Ben Bocko was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and grew up partially in New Mexico, and mostly in Massachusetts. His mother, Marcelle Louise Bocko (a world traveler, seasoned rancher, geologist, and retired teacher) almost named him "Evan," but remembered how good and strong of a man Lorne Greene's character was in Bonanza, so she went with "Ben" instead. His late father, James Franklin Andrews, was a dreamer, a sailor, finish carpenter, and former marijuana-peddling ex-convict. Ben's parents were never married and never lived together, but his father always kept in touch. Their combined heritage gives Ben a blend of Scottish, French, English, Polish, Native American, and a possible small percentage of Jamaican Native. Ben's love of storytelling began in kindergarten, when he saw the first graders on stage in full costumes from his favorite children's book, "Where The Wild Things Are." He was relentlessly determined to play one of the monsters the following year, so he set out to make his dream come true, and virtuously succeeded. Growing up, his mother was an incredible support and catalyst for his talents. She worked hard and provided Ben the freedom to take part in all types of activities, such as recreational sports, musical instruments, singing and dancing, horseback riding, skiing and snowboarding, surfing, and the fine arts. At the ripe age of 13, it was clear to him that acting and the fine arts were of most importance to him. Ben's serious acting roots began in his birthplace, at The New Hampshire Theatre Project, where he played numerous leading and supporting roles from both classical and contemporary plays. During High School, out of his fondness for fine arts grew an intense love of photography. He bought his first camera, taught himself how to use it, and then went on to study the art form at the Lesley University College of Art and Design (formerly The Art Institute of Boston). His work as a photographer geared towards documentary and street photography, and was most often focused on interpersonal and environmental relationships among people. This very much informed his acting as he continued to perform with Lesley's Shakespeare troupe, The Oxford Street Players, in such roles as Petruchio in Taming of the Shrew, Bassanio in The Merchant of Venice, King Ferdinand in Love's Labour's Lost, and King Edward in Richard III. Ben's first breakthrough in his photographic career was during the summer after his freshman year of college. Upon winning a contest for a free surfboard on Twitter, hosted by Pro Surfer Jamie O'Brien, the surfer's manager contacted Ben after noticing his portfolio website. He was then invited to join them at the 2009 US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach, California, where he would photograph Jamie's daily life. This adventure was meant to continue on to exotic locations such as Bali and Tahiti, however, Ben made a tough call and, believing it wiser to further his education, went back to school to finish what he had started. He received his BFA in Photography with a dual minor in Art History and Design in 2012. After a few years of freelancing and acting in numerous short films, he decided to further his training as an actor and moved to New York City in 2015. In 2017 he graduated from the intensive Tom Todoroff Conservatory, where he studied Acting, Writing, Directing, and Theatre & Film History under prestigious faculty such as Andrew Wade (RSC), Giles Foreman, Austin Pendleton, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Emily Bergl, and Jean-Claude van Itallie. Ben's Off-Broadway debut was in 2018 performing the intense role of a Slave Catcher and Salesman in The MAAFA Suite: A Healing Journey, directed by Lakai Worrell and presented at the St. Paul Community Baptist Church in East New York. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Ben Bocko
