Biography

Benson was born in Guelph

Guelph

Guelph is a city in Ontario, Canada.Guelph may also refer to:* Guelph , consisting of the City of Guelph, Ontario* Guelph , as the above* University of Guelph, in the same city...

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

. He is the son of Eugene Benson

Eugene Benson

Eugene Benson is a professor of English and a prolific novelist, playwright and librettist.-Life:Born in Northern Ireland, Benson obtained a masters degree from the University of Western Ontario and his Ph.D from the University of Toronto....

, an English professor and a prolific novelist, playwright and librettist. He summered at YMCA Camp Kitchikewana on Beausoleil Island where he held the position of Music Coordinator (where he went by the alias MC Benson) and later held the esteemed position of Music Director (under the alias Shaun Benson, MD). Highlights of his Kitchi career include directing Les Misérables and a memorable street fight with Perry "Hound-Dog" Grassic.

Benson played the role of Dr. Steven Lars Webber on the soap opera

Soap opera

A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...

 General Hospital

General Hospital

General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....

from 2004 to 2005.

Shaun Benson took on the role of Dr. Steven Webber, formerly Steven Lars, in September 2004. Shaun began studying the arts from a very young age, including piano, ballet and modern dance. After graduating from the University of Western Ontario

University of Western Ontario

The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...

 (where he appeared in many college productions) with a bachelor of science in chemistry/biochemistry, Shaun decided to become an actor and trained at the George Brown College

George Brown College

George Brown College is a public, fully accredited college of applied arts and technology with three full campuses in downtown Toronto, Ontario...

 Theater School in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

. He went on to appear in numerous acclaimed theater productions in and around Toronto.

He made his television debut as a series lead on the critically acclaimed series The Associates

The Associates (Canadian TV series)

The Associates is a Canadian television drama series that aired on CTV in 2001 and 2002. The show features five junior associate lawyers at a Toronto law firm, played by Demore Barnes, Shaun Benson, Tamara Hickey, Gabriel Hogan and Jennie Raymond. R.H. Thomson also stars as the firm's senior partner...

, which led to another lead for the W Network

W Network

W Network is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. W Network broadcasts lifestyle and entertainment programming aimed at women....

 on Just Cause

Just Cause (TV series)

Just Cause is an award-winning Canadian legal drama television series produced by Mind's Eye Entertainment. Filming was done in Vancouver, British Columbia but the series is set in San Francisco, California.-Plot:...

. In addition to various independent and experimental films, Shaun appeared opposite Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...

 and Liam Neeson

Liam Neeson

Liam John Neeson, OBE is an Irish actor who has been nominated for an Oscar, a BAFTA and three Golden Globe Awards.He has starred in a number of notable roles including Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List, Michael Collins in Michael Collins, Peyton Westlake in Darkman, Jean Valjean in Les...

 in K-19: The Widowmaker.

He is also a 4th degree black belt in Shorin Ryu Karate Jitsu (as of June 5, 2010). He is part of the Legacy Shorin Ryu Karate Jitsu Association based out of St.Thomas led by Gary Legacy.

Recent television appearances include Cold Case, The Unit, Tornado Valley and he stars in the soon-to-be released feature film "The Metrosexual"

In addition to acting, Shaun plays bass, acoustic guitar and keyboards for the LA-based rock band ANALOG SMITH.

External links