Gospel Music 101: Who is Luke Benward? Movies, music and more

Luke Benward "Let Your Love Out" album cover

Who is Luke Benward? A Look at Teen Actor and Singer, Luke Benward

Born May 12, 1995, Christian actor and singer Lucas Aaron "Luke" Benward is well on his way to becoming a teen star at 14. With movie and TV roles and a record already to his credit, he is fast becoming a household name, at least among teens and tweens!

Luke Benward's Movies

Luke Benward is best known for his starring role as Billy in How to Eat Fried Worms, his lead role in Disney Channel's Mostly Ghostly: Who Let the Ghosts Out? his performance as Charlie Tuttle in the 2008 Disney Channel movie, Minutemen, and his starring role in Dog Gone. He has also had roles in Because of Winn Dixie and other movies.

When he was just five years old, Luke Benward appeared with Mel Gibson in We Were Soldiers. Luke appeared in the Martina McBride music video "Concrete Angel" when he was seven. Since then he has appeared in numerous films, television movies and commercials. In November 2006, The Hollywood Reporter named Luke Benward “one of Hollywood's top 12 kids to watch.

In 2008, Luke Benward played the disciple Mark on the "Word of Promise Next Generation New Testament" dramatic audio Bible for teens, and he will play the autistic boy in the upcoming movie Dear John, based on the Nicholas Sparks novel and scheduled to release in 2010

Luke Benward's Music

At 13, Luke Benward made his mark on the music scene with his first album Let Your Love Out which released April 2008 on iShine Records. Produced by "In Crowd," Shaun Shankel and Luke's father Aaron Benward, the project's five songs feature faith-based, positive lyrics. Let Your Love Out songs include the title track, "Let Your Love Out,"  "Get Up," "Shine," "Higher Love," and "Everyday Hero," a song Benward dedicated to his mother.

Luke was featured on iTunes ® "What's Hot" music page the week of March 2, 2009, along with Keith Urban and Taylor Swift. The "Rachael Ray" show also picked Benward's title track "Let Your Love Out" for their sweeps in March of 2009.

Luke Benward's Family

Born and raised in a home Christian in Franklin, Tennessee (outside of Nashville), Luke Benward comes from a family of Christian musicians. His father, Aaron Benward, is one half of country duo, Blue County. Aaron Benward and Luke's grandfather Jeffrey Benward performed gospel music together in the 1990s as music duo Aaron * Jeoffrey. Luke's mother, Kenda Benward, is a part-time actress, model, and acting coach.

Luke Benward enjoys playing football and video games, working on his breakdancing and playing his electric guitar. He has two younger sisters, Gracie and Ella Benward.

Luke Benward's Faith

In response to a recent Christianity Today interview question about being a good role model, Luke Benward said: "I believe the favor of God on my life is not for me to keep to myself and become proud of, but to be used for others....I believe God has a plan for me in the entertainment world."

Sources:

Meet Luke Benward

lukebenwardonline.com

Christianity Today

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