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Ben McCain
Ben McCain
Ben McCain
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Key Information

Ben McCain (born 25 June 1955) is an American actor, broadcaster, producer and one half of The McCain Brothers, a singing-songwriting duo. McCain appeared as news anchor Aries West in MGM's comedy Bio-Dome, the character, Travis, in Roger Corman's remake Humanoids From The Deep, and the Mayor of Gold Lick in Bruce Campbell's My Name Is Bruce. Ben and his brother, Butch McCain, also wrote and performed the theme song in My Name is Bruce titled "The Legend of Guan Di". McCain had a recurring role as news anchor Brock Thompson in ABC's Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and another recurring role as newscaster Don MacDonald in SyFy's Black Scorpion.

Early life

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Born in Muleshoe, Texas, and raised on a farm near Bovina in Parmer County. McCain is a graduate of Bovina High School, South Plains College in Levelland, Texas, and West Texas State University now West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas.

Career

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Ben McCain and his brother, Butch McCain, co-hosted a morning television program in Oklahoma City from 1981 to 1987 at KTVY (NBC affiliate) and from 1987 to 1994 the brothers hosted "Good Morning Oklahoma" and anchored the noon newscast at KOCO-TV (ABC affiliate). Ben anchored the news and Butch served as the weather anchor.[1]

While hosting their daily morning television program, the brothers appeared on the syndicated TV show Hee Haw twice in the 1980s as well as ABC soap operas General Hospital, All My Children and Loving.[3] Ben and his brother, Butch, made 3 appearances on General Hospital.

The McCain Brothers did live segments on the KCBS-TV morning show in Los Angeles in 2000.

The McCain Brothers have recorded four CDs on Rise and Shine Records. The country single, "If Love Was a Crime I Couldn't Get Arrested" went number one on 50,000-watt KOMA radio in 1985.[2] They also hosted a syndicated TV music show called "The McCain Brothers Show."[2]

Ben and his brother, Butch, have appeared in numerous films together including MGM's comedy Bio-Dome,[4] Roger Corman's Humanoids from the Deep and Bruce Campbell's My Name is Bruce, where they wrote and performed the theme song, "The Legend of Guan Di".[5] In the movie, Ben plays the mayor and Butch has dual roles as the sheriff and a uni-browed farmer. In a 1997 Daily Variety article, columnist Andrew Hindes described the McCain Brothers as "multi-hyphenated".[6]

McCain has been nominated twice for Los Angeles Area Emmy awards. The first time in 2010 as Producer and Host for the program "So-Cal's Best Iconic Movie Locations"[3] and again in 2012 as Producer for the program "Leimert Park Today".[4] McCain worked as a producer, host and reporter for Time Warner Cable from 2002 to 2012.

McCain narrated the audio book NICHOLAS: The Fantastic Origins of Santa Claus in 2013.

Ben McCain began co-anchoring a news show for Torrance CitiCable in 2000. On April 9, 2020, McCain began anchoring live COVID-19 updates for Torrance CitiCable. April 15, 2021 McCain announced that it would be his final time anchoring for Torrance CitiCable's "COVID-19 Today" stating that he was moving to Franklin, Tennessee, with his wife and son.[5]

Filmography

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Year Film Role Other notes
1985–1988 Nashville Now
1988 Dark Before Dawn (News Reporter)
1993 General Hospital Medical Examiner
1996 Bio-Dome Anchor Aries West
1996 Humanoids From The Deep Travis
1997 Click (U.S. TV series) Tofu Man #2
1997 Midnight Blue (film) Second Executive
1995–1997 Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Brock Thompson 9 episodes
1997 Two Came Back Coast Guard Official
1998 The Adventures of Pug and Zero Sheriff
1998 The Pretender Jordon Brock
1998 Outside Ozona Radio Furniture Salesman
1998 Under The Legs of Clouds Preacher
1999 The Sex Monster Radio Shock Jock
1999 Born Bad Deputy
2000 Martial Law Airline Pilot
2000 Arrest & Trial Narrator
2001 Skippy (2001 film) TV Anchor
2001 Accidents Don't Happen Film Critic
2001 Fire & Ice (2001 film) Commentator
2001 Black Scorpion Don MacDonald 16 episodes
2002 Don't Let Go Tex
2005 KatiBird *Certifiable Crazy Person Groundskeeper
2005 Blood Deep Officer Ben Lucas
2007 My Name Is Bruce Mayor
2007 Stall 60 on the Sunset Strip The Boss
2008 Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight Elistan
2008 Killer Tumbleweeds Brock McDonald
2009 Breaking News: The Invasion Begins! Dack Tamblyn
2010 Leave It on the Court John Henderson
2010 Love Chronicles: Secrets Revealed Doctor
2010 The Talking Head Phil Rose
2011 Fresh Starts 4 Stale People Burt Kringle
2012 The Amazing Adventures of the Living Corpse Bruce
2013 In Vacuo Ron Shelby
2013 Julian Jack Cameron
2014 "Homecoming" Officer Ben Lucas
2016 "House of Cards" (Season 4) Radio Newscaster
2018 "Call for Fire" TV Newscaster Kevin Matney
2019 Dead End Cop # 2
2022 "Negative Thoughts" Radio Newscaster
2023 Women, Guns and Ammo Dr. Steel
TBA Killer Tumbleweeds 2 Brock MacDonald

