Luke Benward Biography, Family Life, Movies and TV Shows

Quick Facts

Young, energetic, and a little unorthodox, actor and singer Luke Benward hit the ground running early in his life – at the age of five before he could even read. Luke has rich entertainment genes having come from a long line of entertainers. His first acting role saw him work with the famous ‘s in his 2002 movie We Were Soldiers.

He has also appeared in other television films and movies like How to Eat Fried Worms (2006); Dear John (2010); Cloud 9 (2014); and Life of the Party (2018). He has also appeared in music videos for the likes of Martina McBride and The Girl and the Dreamcatcher.

Luke Benward’s Biography

Luke Aaron Benward was born on May 12, 1995, in Franklin, Tennessee. Growing up, he developed a flair for all things entertainment, thanks to his heritage of singers and actors that dated back to his great-grandfather. In 2000, Luke tried out for the role of David Moore in Mel Gibson’s movie We Were Soldiers. At the time he couldn’t read, however, he stole the hearts of the audition organizers with the way he belted out the pledge of allegiance. That singular move was what landed him the role in the movie which was released in 2002.

Movies and TV shows

Not long after, in 2005, he was cast as Stevie Dewberry in the movie Because of Winn-Dixie. His audition performance was remarkable partly because of his appearance, as he had opted to audition with a toothpick in his mouth. A year later, he also played the lead character William Forrester in How to Eat Fried Worms.

By this time, William wasn’t yet entirely sure what he wanted to do with his life. It wasn’t until he was in his first year of high school that he realized the enormity of the gift he had. He then decided that acting was going to be his life’s work. His decision, among other reasons, prompted Luke and his family to later relocate to Los Angeles in 2012 when he was 17 years old. Before relocation, however, Luke Benward had been cast in movies like Mostly Ghostly (2008) as Nicky Roland, Dog Gone (2008) as Owen, and Dear John (2010) as 14-year-old Alan Wheddon.

Benward has made guest appearances on television series such as Disney’s Minute Men (2008), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2015), Girl vs Monster (2012), R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour (2014), and Girl Meets World (2016). He has also had recurring roles on Nickelodeon’s See Dad Run (2012-2013), Disney’s Good Luck Charlie (2013), Ravenswood (2013-2014), and Still The King (2017), including a starring role as William Cloud on the 2014 romance television film Cloud 9.

Music Portfolio and Other Endeavors

Luke Benward’s first music appearance came in 2002 when he appeared in the music video for Martina McBride’s Concrete Angel. In 2016, he was also in the music video for Make You Stay by The Girl and the Dreamcatcher. Luke Benward released his first music project, a five-track EP on January 5, 2009. It was titled Let Your Love Out and after release, he embarked on a massive 50-city tour for the album.

His Let Your Love Out project was released by In Crowd Productions, from where he would later move on to Shine Records. For a brief time, Benward also worked and toured with the Christian group iShine LIVE. 

To complement his musical talent, Luke Benward sat under the tutelage of Nick Bass, a renowned hip-hop choreographer who had worked with the likes of , , , and . The actor honed his dancing skills for four years with Bass.

Luke’s commercial credits are envious, to say the least. Over the years, the actor from Tennessee has appeared in commercials for the likes of Willie Wonka, Nintendo, Hamburger Helper, American Express, and McDonald’s.

Family Life

The young actor got each of his parents genes and talents as well. His mother Kenda Benward is an actress, acting coach, model, and on-air personality. His father, Aaron Benward is a songwriter, producer and country musician and makes up one half of the country music duo known as Blue County. Luke’s grandfather and great-grandfather were musicians too. The former, Jeoffrey Benward belonged to the Contemporary Christian music genre.

As a kid, Aaron used to tag along with his mother, Kenda, whenever she went to try out at auditions. In 2008, Luke finally got the chance to work with his mother on Dog Gone. In the movie, his mother was also the mother of his on-screen character, Owen.

Luke isn’t the only child of his parents. He has two sisters, Gracie and Ella. He has also appeared in two music videos for his family. The first was in the music video for 2004’s That’s Cool, a song by his father’s band Blue County. The other was in 2009 when he was in the music video for Everyday Hero, a song by his mother, and Bart Conover.

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