The youngest of five children, Benjamin Clementine grew up in a middle-class family in Edmonton, London, with his strict Roman Catholic grandmother. After she died, he moved in with his parents. At 19, Clementine moved to Paris, France, becoming homeless but eventually became a cult figure in the music and art scene winning numerous awards. He then moved to California to pursue a career in acting. He made his film debut in 2021, as an imperial emissary in Denis Villeneuve's Dune.