- Bentley Kalu is a British-born actor, voice-over artist, martial artist, and action star known for his roles in Avenger: Age of Ultron, and Halo,
- The British-born moved to North America at a young age and while there, he attended school and started honing his skills
- His interest in performance started from an early age leading to his many skilled pieces of training which he depicts in his roles
Bentley Kalu is a British-born actor, voice actor, singer cum dancer whose wide range of roles makes him an industry veteran. The 45-year-old had vast training experience dating back to his education in America before he relocated to the UK where he now lives.
He is widely celebrated for his adaptation of many roles through his voice as well as actions in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Halo, and Dr. Who among many others. Despite this, Bentley keeps his private life secret, here is all we found out about him.
Who Is Bentley Kalu?
Bentley Kalu is an actor renowned for his roles in action movies and the wide range of roles he takes. He was born in 1980 in the UK. Following his given Igbo surname Kalu, a shorter form of Kamalu which means god of thunder or lightning, it is likely that Bentley has parents who are of Igbo origin back in Nigeria.
His family moved to North America when he was young and hence he grew up there.
Details about his childhood are still vague. Yet, his formative years back in America led to his becoming the celebrated actor that he is now.
A Look Into The Career Rise Of The London Based Actor
Bentley Kalu’s career is arguably quite successful. This comes in the wake of his theatre, onscreen, and other roles he took over the years. Upon his return from America where he had spent many years, Bentley took up voice-over work with television as well as radio stations where he represented real-life people.
In those early years of his career, he represented people like the British politician Colin Powell in Empire of Liberty; Claude Mackay and Langston Hughes, and Miles Davis among many others.
Moving on, his earliest mentioned acting role is an appearance in the 1988 movie, Red Dwarf. Following this, he took up roles in many theatre productions to boost his career. His theatre role in Bethlehem lights earned him a Kenton Drama Award for Best Actor in 2017.
Subsequently, his branching into screen acting with roles in Edge of Tomorrow, Dr. Who, and Avengers: Age of Ultron added to his growing popularity. His unforgettable role in the military sci-fi film Halo where he plays the role of Vannak 134 added to his growing fans.
Movies Voice Over Video Games
Other Elusive Facts About Bentley Kalu That No One Told You About
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1. He Was Educated In The US
Bentley Kalu is a trained performer. He attended school at the University of Virginia where he studied in the Department of Drama and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree.
Upon his graduation, Bentley enrolled at the Actor’s Place located in Virginia Beach. Going by the training that the center offers in acting, audition taping, and voice acting coaching, it is highly likely that he honed his skills while at the center before venturing into a full-blown performing career.
Also, he delved deeply into improvisation, Meisner & scene study while at the performance school. The technique was made popular by Sanford Meisner and highly recommended for emerging actors.
2. Bentley Kalu’s Changes His Voice To Suit Many Roles
One of the unique talents of the 45-year-old actor is his ability to change his voice to fit any accent and role. Drawing from his experiences in the US and Uk, Bentley’s voice apart from being natural, smooth, and deep has adapted to different parts of the world.
His accents include African, New York, Philadelphia, British, Canadian, Eastern European, Indian, Jamaican, and many others.
By and large, his voice has depicted roles ranging from the old to the young depending on the work he takes. Interestingly, Bentley Kalu’s voice is said to be so close to that of British actor, Gary Martin.
3. He Was On A Miltary Training Course
To say that the actor is multi-talented is an understatement. His depiction of near-life military life is not far from the training he received from a military course. However, there is no known record of him serving or being in the military reserve, yet, he adopts the skills he acquired for his roles.
The American trained-actor is skilled in weapons handling, patrolling, and contact drills, as well as camouflage and concealment.
4. Bentley Kalu Uses His Dancing Skills In His Career
The action hero is an accomplished dancer and singer. As of this writing though, he has no released works. As it is, it has not stopped him from showcasing his skills while on set.
It is generally believed that he can dance African styles, Hip Hop, and Swing/Jive yet it has only been seen in movies.
5. The Avengers Actor Has fighting Skills
Bentley’s many skills have helped to project his career favorably. Aside from being a versatile actor, he also learned stage combat and fight choreography often used in martial arts. He revealed that he was an amateur boxer but as it is, the records are sparse.
So far, he has not entered into any professional tournaments with his skills but he portrays it in his acting roles. According to his LinkedIn bio, Bentley ventured into fitness education through his bentleygoodheath program that ran between 2003 and 2011. His skills include;
- boxing
- Kickboxing
- Jujutsu
- Kendo
- wrestling
- fencing
6. Bentley Kalu Is A Unionist
Ever since he started acting, he has taken an active role in determining the welfare of actors. He channels this by being a member of the unions that oversee the activities of British actors and that of the UK.
He is a member of two of these unions. The first, Equity which he belongs covers British actors while the second, BECTU has wider coverage. The union has over 40,000 members of which most of them are BBC staff.
See Also: Olu Jacobs- Where in God’s Name is The Legendary Nigerian Actor?
7. How Tall Is The Voice-Over Actor?
Bentley Kalu stands on a towering height of 6’5” making him quite the combat hero. While he is known to change his voice to any character such as a genie, it is fascinating that the actor is not tiny physically.
Aside from his height, the action hero’s chest measures 48 inches. it will not be surprising if he decides to also add bodybuilding to his many activities.
Bentley Kalu’s rise as an actor and voice-over performer makes him one of the most sought-after performers. Despite his successful career and vast experience beyond the stage and screen, he manages to keep a private life away from media gawking.
Nonetheless, the future of the actor looks bright going by his history and the roles he took over the years.
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