Benjamin Hollingsworth

Technical training in Ontario

Benjamin Hollingsworth graduated from the National Theatre School of Canada in 2006 with a diploma in hand and an ambition too big for his native Ontario. He knew theater was the foundation, but film paid the bills in an industry that rarely forgives a lack of determination.

His move to Toronto was the logical step before heading to Los Angeles. In 2007, he landed his first roles in Canadian TV series, where he learned to move in front of the camera without the theatrical overacting of the stage. Three years of nonstop auditions taught him that his classic leading-man look needed a touch of toughness to survive in Hollywood.

Hollywood doesn't give anything away.

In 2009, he starred in the series The Beautiful Life alongside Mischa Barton. The project was poised to be the next generation of teen dramas, but the CW canceled it after airing only two episodes. It was a hard blow that forced him to rethink his strategy at casting calls.

But film gave him a chance at redemption in 2010 with The Joneses. Sharing the screen with Demi Moore and David Duchovny taught him how hierarchies work on a big-budget set. That movie grossed seven million dollars and put his face on the radar of the most influential casting directors in California.

The gritty realism of the emergency room

His real professional breakthrough came in 2015 when he put on the scrubs of Mario Savetti in Code Black. For this role, Hollingsworth spent weeks in real emergency rooms watching how doctors handled stress and death. He didn't want to play a textbook doctor but a resident with ambition and real fears.

And the gamble paid off.

For three seasons, the actor was one of the pillars of CBS's medical drama. The shoot required 14-hour days and a level of technical precision with surgical instruments that few actors are willing to rehearse. So his reputation as a tireless worker began to spread through the hallways of the biggest production companies.

The pace was exhausting.

After the series ended in 2018, he decided it was time to step away from the sterile settings of hospitals. He looked for projects that would let him explore characters with more shadows and fewer moral certainties. Because Hollingsworth has always preferred inner conflict to the perfection of the traditional hero.

The cabin phenomenon

In 2019, he joined the cast of Virgin River to bring Dan Brady to life. What started as a supporting character with antagonist undertones gained weight thanks to the chemistry he projected on screen. Netflix audiences connected with this war veteran trying to find his place in a town that never quite trusts him.

In 2021, he balanced this success with the series Joe Pickett, where he played a hunter with a very particular ethical code. The shoot was tough, on outdoor locations, and reminded him of his Canadian roots and his ability to adapt to demanding physical environments. The series drew a massive audience on streaming platforms before it ended in 2023.

But his career isn't limited to the small screen. In 2019, he took part in Cold Pursuit under the direction of Hans Petter Moland, sharing action scenes with Liam Neeson. It was a stylish exercise that showed his look fits perfectly into neo-noir genre films with touches of icy humor.

Hollingsworth married Nila Myers in 2012, and since then he has kept his private life away from the tabloid headlines. He would rather talk about his flying hours on set than his family vacations. In 2024, production on the sixth season of Virgin River in Vancouver was hit with logistical delays due to extreme weather in British Columbia.