Biography
Ben Cross (born December 16, 1947) is a British actor of the stage and screen, best known for his portrayal of Jewish athlete Harold Abrahams in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire.
Cross first emerged as a minor actor in the war film A Bridge too Far.
He appeared in a couple of Masterpiece Theater mini-series, including The Flame Trees of Thika and The Citadel, in which he starred as a controversial Welsh physician.
As well as roles in such films as the critically mauled First Knight, starring Richard Gere and Sean Connery, Cross recently featured in the Exorcist sequel in 2004.
During the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, an American Express credit card commercial ("Don't leave home without it") included Ben Cross and the 87-year-old Jackson Scholz. When Cross says something about beating Scholz, the latter remarks, "You never beat me!" with mock indignation. Proving he is "still pretty fast," Scholz beats Cross to the draw in picking up the tab with his credit card.
