Bennett was born in Leytonstone, London,[1] and attended The Latymer School in Edmonton,[2] where he was Head Boy and played the title role in Hamlet in his final year.
[13] He then began his association with the Royal Court, appearing in Dominic Cooke's 2012 production of In Basildon by David Eldridge,[14] before joining the cast of Posh, as it transferred to the West End later that year.
[17] After more film and television roles,[18] Bennett appeared as Greg in 2013's hit West End revival of Alan Ayckbourn’s comedy Relatively Speaking at the Wyndham's Theatre,[19] the Telegraph remarking he "memorably captures the confusion of the gawky young innocent abroad".
[29] He went back to working with classical text, but still on the small screen, appearing as John Talbot in the BBC/NBC mini-series The Hollow Crown, which starred Benedict Cumberbatch.
He played Jesuit poet, priest and martyr Robert Southwell, Shakespeare's cousin in the show and the most wanted man in England, "a messianic, charismatic leader bent on fomenting Catholic rebellion".
[37] In 2019, a return to the stage followed for Bennett as he appeared in ANNA at the National Theatre, Ella Hickson's sound-led collaboration with Ben and Max Ringham, directed by Natalie Abrahami.
Playing "sinister boss Christian",[38] The Stage's five-star review found him "tall and threatening with bright blond hair and a voice that could cut glass".