Benny Safdie
Biography
Benjamin Safdie is an American filmmaker, director, producer, screenwriter, editor, and actor born on February 24, 1986, in New York City. Raised in Queens and Manhattan, he attended the Boston University School of Communication. Safdie is widely recognized for his creative partnership with his older brother, Josh Safdie. Together, they have established themselves as prominent figures in contemporary independent cinema. Beyond his work behind the camera, Safdie has maintained a parallel career as a performer, appearing in various high-profile film projects. He is known for his versatile contributions to the industry, serving in multiple capacities including writing, editing, and acting across a variety of film and television productions.
Career overview
Benny Safdie began his career in the 2000s by creating gritty, low-budget short films in collaboration with his brother, Josh Safdie. Throughout their partnership, both brothers have frequently served as writers and directors on their projects. Their collaborative filmography includes Daddy Longlegs, released in 2009, and the 2014 film Heaven Knows What. They gained significant recognition for their work on the films Good Time, released in 2017, and Uncut Gems, released in 2019. In addition to his directing and writing credits, Safdie often appears as an actor in the films he helps create, including a role in Good Time that earned him a nomination for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male.
In addition to his work with his brother, Safdie has pursued an acting career in projects directed by other filmmakers. His filmography includes appearances in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza, Kelly Fremon Craig’s Are You There God? It’s Me, and the film Oppenheimer. His professional background encompasses a wide range of roles, including producer, editor, and screenwriter, contributing to a total of 68 known credits. His career remains defined by his dual focus on directing independent cinema and performing in major film productions.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- The Odyssey (2026) as Agamemnon
- The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026) as Bowser Jr. (voice)
- The Odyssey: The Making of an Epic (2026) as Self (archive footage)
- Public Access (2026) Executive Producer
- Marty Supreme (2025) Thanks
- Happy Gilmore 2 (2025) as Frank Manatee
- The Smashing Machine (2025) Director
- The Smashing Machine (2025) Screenplay
- The Smashing Machine (2025) Co-Producer
- The Smashing Machine (2025) Editor
- Mr. Scorsese (2025) as Self
- Pee-wee as Himself (2025) Executive Producer
- Thank You Very Much (2025) Executive Producer
- Noah Britton: The Best Stuff I've Ever Done (2025) Additional Camera
- Ren Faire (2024) Executive Producer
- Oppenheimer (2023) as Edward Teller
- Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (2023) as Herbert Simon
- The Curse (2023) as Dougie Schecter
- The Curse (2023) Executive Producer
- The Curse (2023) Story
- The Curse (2023) Teleplay
- The Curse (2023) Writer
- The Curse (2023) Creator
- Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God (2023) Executive Producer
- Telemarketers (2023) Executive Producer
- Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022) as Nari
- Funny Pages (2022) Producer
- Stars at Noon (2022) as CIA Man
- Licorice Pizza (2021) as Joel Wachs
- Pieces of a Woman (2020) as Chris
- Question & Answer (2020) as Self
- Question & Answer (2020) Director
- Question & Answer (2020) Editor
- Question & Answer (2020) Writer
- Goldman v Silverman (2020) as Al Silverman
- Goldman v Silverman (2020) Director
- Money on the Street: The Making of Uncut Gems (2020) as Self
- Uncut Gems (2019) Director
- Uncut Gems (2019) Writer
- Uncut Gems (2019) Editor
- Good Time (2017) as Nick Nikas
- Good Time (2017) Director
- Good Time (2017) Editor
- Good Time (2017) Sound Recordist
- Person to Person (2017) as Eugene
- Meet the Filmmakers: Josh and Benny Safdie (2017) as Self
- The Pure and the Damned (2017) Director
- Toback Vs. Mailer: The Incident (2016) Director
- Toback Vs. Mailer: The Incident (2016) Editor
- Togetherness (2015) as Craddock Brother #2
- Heaven Knows What (2015) Sound Recordist
- Heaven Knows What (2015) Director
- Heaven Knows What (2015) Editor
- Heaven Knows What (2015) Sound Mixer
- A Hot Two Weeks: The Making of Heaven Knows What (2015)
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014) as Self
- Solid Gold (2013) as Goldman
- Solid Gold (2013) Director
- Lenny Cooke (2013) Director
- Lenny Cooke (2013) Editor
- Heartland (2012) Producer
- Trophy Hunter (2012) Director
- Trophy Hunter (2012) Writer
- The Black Balloon (2012) Director
- The Black Balloon (2012) Writer
- The Black Balloon (2012) Sound Recordist
- The Black Balloon (2012) Editor
- The Black Balloon (2012) Casting Director
- Straight Hustle (2011) Director
- Straight Hustle (2011) Writer
- Buttons (2011) Director
- Buttons (2011) Director of Photography
- Buttons (2011) Editor
- Second Stop from Jupiter: The Making of Daddy Longlegs (2011) as Himself
- Daddy Longlegs (2010) Director
- Daddy Longlegs (2010) Writer
- Daddy Longlegs (2010) Co-Producer
- Daddy Longlegs (2010) Editor
- Daddy Longlegs (2010) Sound Designer
- The Surprise Tour (2010) Editor
- The Neistat Brothers (2010) as Self
- The Neistat Brothers (2010) Set Decoration
- John's Gone (2010) as John
- John's Gone (2010) Writer
- John's Gone (2010) Director
- John's Gone (2010) Editor
- John's Gone (2010) Producer
- Yeast (2008) as Riverguy 2
- The Story of Charles Riverbank (2008) as Charles Riverbank
- The Story of Charles Riverbank (2008) Director
- The Story of Charles Riverbank (2008) Writer
- The Acquaintances of a Lonely John (2008) as John
- The Acquaintances of a Lonely John (2008) Director
- The Acquaintances of a Lonely John (2008) Editor
- The Acquaintances of a Lonely John (2008) Writer
- The Acquaintances of a Lonely John (2008) Producer
- There's Nothing You Can Do (2008)
- There's Nothing You Can Do (2008) Director
- There's Nothing You Can Do (2008) Editor
- There's Nothing You Can Do (2008) Writer
- The Pleasure of Being Robbed (2008) Editor
- John's Lonely Trip to Coney Island (2008)
- John's Lonely Trip to Coney Island (2008) Director
- John's Lonely Trip to Coney Island (2008) Editor
- I Think I'm Missing Parts (2007)
- The Back of Her Head (2007) Writer
- What To Do When Choking (2007)
- What To Do When Choking (2007) Editor
- What To Do When Choking (2007) Director
- The Groomsmen (2006) Production Assistant
- The Ralph Handel Story (2006) as Ralph Handel
- The Ralph Handel Story (2006) Director
- The Ralph Handel Story (2006) Editor
- If You See Something, Say Something (2006) as Business Man 2
- If You See Something, Say Something (2006) Writer
- The Adventures of Slater's Friend (2005) as 1st Cameraman
- The Adventures of Slater's Friend (2005) Director
- The Adventures of Slater's Friend (2005) Editor
- The Adventures of Slater's Friend (2005) Writer
- Alberto Live in a Bathroom (2004) as Benny the Salesman
- The Daily Show (1996) as Self
- Gone Tomorrow Director
- Superfakes Executive Producer
- Lizard Music Director
- Lizard Music Producer
- Lizard Music Screenplay
- Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall Camera Operator
- Into the Woods with Mark
- Into the Woods with Mark Director