RATNER, Benjamin

(Ben Ratner)

PERSONAL

Born in New Haven, CT.

Career: Actor, producer, director, and writer. Stand–up comedian; acting teacher in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; composer and lyricist; L. Kabong (recording artists), former bass player. Also known as Ben Ratner.

Awards, Honors: Gold Medal, British Columbia Games, boxing category, 1982; Canada's funniest new comedian finalist, Yuk Yuks, 1990 and 1991; grant from Directors Guild of Canada, 1993, for the short film Table Manners; Jessie Richardson Theatre Award, Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance, best supporting actor, 1995, for American Buffalo; Leo Award nomination, Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Foundation of British Columbia, best actor in a feature film, 1998, for Dirty; Audience Award, Palm Springs Film Festival, 1999, for Zachariah Farted; Leo Award nomination, best actor, c. 2001, for "Spike," Mysterious Ways; Film Can Award, best actor, 2001, Canadian Comedy Award nomination, "pretty funny male performance" in a film, and Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award, best Canadian actor, both 2002, and Leo Award nomination, all for Last Wedding; First Film Special Distinction, Montreal World Film Festival, 2003, for Moving Malcolm; Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award, best supporting actor in a Canadian film, 2003, for Looking for Leonard.

CREDITS

Film Appearances:

"Next nearest guy," Leaving Normal, Universal, 1992.

Fred, Tomcat: Dangerous Desires (also known as Dangerous Desires), California Home Video/VCL Communications, 1993.

Stan, From Pig to Oblivion, Pygmy Productions, 1993.

Table Manners (short film), 1993.

FX man, Magic in the Water (also known as Glenorky and Le lac magique), TriStar, 1995.

Agent, Midnight Heat, Libra Pictures International, 1996.

Cordero, White Tiger, Gail Force Films, 1996.

Danny, For a Few Lousy Dollars, Front Row Communications/Showcase Entertainment, 1996.

Deimos, Bounty Hunters, Dimension Films, 1996.

Ellis, Crash (also known as Breach of Trust and Dirty Money), Bad Boy Films, 1996.

Angelo, American Dragons (also known as Double Edge), Orion Home Video, 1998.

Brian Muir, Zachariah Farted, Jupiter Films, 1998.

Sergeant Orono, Wrongfully Accused (also known as Leslie Nielsen ist sehr verdaechtig, Sehr verdaechtig, and Unter falschem Verdacht), Warner Bros., 1998.

Tony, Dirty, Dirty Productions, 1998.

Wilkins, Firestorm, Twentieth Century–Fox, 1998.

Ben, The Rememberer, Cracked Pot Films, 1999.

Noah, Last Wedding, Velocity Home Entertainment, 2001.

Webber, Ignition (also known as Mise a feu), Saturn Home Entertainment, 2001.

A Shot in the Face, WestWind Pictures, 2001.

Rob, 19 Months, ThinkFilm, 2002.

Ted, Looking for Leonard (also known as Sweethearts of the World), Mongrel Media, 2002.

Ernie the manager, Long Life, Happiness, & Prosperity, 2002, subtitled version, Film Movement, 2004.

Alan, A Problem with Fear, Christal Films, 2003.

Gene Maxwell, Moving Malcolm, Mongrel Media, 2003.

McAllister, Agent Cody Banks (also known as L'agent Cody Banks), Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, 2003.

Officer, A Guy Thing, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, 2003.

Ralph Devito, See Grace Fly, Domino Film and Television International, 2003.

Wilson's dad, Good Boy!, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, 2003.

Also appeared in the short film Rock.

Film Work:

Coproducer, Table Manners (short film), 1993.

Producer and director, Moving Malcolm, Mongrel Media, 2003.

Coproducer of the short film Rock.

Television Appearances; Series:

Ollie, Kingdom Hospital (also known as Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital), ABC, 2004.

Television Appearances; Movies:

Dan Calder, A Kidnapping in the Family, ABC, 1996.

Handwriting expert, The Limbic Region, Showtime, 1996.

Harry Weinstock, An Unexpected Life, USA Network, 1996.

John Richmond, Fall into Darkness, NBC, 1996.

Levy, Mother Trucker: The Diana Kilmury Story (also known as Teamster), TNT, 1996.

Tony the coroner, Profile for Murder, HBO, 1996.

Cliff (some sources cite Stewart Ridgeway), The Alibi, ABC, 1997.

Paul Suarez, Indefensible: The Truth about Edward Brannigan (also known as A Father's Betrayal), CBS, 1997.

Rick Shaffer, Contagious (also known as Virus), USA Network, 1997.

Harry Weinstock, An Unexpected Life, USA Network, 1998.

Owen Kerr, Question of Privilege, Lifetime, 1999.

Joe Foley, The Stranger beside Me (also known as Ann Rule Presents: The Stranger beside Me), USA Network, 2003.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

"Cash and Money," Mom P. I., CBC, 1991.

Matt, "On the Road," Madison, Global Television, 1995.

Assistant medical examiner, "Switches," M.A.N.T.I.S., Fox, 1995.

Walker, "White Light Fever," The Outer Limits, Show-time and syndicated, 1995.

Rob Gold, "Trial Period," Strange Luck, Fox, 1995.

Willard, "Father Image: Parts 1 & 2," The Commish, ABC, 1995.

Bryce Korland, "Something Wicked," Highlander (also known as Highlander: The Series), syndicated, 1996.

Tommy Greenfeld, "Greatfellas," Sliders, Fox, 1996.

"The Tenement," Poltergeist: The Legacy, Showtime and syndicated, 1996.

Sneaks, "Blind Man's Bluff," The Sentinel, UPN, 1997.

Bianco, "Fear Itself," The Outer Limits, Showtime and syndicated, 1998.

Mr. Hernick, "Choose Me," Becker, CBS, 1999.

Walter, "Walter," Seven Days, UPN, 1999.

Wil DeLong, "Russian Roulette," Beggars and Choosers, Showtime, 2000.

Jerome Efron, "An Act of God," Da Vinci's Inquest, CBC, 2000.

"Bazooka Joe," Cover Me: Based on the True Life of an FBI Family (also known as Cover Me), USA Network, 2000.

Ashur, "The Good Squire," The Immortal, syndicated, 2001.

David Harold, "The Brink," Seven Days, UPN, 2001.

Gabriel Barnes, "Here There Be Monsters," The Dead Zone, USA Network, 2001.

Producer, "Wormhole X–Treme!," Stargate SG–1, Show-time and syndicated, 2001.

Ben Cameron, "Spike," Mysterious Ways, PAX TV, 2001.

Lafe Narz, "Dream Lover," The Twilight Zone, UPN, 2002.

Television Appearances; Pilots:

Moran, John Woo's Once a Thief (also known as John Woo's Violent Tradition, Once a Thief, and Les repentis), CTV and Fox, 1996.

Stage Appearances:

American Buffalo, c. 1995.

Appeared in a production of The Chalk Player; also performed in the solo shows Cherished and Forgotten and The Smell of Pokey Dying.

WRITINGS

Screenplays:

(With others) Table Manners (short film), 1993.

Moving Malcolm, Mongrel Media, 2003.

With others, wrote the short film Rock.

Stage Plays:

Author of the solo shows Cherished and Forgotten and The Smell of Pokey Dying.

Other:

Also the author of works of fiction and nonfiction.