# Ben Hardy (actor)
**Ben Hardy** (born Ben Jones, 1991) is an English actor known for playing [Peter Beale](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-beale) in the BBC soap opera *EastEnders*, the winged mutant Angel in *X-Men: Apocalypse* (2016), and Queen drummer Roger Taylor in the musical biopic *Bohemian Rhapsody* (2018).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5228887/) American audiences generally encountered him through the *X-Men* film, while British audiences knew him first from the soap.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ben-hardy/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birth name and year | Ben Jones, born 1991 in Bournemouth, England; grew up in Sherborne and attended The Gryphon School[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5228887/) |
| Training | BA (Honours) in Acting, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, graduated 2012[3](https://www.ben-hardy.net/) |
| Breakthrough role | Peter Beale in *EastEnders*, first appearance 7 June 2013, taking over from Thomas Law; left the show in 2015[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5228887/) • [4](https://eastenders.fandom.com/wiki/Ben_Hardy) |
| Film debut | Angel (Archangel) in *X-Men: Apocalypse* (2016)[5](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/interviews1/in-conversation-with-ben-hardy) |
| Best-known film role | Roger Taylor in *Bohemian Rhapsody* (2018)[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ben_hardy) |
| Recent work | Tony Spera in *The Conjuring: Last Rites* (2025)[7](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-conjuring-4-last-rites-film-review-2025) |
| Upcoming | Leading role of Daniel West in the Prime Video series *Stillwater*[8](https://www.ben-hardy.com/) |
## Early life and training
Hardy was born in [Bournemouth](https://www.edgepedia.org/bournemouth) in 1991 under the name Ben Jones and grew up in Sherborne, Dorset, where he attended The Gryphon School.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5228887/) • [4](https://eastenders.fandom.com/wiki/Ben_Hardy) He developed an interest in acting during secondary school, starring in a student film adaptation of *Far from the Madding Crowd*, and went on to graduate with honors from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama with a [Bachelor of Arts](https://www.edgepedia.org/bachelor-of-arts) in Acting in 2012.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ben-hardy/) • [3](https://www.ben-hardy.net/)
**Stage beginnings.** His professional start came in [Friedrich Dürrenmatt](https://www.edgepedia.org/friedrich-durrenmatt)'s *The Physicists* at the Donmar Warehouse, followed by the role of hotel staff member Arthur Wellesley in David Hare's play *The Judas Kiss* at London's Hampstead Theatre in 2012.[9](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/ben-hardy/47076/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5228887/) [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide)'s profile describes him starring with [Rupert Everett](https://www.edgepedia.org/rupert-everett) in a 2013 West End production of the same play.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ben-hardy/)
## EastEnders and the move to film
On 19 April 2013 it was announced that Hardy would play Peter Beale in *EastEnders*, taking over from [Thomas Law](https://www.edgepedia.org/thomas-law), who had played the character from 2006 to 2010; his first appearance aired on 7 June 2013.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5228887/) • [4](https://eastenders.fandom.com/wiki/Ben_Hardy) The role earned him nominations for "Best Newcomer" and "Sexiest Male" at the British Soap Awards.[9](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/ben-hardy/47076/) His departure was announced on 19 November 2014, and he left the series in February 2015 after nearly two years.[10](https://www.empireonline.com/people/ben-hardy/) • [4](https://eastenders.fandom.com/wiki/Ben_Hardy)
The departure was a direct move into Hollywood casting. In February 2015, while still appearing on the soap, Hardy was reported to have landed a key role in [Bryan Singer](https://www.edgepedia.org/bryan-singer)'s *X-Men: Apocalypse*, joining [Jennifer Lawrence](https://www.edgepedia.org/jennifer-lawrence), Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, and [Nicholas Hoult](https://www.edgepedia.org/nicholas-hoult).[11](https://time.com/3721565/ben-hardy-x-men-apocalypse-eastenders/) He played the winged mutant Angel, later Archangel. To achieve the right posture for a character who would be outfitted with large computer-generated wings, he practiced moving around with a ten-foot-long pole resting on his shoulders.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ben-hardy/)
