Ben Bass (actor)
Ben Bass (born August 14, 1968[2]) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as officer/detective Sam Swarek on the Global police television series Rookie Blue, which also aired on ABC.
Ben Bass | |
|---|---|
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| Born | August 14, 1968[1] |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Spouse |
Laura Carswell (m. 2011) |
Life and career
At age 7, Bass moved with his family to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He speaks French fluently.
He started his television career by appearing in the show 21 Jump Street,[3] and started his stage career when he appeared in Angry Housewives.[4] He was nominated for a Jessie Richardson Theatre Award for best supporting actor in Angry Housewives. Also, he originated the stage role of the young Elvis Presley in Are You Lonesome Tonight at The Charlottetown Festival in Prince Edward Island.[4] Following that, he attended Theatre School at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris.[5] After returning to Canada, he appeared in television guest roles before becoming a regular cast member of the series Forever Knight as the 16th century Spanish vampire Javier Vachon.[3]
He also appeared at the Stratford (Ontario) Festival as Christian in Cyrano de Bergerac and as the lead in In the Ring and also appeared as Petruchio in Taming of the Shrew at the Atlantic Theatre Festival in Nova Scotia.
Bass then played a lead character in season 3 of TV show The Eleventh Hour[6] and was nominated for a Gemini Award for this role. He also starred in a TV miniseries Would Be Kings[7] for which he received a second Gemini nomination.[8] His next role as Sam Swarek in Rookie Blue[9] garnered nominations for a Canadian Screen Award in 2014 and 2016. His film career includes A Cool, Dry Place, Bride of Chucky, and The 6th Day.
Personal life
On June 14, 2011, he married[10] actress Laura Carswell.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 21 Jump Street | Leonard | 1 Episode |
| Street Legal | New Mel | 1 Episode | |
| 1989 | Bordertown | Trevor Andres | 2 episodes |
| 1992 | A Killer Among Friends | Steve | TV movie |
| 1995 | Forever Knight | Javier Vachon | 13 episodes |
| 1998 | A Cool, Dry Place | Placement Agent | |
| Bride of Chucky | Lieutenant Ellis | ||
| Scandalous Me: The Jacqueline Susann Story | Rex Reed | TV movie | |
| 1999 | Murder in a Small Town | Michael | TV movie |
| Beggars and Choosers | Brian Peske | 29 episodes | |
| Da Vinci's Inquest | Rick O'Malley (1999); Hardy's Lawyer (2001) | 2 episodes | |
| Bonanno: A Godfather's Story | TV movie[11] | ||
| The Hunger | Dave | 1 Episode | |
| 2000 | First Wave | Russ | 1 Episode |
| Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show | ND-3 Controller | 1 Episode | |
| Hollywood Off-Ramp | 1 Episode | ||
| Stargate SG-1 | Dr. Steven Rayner | 1 Episode | |
| The 6th Day | Bodyguard | ||
| Big Sound | Darryl | 8 episodes | |
| 2001 | Strange Frequency | Tom West | TV movie; Segment: Room Service |
| The Lone Gunmen | Josh Gillnitz | 1 Episode | |
| Night Visions | Paul | 1 Episode | |
| 2002 | Jeremiah | Rasmussen | 1 Episode |
| Monk | Gavin Lloyd | 2 episodes | |
| Tom Stone | Graham Pearson | 7 episodes | |
| 2003 | The Twilight Zone | Trevor Black | 1 Episode |
| Bliss | Marcus | 1 Episode | |
| Dead Like Me | Chris Freedman | 1 Episode | |
| 2004 | The Chris Isaak Show | Ben | 1 Episode |
| The Love Crimes of Gillian Guess | Peter Gill | TV movie[12] | |
| The Eleventh Hour | Henry Shelley | 13 episodes | |
| 2005 | Queer as Folk | Tad | 2 episodes |
| 2006 | Last Exit | David | TV movie |
| 2007 | Law & Order | Dr. Adam Vaughn | 1 Episode |
| 2008 | Would Be Kings | Jamie Collins | TV mini-series |
| Flashpoint | Harlan Geddes | 1 Episode | |
| Dream | Man | Short | |
| 2010 - 2015 | Rookie Blue | Officer/Detective Sam Swarek | Series Regular - Starring role |
| 2014 | The Good Sister | Jack | TV movie |
| 2015 | Love's Complicated | Cinco Dublin | TV movie |
| 2017 | Saving Hope | Doug Reid | 1 Episode |
| 2018 | The Detail | Marc Savage | |
| 2020 | Burden of Truth | Dr. Solomon Stone/Solomon Stafford | Recurring (season 3) |
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Work nominated | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Gemini Award | Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role | The Eleventh Hour | Nominated | [13] |
| 2008 | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series | Would Be Kings | Nominated | [8] | |
| 2014 | Canadian Screen Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role | Rookie Blue | Nominated | [14] |
| 2016 | Canadian Screen Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role | Rookie Blue | Nominated | [15] |
References
- Rose, Mike (14 August 2022). "Today's famous birthdays list for August 14, 2022 includes celebrities Steve Martin, Halle Berry". The Plain Dealer. Associated Press. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- Ben Bass' bio at www.northernstars.ca
- "Guess who's playing Gillian?: Vancouver actress Joely Collins gets role of famed juror" by Sorelle Saidman, The Province (20 Feb, 2004) [Final Edition] Retrieved from ProQuest 269357553
- "Paying tribute to the King" by John Mackie, Vancouver Sun (15 Aug, 1987) Retrieved from ProQuest 243743585
- "Bass is one happy Othello or a hotshot TV producer man" Toronto Star (17 Dec, 2004) Retrieved from ProQuest 438771338
- "Nominees for best dramatic series" at playbackonline.ca
- "Would Be Kings is gripping drama; Miniseries follows tale of two cops/cousins" by Alex Strachan, Montreal Gazette (27 Jan, 2008) [Final Edition] Retrieved from ProQuest 434589456
- "The Gemini nominees are . . ." Playback: Canada's Broadcast and Production Journal (29 Sept, 2008) Retrieved from ProQuest 196342946
- "‘Rookie Blue’ Eyes a Happily Ever After" by Amber Dowling at www.hollywoodreporter.com
- Keshaunta Moton (2011-06-26). "Rookie Blue Interview with Ben Bass: we interrupt this honeymoon". Archived from the original on 3 March 2013. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
- Bonanno: A Godfather’s Story review by Ray Richmond at variety.com
- The Love Crimes Of Gillian Guess review by Ken Eisner at variety.com
- "Eleventh Hour garners 15 Gemini nominations" by Alex Strachan, Star-Phoenix (12 Oct, 2005) Retrieved from ProQuest 348741118
- "Canadian Screen Awards — 2014 Nominees and Winners". Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Archived from the original on 2014-12-26.
- "2016 Canadian Screen Awards nominees: 'Rookie Blue,' 'Vikings,' 'Big Brother Canada' nominated".
- "Canadian Screen Awards — 2016 Nominees and Winners". Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Archived from the original on 2016-12-22.