Benjamin Evan Ainsworth

Benjamin Evan Ainsworth
Born (2008-09-25) 25 September 2008 (age 16)
Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England[1]
OccupationActor
Years active2018–present

Benjamin Evan Ainsworth (born 25 September 2008[2]) is an English actor. He is known for portraying Miles in the Netflix series The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020), William in Disney’s Flora & Ulysses (2021), and the voice of Pinocchio in Disney's live-action remake.[3]

Biography

While growing up in the village of Lund, Ainsworth attended the Northern Lights Drama Theatre School in Hull.[2] At the age of ten, his first appearance on television was on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale in 2018,[4] and in the same year performed in a production of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert on board the Norwegian Epic cruise liner.[1]

Two years later, Ainsworth debuted in his first major production as Miles in the Netflix series The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020), a continuation of the series The Haunting of Hill House.[5] Ainsworth starred in the Disney film Flora & Ulysses, which was released on Disney+ in 2021.[6][7]

In 2022, he voiced the title character in the live-action remake of Disney's Pinocchio.

Ainsworth has one of the lead roles in the Canadian comedy series Son of a Critch. Set in Newfoundland, he plays the younger version of the main character and narrator, for which he received a Best Leading Performance in a Comedy Series nomination at the 12th Canadian Screen Awards. The show is entering its fourth season.

Filmography

Key
† Denotes works that have not yet been released
Film
Year Title Role Notes
2020 The Recycling Man Jacob
2021 Flora & Ulysses William Spiver
2022 Pinocchio Pinocchio (voice)
2023 All Fun and Games Jonah "Jo" Fletcher
TBA Everything's Going to Be Great[8] † Lester Smart
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2018 Emmerdale School boy Episode #8125
2020 The Haunting of Bly Manor Miles Wingrave Main role
2022–present Son of a Critch[9] Mark Critch Main role
2022 The Sandman Alex Burgess Episode: "Sleep of the Just"
2024 Maya the Bee Willy
2024 The Jungle Book: Mowgli Flying on a Broom Mowgli


References

  1. ^ a b "Meet Benjamin Ainsworth". The Hull Hub. 24 June 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  2. ^ a b Davidson, Trudi (17 April 2018). "Child actor Ben Ainsworth will appear on Emmerdale in cheeky schoolboy scene". Hull Live. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  3. ^ "Pinocchio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Cynthia Erivo in the cast: here are the roles (in Italian)". Sky Atlantic (Italian TV channel) (in Italian). 4 March 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  4. ^ "Local Theatre School Pupil To Appear In Emmerdale On ITV This Tuesday 17th April". Yorkshire Times. 17 April 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  5. ^ Breznican, Anthony (24 August 2020). "Viewer Beware: Here's Your First Look at The Haunting of Bly Manor". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on 26 August 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  6. ^ Trumbore, Dave (27 June 2019). "Disney+ Movie 'Flora & Ulysses' Starts Production; Cast Revealed". Collider. Archived from the original on 28 June 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  7. ^ Friedlander, Whitney (23 July 2020). "ALL UPCOMING DISNEY MOVIES: NEW DISNEY LIVE-ACTION, ANIMATION, PIXAR, MARVEL, 20TH CENTURY, AND SEARCHLIGHT". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 25 August 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  8. ^ "Bryab Cranston's Everything's Going to be Great drama filming in Toronto". Kemps Film and TV Production Services Handbook. 21 April 2023. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  9. ^ David, Greg (29 July 2021). "CBC and Lionsgate reunite with Andrew Barnsley and Project 10 for Mark Critch's original comedy Son of a Critch". TV, eh?. Retrieved 22 August 2021.