of plays and has played Sir Trevor Nunn in Enemy of the People with Sir Ian McKellen, Paul Hills in Ghosts and Love Stories, “William Shakespeare” in Lovitz’s play “The Murder of Marlowe”, Lomov in Elliott’s “Private Lives”, Lomov in “The Proposal”, Seba in “Twelfth Night” Stian, Howard Rudd in The Holy Spirit and Bassino in The Merchant of Venice.
Mark Bennington (right) and Sir Ian McKellen
He has worked as a theater director and produced Elizabeth Logan’s On My Knees and the Off-Broadway production of Alice’s Fourth Floor. He also directed Noel Coward’s Mild Oats at the Los Angeles Classical Theater Laboratory. In 2019, Mark returned to theater after a 16-year hiatus. He directed Jeff Goldberg’s play Bombay at the Royal Opera House in Mumbai.
television
After a long career in theater, he went to Los Angeles and hired a good agent and manager, which led to a decade in television. In 2000, he made his debut in the TV series “Diagnosis of Murder”, playing a truck driver.
TV series “Diagnosis of Murder” poster
While in Los Angeles, he appeared in TV series such as Titans (2000), Star Trek: Voyager (2001), VIP (2001), Charmed (2001), and NYPD Blue (2004).
Mark Bennington (left) in the TV series “Star Trek Voyager”
He made his Hindi television debut in 2018 with the show “Chandrashekhar”.
Poster of tv show chandrashekhar
He has also produced several other TV series including Karanjit Kaur – The Untold Story of Sunny Leone (2018-2019), The Family Man (2019), Bombay Beauty (2021), The Inner Edge (2021), Humans (2022), Rocket Boys (2023), and Sass, Bahu Aur Flamingo (2023).
Mark Bennington stars in the TV series “Saas, Bahu Aur Flamingo”
Movie
In 2000, Mark made his Hollywood debut with the movie “Summer Comes” and played the role of Kevin.
Movie “And Then Summer Came” poster
In 2010, he arrived in India on a photography mission. There, his casting director acquaintance Shanoo Sharma invited him to audition for an English-language role she was casting. Initially uncertain, he eventually landed a role in the film Letters (2014), a biographical drama depicting the life of Mother Teresa.
Mark Bennington in the movie “Letters”
After devoting himself to photography for 12-13 years, his friend Dibakar Banerjee contacted him in 2015 and invited him to star in the film Detective Byomkesh Bakshi. Initially hesitant due to his impending marriage and lack of interest in acting, he accepted a friend’s request to play the challenging role, which required speaking a lot of Hindi.
Mark Bennington in the movie “Detective Byomkesh Bakshi”
In 2017, he returned to India to attend a book launch. There, his friend Shruti, who was casting for the film Parmanu, urged him to accept a role. His Bollywood films include “Kesari” (2019), “Commando 3” (2019), “Bhangra Paa Le” (2020), “Angrezi Medium” (2020), “Not Out” (2022), ” RRR” (2022), “The Godfather” (2022), “Gandhi Godse Ek Yudh” (2023), The Devil (2023) and Captain Miller (2024).
Mark Bennington in the movie “Kesari”
He is scheduled to star in two more films in 2024, including “Indian 2” and “Heeramandi”.
photography
After ten years of acting, he was eager to do something new. In 2002, he discovered his late grandfather’s camera and lens and began taking photos of his friends. Impressed with his work, an agency provided him with a client, marking the beginning of his professional photography journey. Soon, photography became his new-found passion and he quickly transitioned into a new career. His photography projects have been published in The Atlantic, Huffington Post, UpWorthy, CNN, PDN, GQ India, Variety, Verve, Man’s World, Forbes, Lucky, Self, Platform, Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, Wall Street Daily News, Times of India, Virginia Quarterly Review, Boston Globe and BuzzFeed. After starring in the movie “Detective Byomkesh Bakshi” in 2015, he returned to the United States and focused entirely on photography. In 2016, his photography project “America 2.0” focused on Muslim youth in New York received worldwide acclaim.
He ranks among the “Top 10” photographers in Los Angeles and New York for actor headshots. His photography has been exhibited in many international venues, from Jerusalem and Rome to Tokyo, New York, Hudson, San Francisco, Berlin and London. In 2016, he authored the photography book “Living the Dream: Lives of ‘Bollywood’ Actors,” published by HarperCollins. The book was inspired by National Geographic photographer David Allen Harvey, who suggested he document the lives of actors in Los Angeles. Initially, he planned to focus on Hollywood, but during a trip to India in 2010, he shifted his project to capturing the lives of Bollywood actors in Mumbai. The book was written out of genuine curiosity about their lives and with the help of his friend Guneet he met around 100 actors in 5 months and worked with Salman Khan and Celebrities like Dev Anand spent considerable time together. In an interview, he said of the book:
I started this project in 2010 and shot most of the book over the course of seven months, which may seem confusing, but it just goes to show how much I love Guneet Monga and Shanu Intense work with help from Shanoo Sharma. Before I met Shanoo Sharma, I met 20 actors through Guneet and since then I have probably met 25 actors myself. When I went to Shanoo, I had about 45 pictures of different actors, which took place over the course of 6-7 months. These photos are interesting now because we can look back a few years and see where certain people were and where they are now. “
Mark Bennington poses with ‘Bollywood’ actors for ‘Living the Dream’
professor
From May 2014 to June 2015, he served as an adjunct professor of photography at the SI Newhouse School of Media and Communication at Syracuse University.
dispute
In 2023, Mark accused the team of the movie “Devils” of not paying him. He revealed that despite finishing the film nine months ago, he had not received payment. He added in the interview,
I don’t want to sound like a poor white guy complaining about not getting paid. Everything was fine for the first few months, but things changed while filming the last schedule. It’s been nine months since I finished my part and they haven’t paid me yet. I saw that they used someone else’s voice to replace my character in the trailer, which was a clear violation of my contract. “
Executive producer Mohit Rawlyani commented on Mark’s post about the allegations on Instagram, writing:
Your manager doesn’t seem to understand and is blackmailing us into paying for additional emotional harassment…seriously? ! Your payment has cleared.. Now start using voice.. Can you tell me if you speak Telugu? How can you expect us to use your voice for English lines and someone else’s for Telugu lines? ”
Facts/Trivia
- At the age of 33, when he began his photography journey, his interest in acting gradually faded, leading him to turn down roles that were offered to him.
- In 2018, after starring in the movie “Parmanu”, he took on three more movies, several web series and a TV series within two months, totaling about 11 projects. Recognizing the opportunities in India, he chose to move there with his wife, who also decided to complete her thesis in India.
- He loves interior design and helped design the office of his friend Guneet Monga.
- Changing accents for different projects was a challenge for him. However, he said in an interview that when he fully slips into a character, the accent seamlessly becomes an important part of his thought process. He said in an interview,
When I get into the room and actually start shooting the scene, I don’t have to think about it at all. I can focus on the scene and be in the moment. “
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education