## Film career
Hardy's film roles have ranged across genres. He played firefighter Wade Parker in the disaster film *Only the Brave* (2017), the 19th-century writer John Polidori in *[Mary Shelley](https://www.edgepedia.org/mary-shelley-film)* (2018), and Roger Taylor in *Bohemian Rhapsody* (2018), the Queen biopic.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ben_hardy) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ben-hardy/) Preparing for the drummer, he concentrated on Taylor's muscular playing style and has said he worked to give "an essence of Roger" rather than an impersonation; Roger Taylor served as a consultant on the film alongside [Brian May](https://www.edgepedia.org/brian-may).[12](https://files.supersite.aruba.it/media/18125_68b33c170a9dff4b6f3c76846eeeb4ef11ce8909.pdf)
Subsequent credits include Four in [Michael Bay](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-bay)'s Netflix action film *6 Underground* (2019), Frank McCullen in *Pixie* (2020), Seb in *The Voyeurs* (2021), Simon in the BBC series *The Girl Before* (2021), Oliver in *Love at First Sight* (2023), and Luke in *Unicorns* (2023), a cross-cultural romance about a single-father mechanic from Essex and a drag performer.[13](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/ben-hardy/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ben-hardy/) • [5](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/interviews1/in-conversation-with-ben-hardy) *Unicorns* premiered at the BFI Flare London LGBTQIA Film Festival and at TIFF and the Palm Springs Film Festivals, and earned Hardy a British Independent Film Award nomination.[8](https://www.ben-hardy.com/)
In 2025 he played Tony Spera, the fiancé of Judy Warren, in *The Conjuring: Last Rites*, the fourth main entry in the horror franchise.[7](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-conjuring-4-last-rites-film-review-2025) • [14](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2025-09-04/the-conjuring-last-rites-review-vera-farmiga-patrick-wilson-michael-chaves) On Rotten Tomatoes, his highest-rated film is *Only the Brave* at 87 percent and his lowest is *6 Underground* at 36 percent.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ben_hardy)
## Upcoming projects
Hardy has been cast in the leading role of Daniel West in *Stillwater*, a Prime Video horror-thriller series from Berlanti Productions, Warner Bros. Television, and [Skybound Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/skybound-entertainment) based on the Skybound graphic novel by Chip Zdarsky and Ramón K. Pérez, about an ex-con who discovers a small town where nothing ever ages and nobody ever gets out.[8](https://www.ben-hardy.com/) He is also in the [Agatha Christie](https://www.edgepedia.org/agatha-christie) film *Eleven Missing Days*, about the author's 1926 disappearance, and was announced as Francis Fry in *The Cadburys*, a BritBox drama series about the Cadbury family.[8](https://www.ben-hardy.com/) • [15](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5228887/news/)
## References
1. [Ben Hardy, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5228887/)
2. [Ben Hardy, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ben-hardy/)
3. [Who Is Ben Hardy?, The Ben Hardy Network](https://www.ben-hardy.net/)
4. [Ben Hardy, EastEnders Wiki (Fandom)](https://eastenders.fandom.com/wiki/Ben_Hardy)
5. [In Conversation with Ben Hardy, Numéro Netherlands](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/interviews1/in-conversation-with-ben-hardy)
6. [Ben Hardy Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ben_hardy)
7. [The Conjuring: Last Rites movie review, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-conjuring-4-last-rites-film-review-2025)
8. [Ben Hardy To Lead Prime Video's 'Stillwater' As Daniel West, The Ben Hardy Network](https://www.ben-hardy.com/)
9. [Ben Hardy biography and filmography, Tribute.ca](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/ben-hardy/47076/)
10. [Ben Hardy News & Biography, Empire Online](https://www.empireonline.com/people/ben-hardy/)
11. [British Actor Ben Hardy Has Landed a 'Key Role' in X-Men: Apocalypse, Time](https://time.com/3721565/ben-hardy-x-men-apocalypse-eastenders/)
12. [Bohemian Rhapsody press materials](https://files.supersite.aruba.it/media/18125_68b33c170a9dff4b6f3c76846eeeb4ef11ce8909.pdf)
13. [Ben Hardy, Independent Talent](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/ben-hardy/)
14. [The Conjuring: Last Rites review, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2025-09-04/the-conjuring-last-rites-review-vera-farmiga-patrick-wilson-michael-chaves)
15. [Ben Hardy News, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5228887/news/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Gw to H*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license