Ben Smith Petersen, Husband of Riley Keough!

Ben Smith Petersen is a stuntman who has worked in several movies such as The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Suicide Squad, The Great Gatsby, and Mad Max: Fury Road. Besides, he is also known for being the husband of Mad Max actor, Riley Keough.

Ben was born on July 11, 1991, to Susie Smith Petersen. He has a younger sister named Storm Smith Petersen.

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Married to Riley Keough

Ben Smith Petersen and Riley Keough first met in 2012 while they were shooting in the desert for Mad Max: Fury Road. In the movie, Riley portrayed the role of Capable (Immortan Joe‘s wife) while Ben worked as a stunt performer.

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They met again during the re-shoots of the movie in Australia. This was where they developed a good bonding and started their romantic relationship.

On August 14, 2014, they got engaged and Riley officiated about it via her Facebook. After six months, they shared their vows on February 4, 2015, in Napa Valley’s vineyards in California.

Ben Smith Petersen and Riley Keough married in 2015. — Ben and Riley married on February 4, 2015.
Source: Instagram

On their 6th anniversary, Riley revealed that she actually got married in a Hindu ceremony weeks before walking down the aisle in California.

6 years ago we were in Nepal helping build a school and the people in town we were staying in heard we were engaged and wanted to throw us a Hindu wedding. We hadn’t showered in a week because we were too cold to shower. 😂The whole town came, we were so honored and surprised, it was so special. I committed to spending 7 lifetimes with you… I dunno about that…we’ll see how this one goes. 🤪But thank you for being you and coming to me my best friend @isitmeurlooking4

Ben Smith Petersen and Riley Keough Marred in Hindu Rituals while in Nepal. — Ben and his wife had already tied the knot according to Hindu rituals while in Nepal in 2015.
Source: Instagram

Jiu Jitsu

Ben Smith Petersen has been practicing Jiu-Jitsu for the last 10 years now. He was introduced to martial arts by one of his friends named John.

Ben and His Friend John. — Ben got into jiu-jitsu because of his friend named John, who’s sadly passed away due to cancer.
Source: Instagram

At the moment, Ben practices jiu-jitsu at Independent Jiu-Jitsu, located at 7901 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, California. He is now a black belt in the sport.

Ben Smith Petersen showing his jiu-jitsu progress. — Ben is now a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Source: Instagram

Career as a Stuntman

Ben Smith Petersen started flying trapeze at the age of 14 after being introduced to it by one of his mother’s friends. He loved doing it and decided to master the art of flying trapeze. Petersen learned the skill at Circus Arts Australia under the coaching of Belinda Hultgren.

Meet Ben!

He was then involved in the circus for a few years where a stunt coordinator approached him to work in films. As a stuntman, his first movie was The Great Gatsby (an American romantic drama). Since then, he has performed stunts in around 18 movies and TV series.

Philanthropy

Ben Smith Petersen and his wife, Riley Keough are both involved in philanthropy. The couple is actively involved with buildOn, an organization committed to ending poverty through service and education.

In 2015, they were in Nepal to help build a school. Similarly, a year later, they were helping the organization build another school in Nicaragua.