Ben Ahlers is an American actor from Fort Dodge, Iowa, best known for playing footman-turned-clockmaker Jack Trotter on HBO’s The Gilded Age. Born on August 17, 1996, he built his career through regional theater, guest spots on network television, and streaming projects before landing his breakout role in 2022. Since then, he has added a Last of Us arc, a Netflix film, and a Broadway debut to his resume.
Growing Up in Fort Dodge
Ahlers started performing young. He joined community theater at age six, taking his first role as an orphan in a local production of Oliver!. That early exposure to the stage stuck with him, and he kept acting and singing throughout his school years in Fort Dodge.
He graduated as valedictorian of his class at Fort Dodge Senior High School. The combination of academic focus and stage experience gave him a foundation that carried into his college years, where he chose to pursue performance training formally rather than treat acting as a hobby.
Training at the University of Michigan
Ahlers attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theatre. The program is known for producing working actors and singers, and it gave Ahlers a technical grounding in both stage performance and screen work.
After graduating, he moved toward film and television roles rather than staying purely in musical theater, though he would eventually return to the stage years later. That shift shaped the mix of screen and theater credits that now define his career.
Early Roles Before The Gilded Age
Ahlers’ first screen credit came in 2017 with the short film Anna Garcia Does a One Woman Play. From there, he picked up guest and supporting roles that gradually built his television resume rather than all at once.
He appeared in NBC’s The Village as Liam Kelly across seven episodes in 2019, and took a guest role in Instinct the same year. In 2020, he starred in the Quibi miniseries When the Streetlights Go On, playing lead character Brad Kirchoff, and also appeared as Lucas Hunt in an episode of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
Landing Jack Trotter on The Gilded Age
In December 2020, HBO announced Ahlers as part of a wave of new cast additions to The Gilded Age, Julian Fellowes’ historical drama set in 1880s New York. He was cast as John “Jack” Trotter, a footman working in the Van Rhijn household.
The role started as recurring in season one, then Ahlers was promoted to series regular for season two. His character’s arc took an unexpected turn when Jack began inventing an alarm clock, a plotline that required Ahlers to prepare in an unusually hands-on way.
To play the part convincingly, Ahlers took watchmaking classes through the Horological Society of New York. That research turned into a genuine interest. He has stayed connected to the organization since filming wrapped on the season, attending its 2024 gala and later co-chairing its 2026 gala alongside watchmakers Danièla Dufour and Roger W. Smith.
The clockmaking storyline also earned him an online nickname, “Clock Twink,” which fans coined and which he has openly embraced in interviews. The Gilded Age itself picked up a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2024, with Ahlers among the credited cast.
A Turn in The Last of Us
In 2025, Ahlers joined the cast of HBO’s The Last of Us for its second season, playing Burton, a member of the Washington Liberation Front militia in Seattle. The character appears in a flashback as a young recruit before being brought into the group by Jeffrey Wright’s Isaac.
Ahlers appeared in two episodes, “Day One” and “Convergence.” The role gave him his first significant credit in a post-apocalyptic drama, a genre distinct from the period setting of The Gilded Age, and showed television audiences a different side of his range.
Stepping Onto Broadway
Ahlers has also built a theater resume alongside his screen work. Stage credits include The Closet at Williamstown Theatre Festival, Good Boys at Pasadena Playhouse, and Tender Napalm off-Broadway. In May 2025, he took the title role in John Wilkes Booth: One Night Only!, a stage show written by Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner that premiered at Baltimore Center Stage.
His Broadway debut came in 2026, when he joined the revival of Death of a Salesman as Happy Loman, performing alongside Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalf. The production drew strong box office numbers and reportedly sold out during its run. For his performance, Ahlers won a 2026 Theatre World Award, an honor given to actors making a notable Broadway or Off-Broadway debut.
What Comes Next for Ben Ahlers
Ahlers has an upcoming role in Little Brother, a Netflix comedy film announced in mid-2025 that also features Chris Meloni, Ego Nwodim, and Sherry Cola. He plays a character named Kieran Francis in the project.
Between his ongoing work on The Gilded Age, his Last of Us appearance, and his growing theater résumé, Ahlers has moved steadily from supporting television roles into higher-profile film, streaming, and stage projects within a few years.
Life Outside Acting
Ahlers grew up Catholic but has said he is no longer a practicing Christian. He has spoken about enjoying yoga and meditation, and before his acting career became financially sustainable, he worked as a personal trainer.
He has named directors Sean Baker, Chloé Zhao, Sam Mendes, and Yorgos Lanthimos as influences, and has cited author David Foster Wallace as a favorite writer. His interest in watchmaking, sparked by his Gilded Age role, has become a genuine hobby that keeps him connected to a community outside entertainment.
Ahlers’ path from a Fort Dodge community theater stage to Broadway and prestige television reflects steady, role-by-role progress rather than a single breakout moment. His range across a period drama, a survival thriller, and a classic American play suggests his career is still finding new directions to grow into.
