# Luke Benward
**Luke Aaron Benward** (born 1995) is an American actor and singer who began his career as a child performer at age five and is known for [Disney Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/disney-channel) roles such as Charlie in *Minutemen* (2008), for the lead in *How to Eat Fried Worms* (2006), and for playing Bo in the Netflix film *Dumplin'* (2018)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0972851/) • [2](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/luke-benward/umc.cpc.2t4d9ogf84wivajwad4xfipqc). He has since moved into independent film and, starting in 2021, into directing and producing.[3](https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/on-the-verge-luke-benward)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Luke Aaron Benward[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0972851/) |
| Born | 1995, Franklin, Tennessee[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0972851/) |
| Film debut | *We Were Soldiers* (2002), as David Moore, Mel Gibson's character's son, at age five[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0972851/) |
| Breakout child role | Billy Forrester in *How to Eat Fried Worms* (2006); won a 2007 Young Artist Award for Best Young Ensemble in a Feature Film[4](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/luke-benward/bio/3000273296/) |
| Signature Disney roles | Charlie in *Minutemen* (2008), Ryan Dean in *Girl vs. Monster* (2012), Will Cloud in *Cloud 9* (2014), Beau on *Good Luck Charlie*[2](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/luke-benward/umc.cpc.2t4d9ogf84wivajwad4xfipqc) |
| Adult-era breakthrough | Bo in Netflix's *Dumplin'* (2018), opposite Danielle Macdonald and Jennifer Aniston[5](https://www.etonline.com/dumplin-star-luke-benward-on-monotonous-boyfriend-roles-and-to-all-the-boys-sequel-rumors-exclusive) |
| Behind the camera | Directorial debut with the short film *Boys* (2021), qualified for 2022 Academy Award consideration[3](https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/on-the-verge-luke-benward) |
| Music | Five-song EP *Let Your Love Out*, recorded while he was a young teen, supported by a 50-city tour[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0972851/) |
## Early life and family
Benward was born in [Franklin, Tennessee](https://www.edgepedia.org/franklin-tennessee), to Kenda Benward (née Wilkerson), an actress, acting coach, and CMT's first on-air personality, and Aaron Benward, a singer, songwriter, and award-winning producer who is part of the country duo Blue County[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0972851/). His grandfather Jeoffrey Benward was a [Contemporary Christian music](https://www.edgepedia.org/contemporary-christian-music) singer[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0972851/). He has two younger sisters, Gracie and Ella[6](https://disneychannel.fandom.com/wiki/Luke_Benward).
His mother took him along on her auditions, and he began appearing in commercials early, for brands including Nintendo, American Express, Hamburger Helper, and [McDonald's](https://www.edgepedia.org/mcdonalds)[4](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/luke-benward/bio/3000273296/). He grew up outside Nashville, attended public school, and did not move to Los Angeles permanently until 2012, when the family relocated during his freshman year of high school; he had moved there at 17 after acting remained an extracurricular activity built around football season[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0972851/) • [3](https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/on-the-verge-luke-benward).
## Child actor beginnings
**First role.** At age five, Benward was cast as David Moore, the son of [Mel Gibson](https://www.edgepedia.org/mel-gibson)'s character, in the [Vietnam War](https://www.edgepedia.org/vietnam-war) film *We Were Soldiers* (2002)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0972851/). He did not yet know how to read, so at the audition he recited the [Pledge of Allegiance](https://www.edgepedia.org/pledge-of-allegiance) and his kindergarten citizenship pledge, which landed him the part[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0972851/). The movie was shot at Fort Benning in Georgia, and he later recalled going through the military base's boot camp course as his first memory of acting[7](https://www.theitalianreve.com/interview-with-luke-benward-on-dumplin-and-the-honesty-of-its-script).
In 2002 he also appeared in country singer [Martina McBride](https://www.edgepedia.org/martina-mcbride)'s music video "Concrete Angel" as the child angel who helps an abused girl; the video was nominated for a Grammy and won Female Video of the Year at the CMT Flameworthy Awards in 2003[5](https://www.etonline.com/dumplin-star-luke-benward-on-monotonous-boyfriend-roles-and-to-all-the-boys-sequel-rumors-exclusive) • [8](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=16530).
At age eight he was cast as Stevie Dewberry, one of two brothers who torment the lead character, in *Because of Winn-Dixie* (2005)[9](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/luke-benward/16033/). He won the role after auditioning with a toothpick in his mouth, a choice that set him apart from hundreds of other boys; director Wayne Wang liked it and kept it in the film[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0972851/). The toothpick later became a signature he carried into his *Dumplin'* character as well[10](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/dumplin-luke-benward-disney-channel-bo-lollipop-noah-centineo).
