Childhood & Early Life
Luke Aaron Benward was born on May 12, 1995, in Franklin, Tennessee. His father, Aaron Benward, is a musician. He is a part of the music duo, ‘Blue County.’ His mother, Kenda Benward, is an actress, model, and acting coach. Benward’s grandfather, Jeoffrey Benward, is a musician quite proficient in contemporary Christian music. Benward has two younger sisters - Ella and Gracie.
Benward has English, German, and Scots-Irish ancestry. Born into a family of performers, young Benward was exposed to entertainment industry, quite early in his life. He displayed his talents in singing, acting, and dancing, from his childhood days.
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Career
In 2002, Luke Benward began professional acting as a child actor. He grabbed the role of David Moore in the American war film, ‘We Were Soldiers.’ It was directed by Randall Wallace. The movie was based on the real life incidents given in the book, ‘We Were Soldiers Once...And Young,’ written by Lieutenant General Hal Moore. In the same year, Benward was offered a part in an episode of the comedy series, ‘Family Affair.’ In 2005, Benward played ‘Steven Dewberry,’ in the comedy-drama movie, ‘Because of Winn-Dixie.’ It was directed by Wayne Wang.
The 2006 film, ‘How to Eat Fried Worms,’ where he appeared as ‘Billy Forrester,’ made him a star. It was a children’s comedy film directed by Bob Dolman. Billy, the protagonist of the movie, was a kid who had a weak stomach, and was prone to frequent vomiting. The movie told the tale of a school challenge where ‘Billy’ was required to eat worms without vomiting. Benward performed the role exceptionally well. He won the ‘Young Artist Award,’ for the ‘Best Young Ensemble in a Feature Film.’
In 2008, Luke Benward portrayed the role of ‘Charlie Tuttle,’ in the ‘Disney Channel Original Movie,’ ‘Minutemen.’ It was a science-fiction movie that attracted more than six million viewers in its opening week. ‘Charlie’ was one of its main characters. He was a genius teenager, but had been declared as an outcast in the school. Benward excelled in the role. In the same year, Benward starred in the movies, ‘Mostly Ghostly,’ and ‘Dog Gone.’
In 2009, Benward released his music album, ‘Let Your Love Out.’ It was an extended play record, and had five songs. It was released by the music label, ‘iShine Music.’ Benward toured with the Christian music group, ‘iShine Live,’ for a brief period. In 2010, Benward starred in the movie, ‘Dear John.’ It was a romantic drama movie directed by Lasse Hallstrom. In the movie, Benward portrayed ‘Alan Wheddon,’ a boy who suffered from Asperger’s Syndrome.
In 2012, Benward starred as ‘Ryan Dean’ in the ‘Disney Channel Original Movie,’ ‘Girl vs. Monster.’ In the same year, he was seen in the sitcom, ‘See Daddy Run,’ as ‘Matthew Pearson.’ In 2013, he made a recurring appearance in the sitcom, ‘Good Luck Charlie,’ which was aired on the ‘Disney’ channel. The series was about a family which was struggling to adjust to the birth of their fourth and fifth children. Benward played ‘Beau Landry,’ who was an employee in the company owned by one of the protagonists, ‘Bob.’
In 2014, Benward starred in the TV movie, ‘Cloud 9,’ where he portrayed a professional snowboarder, ‘Will Cloud.’ It was a sports-drama movie, directed by Paul Hoen. The movie was telecast on the ‘Disney’ channel. In the same year, he starred in the TV series, ‘The Goldbergs,’ and the movie, ‘Field of Lost Shoes.’
In 2017, Benward appeared in the recurring role of ‘Lloy Danderson,’ in the comedy series, ‘Still the King.’ In 2018, Benward portrayed Jack Strong, in the comedy movie, ‘Life of the Party.’ He also appeared in the movies, ‘Dumplin’ and ‘Measure of a Man.’
Luke Benward has performed in several music videos. He made guest appearances in the music videos, ‘Concrete Angel,’ by Martina McBride, and ‘That’s Cool,’ by ‘Blue County.’ Benward has appeared in the commercials for brands such as ‘Nintendo,’ ‘McDonald’s,’ and ‘Willy Wonka.’
