Benja Bruijning's (1983) star-turn in the Dutch romantic comedy Family Way (2012) opposite Carice van Houten (Game of Thrones) marked his break through to a wide audience. From an early age on Benja has played roles in various films and TV series such as The Cave and Poet on the Zeedijk. After graduating from the Academy of Dramatic and Performing Arts in Amsterdam in 2008, Benja landed roles in several popular Dutch TV series and films. He is the star of Dutch box office hits such as the romantic comedies Street of Hearts and Gift from the Heart and plays one of the lead roles in the critically acclaimed show Fighter's Heart, about K1 fighters, which has been picked up for a second season and is the Dutch submission for the International Emmy Awards. Benja is also at home on stage - he played lead roles in the Dutch stage adaptations of Rain Man, Much Ado About Nothing, Monsters, Lulu and performed in a play written by himself: Not Meant That Way. His recent projects included a lead role in two seasons of the TV series Black Tulip, the Dutch feature film The Fury (De Helleveeg) and the television film The Return of the Honey Buzzard. In 2017 he played the lead role in TV series Dr. Anne's Men and the second season of Fighter's Heart.