Dirk Benedict | |
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Born | Dirk Niewoehner March 1, 1945 Helena, Montana, U.S. |
Alma mater | Whitman College |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1972–present |
Known for | The A-Team Battlestar Galactica |
Spouse | |
Children | 3 |
Website | dirkbenedictcentral |
Signature | |
Dirk Benedict (born Dirk Niewoehner; March 1, 1945) is an American film, television and stage actor, and author. He is best known for playing the characters Lieutenant Starbuck in the original Battlestar Galactica film and television series and Templeton "Face" Peck in The A-Team television series. He is the author of Confessions of a Kamikaze Cowboy and And Then We Went Fishing.
Benedict was born Dirk Niewoehner in Helena, Montana, [1] the son of George Edward Niewoehner, a lawyer, and his wife Priscilla Mella (née Metzger), an accountant. [2] He grew up in White Sulphur Springs, Montana. He graduated from Whitman College in 1967. [3] Benedict allegedly chose his stage name from a serving of Eggs Benedict he had prior to his acting career. He is of German extraction. [4]
Benedict's film debut was in the 1972 film Georgia, Georgia . When the New York run for Butterflies Are Free ended, he received an offer to repeat his performance in Hawaii, opposite Barbara Rush. While there, he appeared as a guest lead on Hawaii Five-O . The producers of a horror film called Sssssss (1973) saw Benedict's performance in Hawaii Five-O and promptly cast him as the lead in that movie. He next played the psychotic wife-beating husband of Twiggy in her American film debut, W (1974). Benedict starred in the television series Chopper One , which aired for one season in 1974. He made two appearances in Charlie's Angels . He also appeared on the Donny & Marie variety show.
Benedict's career break came in 1978 when he appeared as Lieutenant Starbuck in the movie and television series Battlestar Galactica . The same year, Benedict starred in the TV film, Cruise into Terror, and appeared in the ensemble movie, Scavenger Hunt the following year.
In 1980, Benedict starred alongside Linda Blair in an action-comedy movie called Ruckus . In 1983, Dirk gained further popularity as con man Templeton "Faceman" Peck in 1980s action television series The A-Team . He played "Face" from 1982 to 1986 , although the series didn't air until January 1983, and the final episode wasn't shown until 1987 rebroadcasts. The second season episode "Steel" includes a scene at Universal Studios where Face is seen looking bemused as a Cylon walks by him as an in-joke to his previous role in Battlestar Galactica. The clip is incorporated into the series' opening credit sequence from season 3 onward.
In 1986, Benedict starred as low-life band manager Harry Smilac in the movie Body Slam along with Lou Albano, Roddy Piper, and cameo appearances by Freddie Blassie, Ric Flair, and Bruno Sammartino. His character Smilac ends up managing the pro-wrestler "Quick Rick" Roberts (Piper) and faces opposition by Captain Lou Murano (Albano) and his wrestling tag-team "the Cannibals".
In 1987, Benedict took the title role of Shakespeare's Hamlet at the Abbey Theatre in Manhattan. Both his performance and the entire production were lambasted by critics. [5] Benedict starred in the 1989 TV film Trenchcoat in Paradise.
In 1991, Benedict starred in Blue Tornado, playing Alex, call sign Fireball, an Italian Air Force fighter pilot. Benedict published an autobiography, Confessions of a Kamikaze Cowboy: A True Story of Discovery, Acting, Health, Illness, Recovery, and Life (Avery Publishing ISBN 0895294796). In 1993, Benedict starred in Shadow Force .
Benedict also appeared as Jake Barnes in the 1996 action-adventure film Alaska .
In 2000, Benedict wrote and directed his first screenplay, Cahoots. [6] Benedict appeared in the 2006 German film Goldene Zeiten ("Golden Times") in a dual role, playing an American former TV star as well as a German lookalike who impersonates him.
In 2006, he wrote an online essay criticizing the then-airing Battlestar Galactica re-imagined series and, especially, its casting of a woman as his character, Starbuck, writing that "the war against masculinity has been won" and that "a television show based on hope, spiritual faith, and family is unimagined and regurgitated as a show of despair, sexual violence and family dysfunction". [7]
He appeared as a contestant on the 2007 UK series of Celebrity Big Brother 5 , in which he placed third. He arrived on launch night in a replica of the A-Team van, smoking a cigar and accompanied by the A-Team theme tune.
