Ashley Victoria Benson, an American actress, model, and singer, was born on December 18, 1989. She is well-known for playing Hanna Marin in the 2010–2017 teen drama series Pretty Little Liars. In films like Bring It On: In It to Win It (2007), Christmas Cupid (2010), Spring Breakers (2012), Ratter (2015), Chronically Metropolitan (2016), Her Smell (2018), and Private Property (2022), Benson has acted as the lead. She has won numerous honors, including three People's Choice Award nominations, a Young Hollywood Award, and four Teen Choice Awards.
Shannon and Jeff Benson welcomed Benson into the world on December 18, 1989 in Anaheim Hills, California. Shaylene is her elder sister.
Career
2000s: Early employment and acclaim
At the age of three, Benson started dancing competitively and studied ballet, jazz, tap, and hip hop. When she was just four years old, she gave a solo performance at her church. She then started singing in choruses and musicals. She signed with Ford Models when she was eight years old and made several print advertisements.
Benson played Abigail Deveraux on the daytime drama Days of Our Lives from 2004 until 2007.
Benson made her big-screen debut in the 2004 comedy 13 Going on 30 with a small role. Bring It On: In It to Win It, the fourth entry in the Bring It On series, featured her as Carson. In order to fulfil the job, she had to let go of her contract with Days of our Lives and get over her phobia of heights.
Since I had discussed doing this film with the producers, I got off it because they wouldn't let me. I had just missed out on a great deal of chances to make a movie. So this significant event recently occurred, and I was able to complete this. However, I'm happier now that I'm off the soap. I mean, I give them all the credit because working on soap operas with incredible actors who have been there for a good thirty to forty years has taught me so much. Getting to work with them was a privilege. Definitely, it has given me my entire history. But leaving the soap opera also greatly aided my ability to progress to better and bigger things. I am, nonetheless, grateful that I was able to appear in a soap drama.
She described working on a film set as "definitely weird" compared to a soap opera set because she would spend days working on one or two scenes while filming two or three episodes a day on Days of Our Lives. She had to go to cheerleading practise for Bring It On: In It to Win It, which was "hard for [her] because [she is] afraid of heights." Even though she "wasn't expecting it to be so hard," she was "glad" to perform her own stunts.
She portrayed head cheerleader Brooke Tippit in the Lifetime original movie Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal in 2008; Karrissa Theret of the Fab Five served as a loose inspiration for the character. The movie is based on a real incident that happened at Texas' McKinney North High School. Tatum O'Neal, who played her mother in the film, became close friends with her and taught her acting. She was additionally thrilled to be cast in a supporting role in Bart Got a Room since it gave her the chance to collaborate with William H. Macy. The movie premiered in 2008 primarily at film festivals before receiving a limited distribution in 2009. In a 2008 episode of The CW's Supernatural, she also had the role of a witch who was passing herself off as a cheerleader.
Benson portrayed the title character in the short-lived supernatural comedy Eastwick on ABC in 2009. The Witches of Eastwick, a book by John Updike, and its 1987 film adaptation served as the inspiration for the television programme. The show only ran for 11 episodes before being dropped by ABC due to poor viewership, but it has since developed a cult following.
Transition to drama and breakthrough in the 2010s
Benson was cast as Hanna Marin in the ABC Family mystery-thriller teen drama series Pretty Little Liars in December 2009. The show is based on the Sara Shepard novel series. In the absence of Alison DiLaurentis, Hanna has assumed Alison's position as the most well-liked student at Rosewood High, making her the "diva" and "It girl" of the gang. 2.47 million people watched the show's premiere, and critics applauded Benson's performance. She was nominated for and won several accolades. In two episodes of the spin-off series Ravenswood, Benson played the part once more.
Benson co-starred in the 2010 ABC Family television movie Christmas Cupid with Christina Milian and Chad Michael Murray. Benson was cast in the movie Spring Breakers in January 2012 after Emma Roberts withdrew for artistic reasons. Four college students who are arrested and released on bail by a drug and weapons dealer are the focus of the movie. He then assigns them to perform some shady tasks while they are on spring break. James Franco, Vanessa Hudgens, and Selena Gomez also starred in the movie. The movie was shot in March and April of 2012, and it was released in March of 2013.
