Benjamin McKenzie

255994Benjamin McKenzie Schenkkan, known as Benjamin McKenzie (born September 12, 1978) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for playing Ryan Atwood in the hit television series The O.C., which earned him many Teen Choice Award nominations. He appeared in the films 88 Minutes and Junebug, which earned him a Sarasota Film Festival nomination. His first starring role in a feature film was in the 2008 indie release Johnny Got His Gun which garnered excellent reviews for his solo performance. He currently stars in the NBC police drama series, Southland, in which he plays a police officer named Ben Sherman.
He got into acting during his first few years at the University of Virginia, and DGG-01877641685moved to Los Angeles in late 2001 to look for acting opportunities. While in New York he appeared off-Broadway in Life is a Dream at the SoHo Rep. Additionally, he performed in numerous productions at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, including Street Scene and The Blue Bird, and at the University of Virginia in Measure for Measure and Zoo Story. He then moved to Los Angeles, where he landed a lead role in The O.C.
McKenzie stays out of the limelight, preferring a private life to that of his OC co-stars. He stays active by playing football, the sport being one of his passions. He has also been a long-time Boston Red Sox fan.
He was also rumored to be dating Rachel McAdams, Zooey Deschanel, Arielle Kebbel, & OC co star Mischa Barton both parties denied. McKenzie was the third star of The O.C. to appear on Punk’d. He set up his co-star Adam Brody in 2004, and he appeared again on Punk’d in 2005, this time getting punk’d by Ashton Kutcher’s crew members.
In April 2008, he revealed on the The Ellen DeGeneres Show that in February of that year, he adopted an abandoned Pitbull, named Oscar, who had previously been used as a bait dog in dog-fighting. He named the dog after Oscar Madison from The Odd Couple, because the dog reminded him of an old man. McKenzie told Ellen DeGeneres that he later realized that naming a dog Oscar was one of the most pretentious things an actor could do.
benjamin-mckenzie-shirtlessDuring his sophomore year at the University of Virginia, McKenzie worked as an intern in the office of Austin congressman Lloyd Doggett.
During the 2004 Democratic National Convention, McKenzie gave a speech appealing to young Americans to go out and vote. He was also involved in the Rock the Vote movement in 2004, supporting Senator John F. Kerry.
During the 2008 Democratic primary season, he visited numerous college campuses such as The University of Texas at Austin with actress Kerry Washington endorsing Barack Obama and encouraging students to vote.
McKenzie has also volunteered with the Young Storytellers Program for the past few years. He also supports the charity Invisible Children Inc., which focuses on rescuing Ugandan child soldiers.
Benjamin McKenzie Naked Photos