Ben Becker is the son of actors Monika Hansen and Rolf Becker. He is the brother of actress Meret Becker and the stepson of Otto Sander. His grandmother was the comedian Claire Schlichting. Becker is jewish by his mother and grandmother, Monika Hansen and Claire Schlichting. As a child, Becker participated in radio dramas and had several small roles in films. Between 1985 and 1987 he trained as an actor in the Berliner Schaubühne theatre. His first contract was with Ernst-Deutsch-Theater in Hamburg.