**Lead role at 11.** After auditioning for a bully part in [Walden Media](https://www.edgepedia.org/walden-media)'s *How to Eat Fried Worms* (2006), he was called back for the lead, Billy Forrester, and won it[9](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/luke-benward/16033/). The role, which had his character choking down ten worms, earned him a Young Artist Award for Best Young Ensemble in a Feature Film in 2007[4](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/luke-benward/bio/3000273296/) • [8](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=16530).
## Disney Channel years
Disney Channel became Benward's main platform in 2008 with the made-for-TV movie *Minutemen*, in which he played the brainy Charlie Tuttle, who invents a time machine that travels 48 hours into the past[8](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=16530). He went after the role against his agent's initial advice that casting did not see him as nerdy, slicked his hair back, and adjusted his voice for the audition[10](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/dumplin-luke-benward-disney-channel-bo-lollipop-noah-centineo). The visibility from *Minutemen* led to years of work with the network[11](https://fametown.com/en/celebrity/luke-benward/).
His Disney credits grew to include Ryan Dean, an aspiring rockstar in the band The Backbeats, in *Girl vs. Monster* (2012) opposite [Olivia Holt](https://www.edgepedia.org/olivia-holt), and the lead as Will Cloud in the snowboarding movie *Cloud 9* (2014) opposite [Dove Cameron](https://www.edgepedia.org/dove-cameron), which featured the single "Cloud 9" performed by Benward and Cameron[2](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/luke-benward/umc.cpc.2t4d9ogf84wivajwad4xfipqc) • [12](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/dumplin-star-luke-benward-previously-starred-disney-channel-originals). On the series side, he recurred as Beau, Teddy's boyfriend, on the final season of *Good Luck Charlie* (2013), reuniting with his *Minutemen* co-star [Jason Dolley](https://www.edgepedia.org/jason-dolley), and played Dillon in the *Pretty Little Liars* spin-off *Ravenswood* (2013–14)[2](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/luke-benward/umc.cpc.2t4d9ogf84wivajwad4xfipqc). He has described Disney as "a safe place" that gave him room to grow his craft as a young performer[10](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/dumplin-luke-benward-disney-channel-bo-lollipop-noah-centineo).
Outside Disney, his early 2010s work included his first dramatic feature role, the autistic teenager Alan in [Lasse Hallström](https://www.edgepedia.org/lasse-hallstrom)'s *Dear John* (2010), son to [Henry Thomas](https://www.edgepedia.org/henry-thomas)'s character, and the Civil War film *Field of Lost Shoes* (2014) with [Jason Isaacs](https://www.edgepedia.org/jason-isaacs) and Tom Skerritt[8](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=16530) • [9](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/luke-benward/16033/). A pilot he describes as a defining moment was Amazon's Civil War-era *Point of Honor* (2015), directed by Randall Wallace, in which he played the black sheep of a Virginia family; the pilot was not picked up, one of five unproduced pilots in his career[3](https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/on-the-verge-luke-benward).
## Transition to adult roles: Dumplin' and beyond
In 2018 Benward appeared in three films. In *Life of the Party*, directed by Ben Falcone, he played Jack, a college student who becomes romantically involved with Melissa McCarthy's character; he has called its set the most harmonious and creative he had worked on[13](https://brieftake.com/interview-life-of-the-party-luke-benward/). In *Measure of a Man* he played Pete Marino, and in *Dumplin'* he played Bo[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0972851/).
*Dumplin'*, a Netflix adaptation of Julie Murphy's best-selling young adult novel directed by Anne Fletcher, cast him as Bo Larson, a fry cook and the love interest of Willowdean Dickson (Danielle Macdonald)[10](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/dumplin-luke-benward-disney-channel-bo-lollipop-noah-centineo). Bo's lollipop came from the book, described down to the tint of red on his lips, and Benward brought a Dum Dum sucker to his meeting with Fletcher[10](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/dumplin-luke-benward-disney-channel-bo-lollipop-noah-centineo). The film's December 2018 release earned him wide attention as a Netflix romantic lead, with press dubbing him the newest "King of the Netflix Boyfriends"[10](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/dumplin-luke-benward-disney-channel-bo-lollipop-noah-centineo). He has said he deliberately sought a love interest with more dimension than what he called the "monotonous" boyfriend parts he had been playing[5](https://www.etonline.com/dumplin-star-luke-benward-on-monotonous-boyfriend-roles-and-to-all-the-boys-sequel-rumors-exclusive).
