Benjamin Safdie is an American actor and filmmaker. Along with his older brother, Josh, he has directed films such as Heaven Knows What (2014), Good Time (2017), and Uncut Gems (2019).
He’s also acted in movies like Licorice Pizza (2021), Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, and Oppenheimer (both from 2023). Additionally, he co-created, co-wrote, and starred in the series The Curse (2023).
Early Life
Benny Safdie was born on February 24, 1986, to Amy and Alberto Safdie. He is of Syrian Jewish heritage and grew up in New York.
Following their parents’ divorce, he and his brother Josh shared their childhood between their father in Queens and their mother and stepfather in Manhattan.
He went to Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School and graduated from Boston University College of Communication in 2008.
Benny Safdie’s Career
In 2009, Josh and Benny Safdie launched their feature film journey with Daddy Longlegs, for which they co-wrote the screenplay and edited the film. It was presented in the Directors’ Fortnight at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.
Then in 2013, they introduced the documentary Lenny Cooke at the Tribeca Film Festival, a project they got involved with after Cooke contacted them to check out the footage.
In 2014, the two introduced their next film, Heaven Knows What, at the 71st Venice International Film Festival.
By February 2016, the brothers were busy filming their crime thriller Good Time, which starred Benny alongside Robert Pattinson in New York City.
It premiered at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, competing for the Palme d’Or. Benny Safdie earned a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his performance.
Josh and Benny’s Uncut Gems starred Adam Sandler, Lakeith Stanfield, and Julia Fox and was produced by Martin Scorsese.
The brothers won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Director, and Benny also received the Independent Spirit Award for Best Editing, which he shared with Ronald Bronstein, who has co-edited every film by the Safdie brothers.
In November 2023, Benny Safdie and Nathan Fielder launched their Showtime series, The Curse. They not only co-created it but also starred in it, and it got a lot of praise from critics. Safdie was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series.
Benny Safdie is gearing up for his next directorial project, The Smashing Machine, featuring Dwayne Johnson as Mark Kerr, a former wrestler and MMA fighter. It’s set to hit theaters in 2025, courtesy of A24.
In 2022, Safdie featured in Claire Denis’ romantic thriller Stars at Noon, and he portrayed Nari in the Disney+ miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Fast forward to 2023, he starred in the film adaptation of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, and he appears as Edward Teller in Oppenheimer, which is directed by Christopher Nolan.
In 2025, he was part of Happy Gilmore 2, and he’s set to collaborate with Nolan once more on The Odyssey in 2026.
Net Worth
Benny Safdie, the American film director, has a net worth of about $3 million as of 2025. With over sixteen years in the entertainment industry, he has directed a number of films.
Benny has also acted in several movies. He stands out as one of the most accomplished film directors, screenwriters, actors, and film editors of his generation in the U.S.
