Ben Ahlers (born August 17, 1996) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Liam Kelly on the NBC drama series "The Village" (2019), John Trotter on the HBO historical drama series "The Gilded Age" (2022–present), and Burton on the HBO post-apocalyptic drama series "The Last of Us" (2025).
Early life and career.
Ahlers was born on August 17, 1996, in Fort Dodge, Iowa. He began singing and acting in community theatre from 6-years old, landing his first role as an orphan in a local production of "Oliver!". After graduating as valedictorian from Fort Dodge Senior High School, he attended the University of Michigan, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theatre.
In 2017, Ahlers starred in the short film "Anna Garcia Does a One Woman Play". He then landed a small role on the NBC drama "The Village", his first appearance on network television. In 2020, he starred in the Quibi miniseries "When the Streetlights Go On", playing the main role of Brad Kirchoff. He also briefly appeared in "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" playing Lucas Hunt, a love interest of the main character.
In 2022, Ahlers was cast on the HBO series "The Gilded Age", playing the role of footman and clockmaker John "Jack" Trotter. Beginning as a recurring role, he was promoted to a series regular in the second season. In preparation of the show's second season, Ahlers took watch-making classes with the Horological Society of New York.
In 2025, Ahlers was cast in the second season of HBO series "The Last of Us" as Burton, a loyal soldier of the Seattle rebel militia group Washington Liberation Front (WLF). Introduced during a flashback as a naïve rookie serving the government, he is recruited to the WLF by Jeffrey Wright's Isaac.
Personal Life.
Outside of acting, Ahlers enjoys yoga and meditation; he used to work as a personal trainer before his acting career became sustainable.
He describes himself as a fan of directors Sean Baker, Chloé Zhao, Sam Mendes and Yorgos Lanthimos, and says his favourite author is David Foster Wallace.