**Independent films.** The three indie roles he shot around that period spanned genres: Buddy in the thriller *Grand Isle* (2019) with Nicolas Cage, an imprisoned soldier named Luke in *Wildcat* (2021) written and directed by Jonathan W. Stokes, and Micah, one half of a brother-sister con artist duo, in *Playing God* (2021) with Alan Tudyk and Michael McKean[5](https://www.etonline.com/dumplin-star-luke-benward-on-monotonous-boyfriend-roles-and-to-all-the-boys-sequel-rumors-exclusive) • [14](https://courageousnerd.com/2021/04/19/luke-benward-on-wildcat-and-child-star-background-exclusive-interview/). He has described independent filmmaking as allowing "true, unadulterated expression" compared with commercial studio work, and has said he is working to produce indie films himself[15](https://pop-culturalist.com/exclusive-interview-pop-culturalist-chats-with-wildcats-luke-benward/amp/).
## Directing and producing
During the pandemic Benward made his directorial debut with the short film *Boys*, written by David Mandell, whom he had met while acting in a pilot[3](https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/on-the-verge-luke-benward). The film follows two boys playing in the desert before events take a dark turn, and it addresses guns and the tragedies that result when children can access them; it was qualified for consideration for a 2022 Academy Award[3](https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/on-the-verge-luke-benward). It stars Cameron Crovetti of *Big Little Lies* and August Maturo of *Girl Meets World*, whom Benward had worked with as a child and recruited by letter[3](https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/on-the-verge-luke-benward). Actress Ariel Winter, his producing partner on the project, served as a first-time producer on *Boys*[16](https://brieftake.com/video-interview-boys-luke-benward-ariel-winter/). He continued producing with *Don't Log Off* (2025), in which he also acted[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0972851/).
## Music
Music runs through Benward's career alongside acting. As a young teen he recorded the five-song EP *Let Your Love Out* and supported it with fall and spring tours totaling 50 cities[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0972851/); sources place the EP's release in either 2008[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0972851/) or 2009[4](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/luke-benward/bio/3000273296/). He performed on the iShine tour in 2008 and studied dance for four years with hip hop choreographer Nick Bass[6](https://disneychannel.fandom.com/wiki/Luke_Benward) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0972851/). He has also performed on screen, contributing to the soundtrack of *Cloud 9*[17](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/luke-benward/credits/3000273296/).
## References
1. [Luke Benward – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0972851/)
2. [Luke Benward Movies and Shows – Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/luke-benward/umc.cpc.2t4d9ogf84wivajwad4xfipqc)
3. [On the Verge: Luke Benward – Casting Networks](https://www.castingnetworks.com/news/on-the-verge-luke-benward)
4. [Luke Benward Biography – TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/luke-benward/bio/3000273296/)
5. ["Dumplin'" Star Luke Benward on 'Monotonous' Boyfriend Roles – Entertainment Tonight](https://www.etonline.com/dumplin-star-luke-benward-on-monotonous-boyfriend-roles-and-to-all-the-boys-sequel-rumors-exclusive)
6. [Luke Benward – Disney Channel Wiki](https://disneychannel.fandom.com/wiki/Luke_Benward)
7. [Interview with Luke Benward: On Dumplin' – The Italian Rêve](https://www.theitalianreve.com/interview-with-luke-benward-on-dumplin-and-the-honesty-of-its-script)
8. [Luke Benward – TVSA](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=16530)
9. [Luke Benward Biography – Tribute.ca](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/luke-benward/16033/)
10. ["Dumplin'" Star Luke Benward on His Disney Channel Days, Bo's Lollipop, and How Much He "Loves" Noah Centineo | Teen Vogue](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/dumplin-luke-benward-disney-channel-bo-lollipop-noah-centineo)
11. [Luke Benward – Fametown](https://fametown.com/en/celebrity/luke-benward/)
12. ["Dumplin" Star Luke Benward Previously Starred in a Bunch of Disney Channel Originals – Teen Vogue](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/dumplin-star-luke-benward-previously-starred-disney-channel-originals)
13. [Interview: Life of the Party's Luke Benward – Brief Take](https://brieftake.com/interview-life-of-the-party-luke-benward/)
14. [Luke Benward on 'Wildcat' and child star background – Courageous Nerd](https://courageousnerd.com/2021/04/19/luke-benward-on-wildcat-and-child-star-background-exclusive-interview/)
15. [Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Wildcat's Luke Benward](https://pop-culturalist.com/exclusive-interview-pop-culturalist-chats-with-wildcats-luke-benward/amp/)
16. [Interview: Boys' Luke Benward and Ariel Winter – Brief Take](https://brieftake.com/video-interview-boys-luke-benward-ariel-winter/)
17. [Luke Benward List of Movies and TV Shows – TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/luke-benward/credits/3000273296/)
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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 › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Be to Bl*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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