In 2010, Benedict starred in a stage production of Prescription: Murder playing Lieutenant Columbo for the Middle Ground Theatre Company in the UK. Benedict also made a cameo appearance in the 2010 film adaptation of The A-Team as Pensacola Prisoner Milt. [8]
In 2019, Benedict took on the role of Jack Strange in the B movie Space Ninjas , written and directed by Scott McQuaid. Dirk plays an eccentric TV host of a show called Stranger Than Fiction, which is like a hybrid of The Twilight Zone and The X-Files . The movie is a sci-fi comedy horror that follows a bunch of high school students trying to survive the night of a Space Ninja invasion.
In the 1970s, Benedict survived a prostate tumor, which he refused to have tested for malignancy. Having rejected conventional medical treatment, he credited his survival to the adoption of a macrobiotic diet recommended to him by actress Gloria Swanson. [9]
In 1986, he married Toni Hudson, an actress with whom he has two sons, George and Roland. Hudson had previously appeared as Dana in the fourth season A-Team episode titled "Blood, Sweat and Cheers". They divorced in 1995. [10] [11] [12]
In 1998, Benedict learned that he also has another son from an earlier relationship, who was placed for adoption. [13]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1972 | Georgia, Georgia | Michael Winters | |
1973 | Sssssss | David Blake | |
1974 | W | William Caulder | a.k.a. I Want Her Dead |
1978 | Battlestar Galactica | Lieutenant Starbuck | |
1979 | Scavenger Hunt | Jeff Stevens | |
1980 | Ruckus | Kyle Hanson | a.k.a. Ruckus in Madoc County |
1981 | Underground Aces | Pete Huffman | |
1986 | Body Slam | M. Harry Smilac | |
1991 | Blue Tornado | Alex Long | |
1992 | Shadow Force | Detective Rick Kelly | |
1994 | Demon Keeper | Alexander Harris | |
1995 | The Feminine Touch | John Mackie | Direct-to-video; a.k.a. The November Conspiracy |
1996 | Alaska | Jake Barnes | |
1998 | The Adventures of Young Brave | Tyler | a.k.a. Waking Up Horton |
2001 | Cahoots | — | Director and writer |
2006 | Goldene Zeiten | Douglas Burnett / John Striker / Horst Müller | |
2007 | Recon 7 Down | Tom Myers | |
2009 | Inglorious Bumblers | Tom Mayers | Direct-to-video |
2010 | The A-Team | Milt, Pensacola Prisoner | |
2019 | Space Ninjas | Jack Strange | |
2020 | Charlie's Christmas Wish | Stanley |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1972 | Hawaii Five-O | Walter Clyman | Episode: "Chain of Events" |
1974 | Chopper One | Officer Gil Foley | 13 episodes; Main cast |
1975 | Journey from Darkness | Bill | TV film |
1977 | Charlie's Angels | Cadet John Barton | Episode: "The Blue Angels" |
The Cabot Connection | Brom Loomis | Pilot episode | |
1978 | Cruise Into Terror | Simon McLane | TV film |
Charlie's Angels | Denny Railsback | Episode: "The Jade Trap" | |
1978–1979 | Battlestar Galactica | Lieutenant Starbuck | 24 episodes; Main cast |
1980 | Galactica 1980 | Episode: "The Return of Starbuck" | |
The Georgia Peaches | "Dusty" Tyree | TV film; a.k.a. Follow That Car | |
The Love Boat | Jeff Dalton | Episode: "That's My Dad" | |
1982 | Family in Blue | Matt Malone | TV pilot episode |
1983 | The Love Boat | Gary Wells | Episode: "The Dog Show: Whose Dog Is It Anyway?" |
1983–1987 | The A-Team | Lieutenant Templeton "Faceman" Peck | 96 episodes; Main cast |
1984 | Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense | Frank Rowlett | Episode: "Mark of the Devil" |
1985 | Amazing Stories | "Face" | Episode: "Remote Control Man" |
1987 | Hotel | Trevor Harris | Episode: "Prized Possessions" |
1989 | Murder, She Wrote | Dr. David Latimer | Episode: "Smooth Operators" |
Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Dr. Rush | Episode: "In the Name of Science" | |
Trenchcoat in Paradise | Eddie Mazda | TV film | |
1991 | Bejewelled | Gordon | |
1992 | Baywatch | Aaron Brody | Episode: "Rookie of the Year" |
1993 | Official Denial | Lieutenant Colonel Dan Lerner | TV film |
The Commish | Gil Higgins | Episode: "All That Glitters" | |
1995 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Blair | Episode: "Case Closed" |
Murder, She Wrote | Gary Harling | Episode: "Frozen Stiff" | |
1996 | Abduction of Innocence | Robert Steves | TV film |
2006 | Earthstorm | Victor Stevens |
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
1997 | Zork: Grand Inquisitor | Antharia Jack |
2003 | Battlestar Galactica | Lieutenant Starbuck |
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. It began with the original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel series, Galactica 1980, a line of book adaptations, original novels, comic books, a board game, and video games. A reimagined version aired as a two-part, three-hour miniseries developed by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick in 2003, followed by a 2004 television series, which aired until 2009. A prequel series, Caprica, aired in 2010.
