High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Benjamin "Ben" Linus is a fictional character portrayed by Michael Emerson on the ABC television series Lost. Ben was the leader of a group of island natives called the Others and was initially known as Henry Gale to the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815. He began as the antagonist during the second and third seasons, but in subsequent seasons, becomes something of an uneasy ally to the main characters; even so, however, throughout the series, he is persistently characterized by spontaneous coldblooded actions and the shroud of moral ambiguity. Other characters frequently describe him as loyal only to himself, though it is also often hinted that he may be driven by some higher purpose.