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Benjamin Safdie (born February 24, 1986) is an American filmmaker and actor, most known for his Safdie brothers, Josh Safdie, in Heaven Knows What (2014), Good Time (2017), which he also starred in, and Uncut Gems (2019).
Safdie's career additionally includes co-creating, writing, and acting in the satirical series The Curse (2023) with comedian Nathan Fielder, and his solo directorial debut The Smashing Machine (2025), for which he won the Silver Lion at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival.
For his role in Good Time as Nick, Safdie was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male, and has since starred in Licorice Pizza (2021), Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret (2023), Oppenheimer (2023), and Happy Gilmore 2 (2025).
Uncut Gems, Josh and Benny's next film, starred Adam Sandler, Lakeith Stanfield and Julia Fox; Martin Scorsese was executive producer. The brothers won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Director, and Benny shared the Independent Spirit Award for Best Editing with Ronald Bronstein, with whom he has co-edited all the Safdie brother films.
Safdie and Nathan Fielder co-created the Showtime series The Curse, which premiered in November 2023. The show, in which they also starred, received critical acclaim, and Safdie earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series.
Safdie then, in his first directorial endevour without his brother and his first solo writing credit, directed the MMA themed film The Smashing Machine, starring Dwayne Johnson as former wrestler and MMA fighter Mark Kerr. The film premiered and the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, where Safdie won the Silver Lion for Best Direction. The film received a theatrical release in October 2025 by A24.
Safdie is currently attached as writer, director and producer to a film adaptation of Daniel Pinkwater's Lizard Music for Amazon MGM Studios' United Artists, reteaming with Johnson.
In 2022, Safdie appeared in Claire Denis' romantic thriller Stars at Noon, and as Nari in the Disney+ miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi. In 2023, he starred in the film adaptation Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret., and appears as Edward Teller in Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan.
In 2025, he appeared in Happy Gilmore 2, and is set to reunite with Nolan on The Odyssey in 2026. He played the voice of Bowser Jr. in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
He is married to Ava Safdie ( Rawski), with whom he has two sons.
| 2008 | The Pleasure of Being Robbed | ||||||
| 2009 | Daddy Longlegs | ||||||
| 2013 | Lenny Cooke | ||||||
| 2014 | Heaven Knows What | ||||||
| 2017 | Good Time | ||||||
| 2019 | Uncut Gems | ||||||
| 2022 | Funny Pages | ||||||
| 2025 | The Smashing Machine | ||||||
| 2017 | Person to Person | Eugene | Dustin Guy Defa | ||
| Good Time | Nick Nikas | Safdie brothers | |||
| 2020 | Pieces of a Woman | Chris | Kornél Mundruczó | ||
| 2021 | Licorice Pizza | Joel Wachs | Paul Thomas Anderson | ||
| 2022 | Stars at Noon | CIA Man | Claire Denis | ||
| 2023 | Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. | Herb Simon | Kelly Fremon Craig | ||
| Oppenheimer | Edward Teller | Christopher Nolan | |||
| 2025 | Happy Gilmore 2 | Frank Manatee | Kyle Newacheck | ||
| 2026 | Bowser Jr. | Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic | Voice; Completed | ||
| Agamemnon | Christopher Nolan | Post-production |
Television
| 2016 | Togetherness | Craddock Brother #2 | Episode: "Advanced Pretend" | |
| 2022 | Obi-Wan Kenobi | Nari | Episode: "Part I" | |
| 2023–2024 | The Curse | Dougie Schecter | Main role; also co-creator, writer, executive producer and editor |
| Venice International Film Festival | September 6, 2025 | Golden Lion | Benny Safdie | ||
| Silver Lion | |||||
| Stockholm International Film Festival | November 16, 2025 | Stockholm Visionary Award | |||
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