Ben McKenzie was born on the 12th September 1978, in Austin, Texas USA, of Dutch-Jewish, English, and Scottish descent. He is an actor, probably best known for his portrayals of Ryan Atwood in the TV series “The O.C.” (2003-2007), Ben Sherman in “Southland” (2009-2013), and currently the detective James Gordon in “Gotham” (2014- ). McKenzie has also appeared in several movies such as “Junebug” (2005) and “88 Minutes” (2007) – the roles in TV series’ during the 2000’s increased his net worth considerably. Ben has been an active member of the entertainment industry since 2002.
Have you ever wondered how rich Ben McKenzie is, as of mid-2016? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that McKenzie’s net worth is as high as $13 million, which has been mostly acquired by playing leading roles in a few TV series, but taking parts in several movies has also added to his net worth.
Ben McKenzie Net Worth $13 Million
Benjamin McKenzie Schenkkan is one of the three sons of Pieter Meade “Pete” Schenkkan, an attorney, and Frances Victory Schenkkan, a poet. McKenzie went to St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, middle school where he was friends with the future NFL star Drew Brees. Ben later attended Austin High School where he played American Football as a defensive back and wide receiver. He went to the University of Virginia from 1997 to 2001 and majored in economics and foreign affairs.
McKenzie’s career started in 2002 when he appeared in one episode of the TV series “The District”, and a year later he appeared in “JAG”. In 2003, McKenzie’s became famous for the role of Ryan Atwood in the FOX series “The O.C.” – he was a huge star with teenagers, and this breakthrough role made him well- recognized. McKenzie dramatically improved his net worth thanks to the series, as he earned between $15,000 and $25,000 per episode, appearing in 92 episodes from 2003 to 2007.
He had his debut on the big screen in 2005, in Phil Morrison’s comedy-drama “Junebug”, starring Amy Adams and Embeth Davidtz. In 2007, McKenzie was cast in Jon Avnet’s thriller “88 Minutes” starring Al Pacino, and in Dalton Trumbo’s anti-war drama “Johnny Got His Gun” in 2008. He also starred in the big role as Ben Sherman in TV series “Southland” (2009-2013), appearing in 42 episodes.
McKenzie later appeared in Steven Bernstein’s drama “Decoding Annie Parker” (2013), starring Samantha Morton, Helen Hunt, and Aaron Paul, then in Denis Hennelly’s “Goodbye World” (2013), and his most recent film was “Some Kind of Beautiful” in 2014, starring Pierce Brosnan, Jessica Alba, and Salma Hayek. McKenzie is currently portraying the detective James Gordon in a TV series “Gotham”; the show was launched in 2014.
Thanks to his talents, Ben received several prestigious nominations and awards, including the nomination for Teen Choice Award in categoryChoice Breakout TV Star – Male for his work in the TV series “The O.C”, and he also won the Bravo Otto Germany in the categoryBest Male TV Star, among many other awards.
Regarding his personal life, Ben McKenzie is in a relationship with girlfriend Morena Baccarin, and in 2015 announced thatshe was pregnant with Ben’s first child and planning to marry him. Their daughter was born in March 2016. McKenzie was a speaker at the Democratic National Convention in July 2004.