Benson played Carly Whittaker, Barney Stinson's half-sister who dated Ted Mosby, in the CBS comedy How I Met Your Mother episode airing on January 21, 2013. Benson was chosen to represent eveningwear brand Faviana in that same month.
She played Emma Taylor, a young woman who is stalked through technology, in the independent horror thriller Ratter from 2015. She also made an appearance in Pixels the same year as Lady Lisa, a real-life adaptation of a video game character. Benson had an appearance in the biographical comedy-drama movie in 2016. Nixon and Elvis portray Margaret.
In 2018, it was revealed that Benson would co-star in Alex Ross Perry's music drama film Her Smell with Cara Delevingne and Elisabeth Moss. The movie got generally favourable reviews, and Benson was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress as a result. Benson performed every vocal recording for the movie's soundtrack alone.
2020s: Music projects, followed by a return to film
Benson appeared on G-Eazy's rendition of the Radiohead song "Creep" in 2020. She previously appeared in the music videos for "That Girl" by NLT, "Black Light" by One Call, and "Honestly" by Hot Chelle Rae.
Private life
Tyler Blackburn, Benson's former co-star and friend, said that the two of them had a brief romance while filming Pretty Little Liars but that they ultimately remained "good friends" in 2019. Benson had a well-publicized romance with English model Cara Delevingne from 2018 to 2020. From 2020 to 2021, she dated rapper G-Eazy. Since February 2023, Benson has been dating Brandon Davis, the grandson of the late billionaire Marvin Davis. She is a Los Angeles resident.
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
2004 | 13 Going on 30 | Six Chick | |
2005 | Neighbors | Mindy | Short film |
2007 | Bring It On: In It to Win It | Carson | Direct-to-video |
2008 | Bart Got a Room | Alice | |
2012 | Spring Breakers | Brit | |
2015 | Ratter | Emma Taylor | Also camera operator |
2015 | Pixels | Lady Lisa | |
2016 | Elvis & Nixon | Margaret | |
2016 | Chronically Metropolitan | Jessie | |
2018 | Her Smell | Roxie Rotten | |
2018 | Ask Me If I Care | Alice | Short film |
2021 | The Birthday Cake | Tracey | |
2022 | Private Property | Kathryn Carlyle | |
2022 | The Loneliest Boy in the World | Margot | |
2022 | Angry Neighbors | Amberson girl | |
2023 | Alone at Night | Vicky | Also producer |
2023 | American Metal | TBA | Post-production |
TBA | Good Side of a Bad Man | Ruby |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
2002 | The District | Melissa Howell | Episode: "Explicit Activities" |
2002 | The West Wing | Girl | Episode: "Game On" |
2002 | Nikki | Dancer | Episode: "Working Girl" (unaired) |
2004 | Strong Medicine | April | Episode: "Cape Cancer" |
2004–2007 | Days of Our Lives | Abigail Deveraux | Role held: November 12, 2004 – May 2, 2007 |
2005 | 7th Heaven | Margot | 2 episodes |
2005 | Zoey 101 | Candice | Episode: "Quinn's Date" |
2006 | The O.C. | Riley | Episode: "The Summer Bummer" |
2008 | Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal | Brooke Tippit | Television film |
2008 | CSI: Miami | Amy Beck | Episode: "Bombshell" |
2008 | Supernatural | Tracy Davis | Episode: "It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester" |
2009 | Eastwick | Mia Torcoletti | Main role |
2010 | Christmas Cupid | Caitlin Quinn | Television film |
2010–2017 | Pretty Little Liars | Hanna Marin | Main role, 160 episodes |
2012 | Punk'd | Herself | Episode: "Heather Morris" |
2013 | How I Met Your Mother | Carly Whittaker | Episode: "Ring Up!" |
2013–2014 | Ravenswood | Hanna Marin | Special guest star, 2 episodes |
2014 | Family Guy | Dakota (voice) | Episode: "Brian's a Bad Father" |
2015 | Barely Famous | Herself | Episode: "Bananas Foster" |
