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Ben Ahlers
American actor (born 1996) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Ben Ahlers (born August 17, 1996) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Liam Kelly on the NBC drama series The Village (2019), John Trotter on the HBO historical drama series The Gilded Age (2022–present), and Burton on the HBO post-apocalyptic drama series The Last of Us (2025).
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Early life and career
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Ahlers was born on August 17, 1996,[1][2] in Fort Dodge, Iowa. He began singing and acting in community theatre from 6-years old, landing his first role as an orphan in a local production of Oliver!.[3] After graduating as valedictorian from Fort Dodge Senior High School, he attended the University of Michigan, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theatre.[3]
In 2017, Ahlers starred in the short film Anna Garcia Does a One Woman Play. He then landed a small role on the NBC drama The Village, his first appearance on network television.[3] In 2020, he starred in the Quibi miniseries When the Streetlights Go On, playing the main role of Brad Kirchoff.[4][5][6] He also briefly appeared in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina playing Lucas Hunt, a love interest of the main character.[7]
In 2022, Ahlers was cast on the HBO series The Gilded Age, playing the role of footman and clockmaker John "Jack" Trotter.[8] Beginning as a recurring role, he was promoted to a series regular in the second season.[9][10][11][12] In preparation of the show's second season, Ahlers took watch-making classes with the Horological Society of New York.[13]
In 2025, Ahlers was cast in the second season of HBO series The Last of Us as Burton, a loyal soldier of the Seattle rebel militia group Washington Liberation Front (WLF).[14] Introduced during a flashback as a naïve rookie serving the government, he is recruited to the WLF by Jeffrey Wright's Isaac.[15][16]
In May 2025, Ahlers played the titular role in John Wilkes Booth: One Night Only!, a stage show from Mad Men screenwriter Matthew Weiner that premiered at Baltimore's Center Stage.[17][18]
In a July 2025 announcement, he was cast in Little Brother, an upcoming comedy film on Netflix.[19]
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Personal life
Outside of acting, Ahlers enjoys yoga and meditation;[20] he used to work as a personal trainer before his acting career became sustainable.[12]
He describes himself as a fan of directors Sean Baker, Chloé Zhao, Sam Mendes and Yorgos Lanthimos,[21] and says his favourite author is David Foster Wallace.[20]
Filmography
Film
Television
Stage
Awards and nominations
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Notes
- Ben Ahlers, Ashlie Atkinson, Christine Baranski, Denée Benton, Nicole Brydon Bloom, Michael Cerveris, Carrie Coon, Kelley Curran, Taissa Farmiga, David Furr, Jack Gilpin, Ward Horton, Louisa Jacobson, Simon Jones, Sullivan Jones, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Nathan Lane, Matilda Lawler, Robert Sean Leonard, Audra McDonald, Debra Monk, Donna Murphy, Kristine Nielsen, Cynthia Nixon, Kelli O'Hara, Patrick Page, Harry Richardson, Taylor Richardson, Blake Ritson, Jeremy Shamos, Douglas Sills, Morgan Spector, John Douglas Thompson, and Erin Wilhelmi
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References
External links
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