Who Is Ben Smith-Petersen, Riley Keough's Husband?

Publish date: 2024-05-21

Riley Keough is no stranger to the public eye, and never has been. As the daughter of Lisa Marie Presley and granddaughter of the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley himself, she inherited the spotlight. Over the years, as Keough cemented herself as a prominent actor with roles in Mad Max: Fury Road and Magic Mike, and most recently, as the star of Daisy Jones & The Six, she has only gotten more attention.

One hot topic on fans’ minds is, of course, her romantic life. Keough is happily married to stuntman Ben Smith-Petersen—and the couple’s Hollywood love story could honestly be the plot of a romantic movie. If you need proof, just see what the actor had to say about her beau in a 2022 interview with Vogue Australia: “My husband is such a good person. He’s calm and loyal and strong and sensitive. He’s my best friend. … At the end of the day, there is no side of me that he doesn’t know or love, and vice versa.” Seriously, how sweet.

Ahead is everything we know about Smith-Petersen.

Who is he?

Smith-Petersen is a stuntman and actor from Australia. He has performed stunts in films including Mad Max: Fury Road, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, and Suicide Squad, and acted in a few TV shows and films as well, including Spark and Light, Manodrome, and upcoming project The Dead Thing.

His hobbies seem to keep him just as active as his profession: He holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is an avid surfer.

How did he meet Keough?

The lovebirds first met in 2012 while filming Fury Road, in which Keough played Capable, one of Immortan Joe’s wives. Keough was in another relationship at that time, though, so it wasn’t until reshoots a year later, in Smith-Petersen’s home country, that the two began dating.

After just a month in Sydney together, they realized they were soulmates. “It was still so early that we weren’t being forward, but I knew I was in love with him,” Keough told Vogue Australia.

They had two weddings.

When you know, you know, and the couple sure did. “We moved in together after two months, and six months in he asked me to marry him, and then we were married a year later,” Keough said in the same interview.

The pair first got hitched in an intimate Hindu wedding in Nepal, and then again in front of their family and friends with a celebration in Napa Valley, California.

They have matching tattoos.

Nothing says forever like permanent ink. The two dove headfirst into their love affair by getting matching tattoos just three days into hanging out.

Then at some point, after years of wearing his heart on his sleeve for Keough, Smith-Petersen decided he’d also wear her name on his … waistband. He revealed a second hot tattoo dedicated to his wife with a photo posted to Instagram in September 2021. In the snap, Keough is pulling down Smith-Petersen’s pants ever so slightly, to reveal Riley in Old English lettering, below his navel.

They have a daughter.

Smith-Petersen revealed the couple had become parents during a January 2023 memorial service for Lisa Marie Presley at Graceland, Elvis’s Memphis estate.

“I hope I can love my daughter the way you loved me, the way you loved my brother and my sisters. Thank you for giving me strength, my heart, my empathy, my courage, my sense of humor, my manners, my temper, my wildness, my tenacity,” he read from a tribute written by Keough, on her behalf. “I’m a product of your heart, my sisters are a product of your heart, my brother is a product of your heart.”

In August 2023, the public learned the name of Keough and Smith-Petersen’s daughter: Tupelo Storm.

Christina Perrier is a NYC-based freelance writer who covers culture and lifestyle topics. When she’s not writing, she’s probably watching TikToks of dogs, experimenting in the kitchen, or curling up with a book.