Benjamin Stockham

Playing a precocious, bespectacled pre-teen wasn't much of stretch for career-savvy child star Ben Stockham, who co-starred as Xander Gilchrist, the youngest and wisest child of the President of the United States on the family comedy "1600 Penn" (NBC 2013). Stockham said he gained much comedic insight from his TV parents, Jenna Elfman and Bill Pullman. Benjamin Stockham was born in La Mesa, California. Stockham wasted no time in breaking into the acting world. As a child model, he appeared in a national commercial for Fidelity Investment firm. At the age of 8, he landed a small but memorable role in the sci-fi thriller, "Quarantine" (2008). After his film debut, his parents moved the family to Los Angeles as Stockham started working steadily in television. After guest starring in an episode of "Criminal Minds" (CBS 2005), Stockham was cast in a starring role on the sitcom "Sons of Tucson" (Fox 2010). He played Robby Gunderson, who along with his two older brothers hires a con man to pretend to be their guardian while their real father sits in jail. While the series was short-lived, Stockham's performance earned him a Young Artist Award the following year. After the series was cancelled, Stockham guest starred on crime procedural "Rizzoli and Isles" (TNT 2010-16) and fantasy drama "Once Upon a Time" (ABC 2011-). Not to fall prey to the many pitfalls that await a child star, Stockham balanced his busy work schedule with school. After "1600 Penn" was canceled, Stockman was cast in the TV adaptation of Nick Hornby's novel "About a Boy" (NBC 2013-15). Stockham took on the role of shy young teen Marcus, played by Nicholas Hoult in the hit 2002 film.