James Dean. Russell Crowe. Benjamin McKenzie…? At first glance, Benjamin McKenzie doesn’t belong in the same league, let alone ballpark, of two of Hollywood’s more enigmatic heartthrobs. But McKenzie has been compared quite a bit to both Crowe and Dean, if only because the Austin, Texas native didn’t have name recognition before landing a role on the Fox drama, “The OC” (2003). In fact, it was never clear to McKenzie that he would even be an actor at all.

Born Benjamin McKenzie Schenkkan on September 12, 1978, McKenzie didn’t consider acting until he got to the University of Virginia, where he