When you grow up as the granddaughter of Elvis Presley, "normal" is a relative term. For Riley Keough, life has been a whirlwind of high-fashion campaigns, gritty indie film roles, and navigating the heavy legacy of the Graceland estate. But when it comes to her personal life, specifically her marriage, she’s managed to pull off something almost impossible in Hollywood. She’s stayed remarkably grounded.
So, who is Riley Keough married to?
The man by her side is Ben Smith-Petersen. He isn't a flashy leading man or a tech mogul. Honestly, he’s an Australian stuntman who seems to be the literal anchor for a woman whose family history is as complicated as it gets. They’ve been together for over a decade, which is basically a century in celebrity years.
The Post-Apocalyptic Meet-Cute
Most people think they met and fell in love instantly on the set of Mad Max: Fury Road in 2012. That’s actually not quite right. While they technically met in the dust of the Namibian desert while filming, Riley was actually in another relationship at the time. She knew who Ben was—he was part of the stunt team—but there weren't any immediate fireworks.
Basically, they were just coworkers.
The real magic happened a year later during re-shoots in Australia. Riley was single then. She’s mentioned in interviews that she had this sudden realization that Ben was actually really cute. One night in Sydney, she invited him over to a friend’s house. They drank, they talked, and Ben—who grew up dancing—started teaching her how to salsa.
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Talk about a vibe.
They ended up going for a swim in one of the local bays, and Riley has described that night as "magic." By the second date, while Ben was walking out of a gas station, Riley had a premonition. She told herself, "I'm going to marry him and have kids with him." She just knew. They hadn't even said "I love you" yet, but the deal was sealed in her head.
Not One, But Two Weddings
You’ve probably heard about their big California wedding, but that wasn't actually their first time saying "I do."
In early 2015, the couple was in Nepal helping to build a school. The locals found out they were engaged and decided to throw them a traditional Hindu wedding. They hadn't showered in a week because it was too cold, but they rolled with it. It was intimate, unexpected, and completely off the grid.
The "official" wedding happened on February 4, 2015, in Napa Valley. It was a total contrast to the Nepal experience. The guest list was a literal who's who of cool-girl Hollywood:
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- Dakota Johnson (who was a bridesmaid)
- Kristen Stewart (who reportedly read a poem)
- Cara Delevingne
- Zoe Kravitz
Riley wore a long-sleeved French lace gown by Delphine Manivet. It was bohemian and simple, exactly her style. Her father, Danny Keough, and her late brother, Benjamin, even played in the wedding band.
Who Is Ben Smith-Petersen, Anyway?
Ben isn't just "Riley Keough's husband." He’s a massive talent in his own right within the industry. Born in Byron Bay, New South Wales, he started out as a circus performer and a flying trapeze teacher before transitioning into stunts.
He’s worked on some of the biggest movies of the last decade:
- The Great Gatsby
- The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
- Suicide Squad
- Barbie
He’s also a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which he earned in 2021. If you watched Daisy Jones & The Six, you might have actually seen him without realizing it. He had a brief cameo in the show where he actually played a character in a "sex scene" with his wife. The producers thought it would be hilarious, and Riley agreed.
A Private Family Life
The couple are now parents to two children, though they kept both arrivals very quiet. Their first daughter, Tupelo Storm Smith-Petersen, was born via surrogate in August 2022. The name is deeply personal. Tupelo is the city in Mississippi where Elvis was born, and Storm was the middle name of Riley’s brother, Benjamin.
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In late 2025, it was revealed that they had quietly welcomed a second baby earlier that year.
Riley has been open about why they chose surrogacy for Tupelo. She battles Lyme disease, and while she said she could carry children, she felt surrogacy was the best choice for her physical health at the time. It's that kind of honesty that makes her feel less like a "nepo baby" and more like a real person trying to figure things out.
Why Their Relationship Actually Works
Honestly, it seems to come down to communication and shared history. Riley has said that they just don't stop talking. Even after ten years, they’re still excited to get on the phone with each other. In an industry where marriages often crumble under the pressure of distance and ego, Ben seems perfectly happy to let Riley shine while being her steady support system.
He was the one who stood up at the memorial for her mother, Lisa Marie Presley, and read Riley’s tribute because she was too overcome with grief to do it herself. That spoke volumes about their partnership.
If you’re looking to follow in their footsteps of a low-key but high-functioning relationship, here are a few takeaways:
- Prioritize the friendship: They were friends and coworkers before they were "us."
- Keep the private stuff private: They don't sell every baby photo or life update to the highest bidder.
- Support the passions: Whether it's Ben’s Jiu-Jitsu or Riley’s directing, they seem to be each other's biggest fans.
To stay updated on Riley’s upcoming projects or her work with the Elvis estate, you can check out her official social media or follow the latest production news on IMDb. Her career is hitting a massive peak right now, and having a solid home life with Ben is clearly a huge part of that success.