Richard Lawrence Hatch was an American actor and writer. He began his career as a stage actor before moving on to television work in the 1970s. Hatch is best known for his role as Captain Apollo in the original Battlestar Galactica television series. He is also widely known for his role as Tom Zarek in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica.
Galactica 1980 is an American science fiction television series and a spin-off from the original Battlestar Galactica television series. It was first broadcast on ABC in the United States from January 27 to May 4, 1980, lasting for 10 episodes.
Katee Sackhoff is an American actress. She is known for playing Lieutenant Kara "Starbuck" Thrace on the Sci Fi Channel's television program Battlestar Galactica (2004–2009), Niko Breckenridge on the Netflix series Another Life (2019–2021), Victoria "Vic" Moretti on the A&E / Netflix series Longmire and Bo-Katan Kryze on the Disney+ series The Mandalorian (2020–2023). She also provided the voice for Kryze in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels (2017) and Star Wars: Tales of the Empire (2024), as well as the voice of Bitch Pudding on Robot Chicken (2005–present). She was nominated for four Saturn Awards for her work on Battlestar Galactica and won the award for Best Supporting Actress on Television in 2005.
Kara Thrace is a fictional character in the reimagined 2004 Battlestar Galactica series. Played by Katee Sackhoff, she is a revised version of Lieutenant Starbuck from the 1978 Battlestar Galactica series. She is one of the main characters on the show.
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction television series created by Glen A. Larson that aired on the ABC network from September 17, 1978, to April 29, 1979. It stars an ensemble cast led by Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch, and Dirk Benedict. The series follows a group of humans fleeing the destruction of their homeworlds aboard the titular spacecraft, searching for a new home while being pursued by the Cylons, a fearsome society of robots intent on exterminating all humans.
Battlestar Galactica has been adapted to the comic book format since its inception, with six publishers to date taking on the project of relating the story of the Colonial Fleet and their adversaries, the Cylons, at different points.
Battlestar Galactica is an American military science fiction television series, and part of the Battlestar Galactica franchise. The show was developed by Ronald D. Moore and executive produced by Moore and David Eick as a re-imagining of the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series created by Glen A. Larson. The pilot for the series first aired as a three-hour miniseries in December 2003 on the Sci-Fi Channel, which was then followed by four regular seasons, ending its run on March 20, 2009. The cast includes Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer, and Grace Park.
"The Hand of God" is the tenth episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It shares its title with the last episode of the original series.
"Kobol's Last Gleaming" is the two-part first-season finale of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series.
"Valley of Darkness" is the second episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on July 22, 2005.
"Home" is a two-part episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. Part 1 aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on August 19, 2005, and Part 2 aired on August 26, 2005.
"Pegasus" is the tenth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on September 23, 2005. Following "Pegasus", the series went on hiatus until January 2006.
"Resurrection Ship" is a two-part episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. Part 1 aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on January 6, 2006, and Part 2 aired on January 13, 2006. It was the first episode broadcast after a hiatus following the broadcast of the previous episode, "Pegasus", on September 23, 2005.
"Scar" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on February 3, 2006.
"Saga of a Star World" is the pilot for the American science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica which was produced in 1978 by Glen A. Larson. A re-edit of the episode was released theatrically as Battlestar Galactica in Canada before the television series aired in the United States, in order to help recoup its high production costs. Later, the standalone film edit was also released in the United States and internationally.
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan is a television film set in the reimagined version of the fictional Battlestar Galactica universe. It consists of newly filmed material as well as a compilation of footage from the 2003 miniseries and 2004 TV series.
Chopper One was an ABC action-crime television series premiering in early 1974, depicting the activities of a fictional California police helicopter team. The program was produced by television powerhouse Spelling-Goldberg Productions. The series aired in a half-hour time slot on Thursdays at 8 p.m. Eastern.