Ben Foster | Rotten Tomatoes (2025)

His short stint as the teen star of the Disney Channel series "Flash Forward" (1996-97) notwithstanding, actor Ben Foster built his reputation playing all manner of unbalanced young adults, ranging from the mildly neurotic to the dangerously psychopathic. He earned an Emmy Award for bringing poignancy to the story of an explosive high school misfit in "Bang Bang You're Dead" (Showtime, 2002) and suggested another type of wounded inner child in his recurring role as an obsessive, bisexual artist on HBO's acclaimed "Six Feet Under" (HBO, 2001-05). But Foster put television behind him and went on to lay the foundations of a steady film career with enigmatic outlaws including a dangerous Los Angeles tweaker in the true crime drama, "Alpha Dog" (2006) and a supporting performance in the Western remake "3:10 to Yuma" (2007) that clearly gave co-stars Russell Crowe and Christian Bale a run for their money. A supporting role in the mega-blockbuster "X-Men: The Last Stand" (2006) and a promising transition to dramatic lead in the military-themed "The Messenger" (2009), war drama "Lone Survivor" (2013) and west Texas bank robber drama "Hell Or High Water" (2016) showcased a remarkable talent for crafting three-dimensional, complex characters.