Music

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Ben and his brother, Butch form the singing-songwriting duo, The McCain Brothers. They have recorded 6 albums. Film legend Roger Corman was the first producer to use their songs in a movie. The single, "If Love Was a Crime I Couldn't Get Arrested", went number one on 50,000-watt KOMA radio in Oklahoma City. Ben and Butch also hosted a syndicated TV music program called The McCain Brothers Show.

References

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Ben McCain

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Ben McCain is an American actor, broadcaster, and producer known for his extensive work in television news anchoring and his frequent portrayals of news anchors, reporters, and media figures in film and television, as well as for being one half of the singing-songwriting duo The McCain Brothers alongside his brother Butch McCain. His career spans local broadcasting success in the American Southwest to supporting roles in Hollywood productions, where his real-life experience as a news anchor informed many of his on-screen characters. McCain began his career in broadcasting in Texas and later co-hosted a dominant morning television program in Oklahoma City with his brother Butch, where he anchored the news while Butch provided weather forecasts; the show achieved significant market share over its 12-year run. This foundation in live television transitioned into acting opportunities, including recurring appearances as news anchors such as Brock Thompson in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and guest roles in various series. In film, McCain is recognized for roles including news anchor Aries West in Bio-Dome, Travis in Humanoids from the Deep, and the Mayor of Gold Lick in My Name Is Bruce, the latter featuring the McCain Brothers' original theme song "The Legend of Guan Di," which they wrote and performed throughout the movie. He has also contributed as a producer on projects such as Killer Tumbleweeds and pursued music collaborations with his brother, releasing albums as The McCain Brothers. His multifaceted career bridges regional broadcasting prominence with steady contributions to independent and mainstream entertainment.

Early life

Birth and background

Ben McCain was born on June 25, 1955, in Muleshoe, Texas, USA. He is American by nationality. McCain was raised outside the small West Texas town of Bovina, in a rural area of the Texas Panhandle. He has a brother, Butch McCain, who is also an actor and recording artist; the two have performed together as the singing-songwriting duo The McCain Brothers. Beyond his upbringing in rural Texas and his family connection to his brother, little additional detail is publicly available about his early childhood or family background.

Career

Broadcasting career

Ben McCain began his career in broadcasting in Texas before moving to Oklahoma City, where he co-hosted a dominant morning television program with his brother Butch McCain. Ben anchored the news while Butch provided weather forecasts. The show achieved significant market share over its 12-year run. This live television experience provided the foundation for his later acting roles, particularly those involving news anchors and media figures.

Entry into acting

Ben McCain entered the acting profession in the late 1980s. Public sources, including his filmography on IMDb, provide no details about any formal acting training or theater background before his screen appearances. These initial credits marked the beginning of his acting career in film and television, leading to more consistent work in subsequent years.

Film career

Ben McCain has maintained a steady presence as a character actor in feature films since the late 1980s, primarily in supporting and small roles across studio, independent, and low-budget productions. He is frequently typecast in parts depicting authority figures, including media professionals such as news reporters and anchors, as well as law enforcement officers, executives, and community officials. His early credited film appearance includes a role as a news reporter in Dark Before Dawn (1988). One of his more visible roles came as news anchor Aries West in the MGM comedy Bio-Dome (1996). Subsequent credits include second executive in Midnight Blue (1997), deputy in Born Bad (1999), film critic in Rubbernecking (also known as Accidents Don't Happen, 2002 release), and mayor in My Name Is Bruce (2007). His pattern of portraying officials continued in later works, such as Cop #2 in Dead End (2019). McCain has occasionally collaborated with his brother Butch McCain on film projects and has appeared in a mix of theatrical releases and direct-to-video efforts.