2023 | Wilderness | Cara | Post-production |
Web
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
2011 | CollegeHumor Originals | Ashley | Episode: "Secret Girl Language" |
2020 | Lady Parts | Herself | Episode: "How to Survive Puberty" |
2021 | Sorry Charlie Miller | Charlie Miller | Voice role; podcast series |
Music videos
Year | Title | Artist(s) | Role | Ref. |
2002 | "True Love" | Lil' Romeo featuring Solange Knowles | Girl #1 | |
2007 | "That Girl" | NLT | Love Interest | |
2008 | "We Don't Have to Look Back Now" | Puddle of Mudd | The Girlfriend | |
2010 | "Black Light" | One Call | Love Interest | |
2012 | "Honestly" | Hot Chelle Rae | Girl | |
2019 | "Can't Wait" | The Akergirls | Roxie Rotten | |
2020 | "Imagine" | Gal Gadot & Friends | Herself |
Discography
Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
"Stars Go Out" (as Cindy Ultra) | 2017 | None | None |
"Breathe" | 2019 | Elisabeth Moss, Agyness Deyn, | Her Smell |
"Can't Wait" | Cara Delevingne and Dylan Gelula | ||
"Creep" | 2020 | G-Eazy | None |
"All the Things You're Searching For" | G-Eazy and Kossisko | Everything's Strange Here |
Songwriting credits
Title | Year | Artist(s) | Album | Credits | Written with |
"Every Night of the Year" | 2020 | G-Eazy | Everything's Strange Here | Co-writer | Gerald Gillum, Dakarai Gwitira, John Michael Rouchell |
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
2011 | Young Hollywood Awards | Cast to Watch (with Troian Bellisario, Lucy Hale and Shay Mitchell) | Pretty Little Liars | Won |
Youth Rock Awards | Rockin' TV Actress | Won | ||
2013 | Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards | Actress Most in Need of a New Agent (with Rachel Korine, Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens) | Spring Breakers | Nominated |
Capricho Awards | Best Make Out (with James Franco and Vanessa Hudgens) | Nominated | ||
Best International Actress | Pretty Little Liars | Nominated | ||
2014 | MTV Movie Awards | Best Kiss (with James Franco and Vanessa Hudgens) | Spring Breakers | Nominated |
Teen Choice Awards | Choice Summer TV Star – Female | Pretty Little Liars | Won | |
Candie's Choice Style Icon | Herself | Nominated | ||
2015 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Cable TV Actress | Pretty Little Liars | Nominated |
Teen Choice Awards | Choice Summer TV Star: Female | Won | ||
2016 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Cable TV Actress | Nominated | |
Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actress: Drama | Won | ||
Choice TV: Chemistry (with Tyler Blackburn) | Won | |||
2017 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Cable TV Actress | Nominated | |
Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actress: Drama | Nominated |
Quick Bio
Gender | Female |
Age | 33 years old (in 2023) |
Date of Birth | December 18, 1989 |
Full Name | Ashley Victoria Benson |
Profession | Actress |
Nationality | American |
Birthplace | Anaheim Hills, California, United States |
Religion | Christianity |
Zodiac Sign | Sagittarius |
College | Didnot Attend |
Profession | Actress |
Net Worth | $6 million |
Family & Relatives
Father | Jeff Benson |
Mother | Shannon harte |
Brother | None |
Sister | Shaylene Benson |
Marital Status | Single |
Past Relationships | Justin Thorne Chord Overstreet Taylor Lautner Tyler Blackburn Keegan Allen Ryan Good |
Ashley Benson Favorites
Hobbies | Dancing (Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, Hip-Hop), Singing, Partying, Travelling |
Favorite TV shows | Broad City |
Favorite Destination | Cabo San Lucas |
Favorite Color | Black |
Facts
Ashley Benson and co-star Shay Mitchell, with whom she appeared in the Pretty Little Liars series, are good friends.
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