Benjamin Frederick Mankiewicz[3] (born March 25, 1967) is an American television journalist and host for Turner Classic Movies (TCM).

[10] He joined WAMI in Miami, Florida, in 1998, where he served as anchor of The Times, a daily news magazine show and the station's highlight program.

"[12] By the early 2000s, network executives at Turner Classic Movies (TCM) began noticing high viewership numbers during the afternoon weekend hours.

In early 2003, they held auditions in Century City, Los Angeles for an on-air host to serve the time slot.

[13] He returned home, where he asked his then-girlfriend to watch TCM, which was airing The Barefoot Contessa (1954), directed by his grand-uncle Joseph L.

To avoid imitating Osborne's style, Mankiewicz chose a loose, more casual demeanor, including sporting a goatee.

"[18] Furthermore, Mankiewicz frequently uses sardonic humor in his on-air introductions; before a broadcast of Gigi (1958), he once joked the film was not to be confused with "Gigli, the 'Bennifer' disaster that won't get anywhere near the Oscars.

[17] In 2012, desiring a lesser schedule due to past health concerns, Osborne began delegating weekday primetime hosting appearances over to Mankiewicz by the following year.

[20] Mankiewicz's on-air appearances were also expanded to host the weekend programming blocks: Silent Sunday Nights and TCM Imports.

In 2018, the service added a curated collection branded as the "TCM Select," which featured exclusive introductions by Mankiewicz.

[26] In 2020, TCM and Mankiewicz launched an original podcast series titled The Plot Thickens, with the first season chronicling Peter Bogdanovich's filmmaking career.

[30] On June 6, 2024, the series' fifth season, which chronicled film director John Ford's life and career, began streaming.

[32] In 2023, Mankiewicz began hosting a second podcast series Talking Pictures, in which he interviewed several personalities, including Mel Brooks, Nancy Meyers, and Patty Jenkins.

on The Young Turks Network, alongside fellow critics Christy Lemire, Matt Atchity, and Alonso Duralde.

[41] Mankiewicz has made cameo appearances in the Lifetime television movie The Bling Ring (2011) and the action film White House Down (2013).