Television career

Ben McCain has had a notable television career primarily consisting of recurring and guest roles, with a strong emphasis on portraying broadcasters, journalists, and other media figures, often drawing from his own background as a former news anchor. His most prominent television work includes a recurring role as news anchor Brock Thompson in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, where he appeared across 8 episodes from 1995 to 1997, playing variations such as anchor, anchorman, newscaster, and TV news reporter. He continued this pattern with another substantial recurring part as newscaster Don MacDonald in the 2001 Syfy series Black Scorpion, appearing in 15 episodes and frequently serving to narrate or advance plot developments through his character's broadcasts. These recurring opportunities represent the core of his episodic television output, showcasing consistent typecasting in news and media-related characters. McCain also made guest appearances in various other series, including as war correspondent Jordan Brock in a 1998 episode of The Pretender, an airline pilot (uncredited) in a 2000 episode of Martial Law, and a radio news reporter (uncredited) in a 2016 episode of House of Cards. His earlier television credits include playing a medical examiner in two episodes of the soap opera General Hospital between 1989 and 1993, along with minor parts such as a bar patron in a 1989 episode of Loving and other one-off roles like a sheriff in The Adventures of Pug and Zero (1998). Across his television work, McCain's roles often feature authority figures or professionals in official capacities, including commentators, narrators, and law enforcement-adjacent characters, though media broadcasters remain the dominant type. His episodic contributions total approximately 30 appearances, largely concentrated in the recurring roles that defined much of his visibility on television during the 1990s and early 2000s.

Later career and recent work

In the 2010s and 2020s, Ben McCain continued his career with supporting roles in independent films, short films, and occasional television appearances, often typecast as newscasters, radio reporters, or similar authoritative figures that aligned with his extensive background in broadcasting. He also maintained involvement in local media production and anchoring for Torrance CitiCable, co-hosting the program This Week in Torrance. Earlier in this period, McCain earned a nomination for a Los Angeles Area Emmy Award in 2012 as producer on a local television project. His acting credits during this time include an uncredited role as a radio news reporter in one episode of the Netflix series House of Cards (2016), newscaster Kevin Matney in the feature film Call for Fire (2018), Cop #2 in Dead End (2019), and Jack Cameron in Julian (2013). He provided voice work as Bruce in the animated film The Amazing Adventures of the Living Corpse (2012) and took on smaller parts such as Ron Shelby in the short In Vacuo (2013) and Burt Kringle in Fresh Starts 4 Stale People (2011). More recently, McCain appeared as a radio newscaster in the short films Negative Thoughts (2022) and Stranded (2024), and contributed as a performer in the music department for Glowzies (2023). These projects reflect McCain's ongoing activity in lower-profile independent productions and voice roles into his later years, with his most recent credited performance occurring in 2024.

Personal life

Personal life and public profile

Limited public information is available about Ben McCain's personal life, though he has shared some family details through his YouTube channel "Daddy and The Big Boy," which he co-hosts with his son Zac. The channel features family-oriented content and daily life activities. McCain is married and has one son; in April 2021, he announced relocating from Los Angeles to Franklin, Tennessee, with his wife and son. He maintains a relatively low-key profile outside his professional work and YouTube presence, with limited discussion of personal views or private interests in interviews or other media.

Legacy and recognition

Ben McCain is known as a prolific character actor who specialized in supporting roles, particularly as news anchors, reporters, broadcasters, and similar media figures. This recurring typecasting stemmed directly from his extensive pre-acting career in real-life broadcasting, where he worked as a news anchor and reporter at various Texas and Oklahoma stations, lending authenticity to his on-screen portrayals. With 41 acting credits spanning film, television, and voice work, McCain established himself as a reliable day player in Hollywood, contributing to a wide range of productions over several decades. His work often appeared in memorable small parts within cult and mainstream projects, where his consistent presence in broadcaster roles added texture to ensemble casts. McCain received two nominations for Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards in 2010 (62nd) and 2012 (64th), related to his production work on local programming such as "This Week in Torrance." He has not received major national awards or widespread critical recognition for his acting performances. His legacy rests primarily on his dependable niche expertise and steady presence in the industry.
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