Martin Benson (actor)

Last updated

Martin Benson
Actor Martin Benson.jpg
Born
Martin Benjamin Benson

(1918-08-10)10 August 1918
London, England
Died28 February 2010(2010-02-28) (aged 91)
Markyate, Hertfordshire, England
OccupationActor
Years active1942–2005
Spouse(s)Joan Oliver (?–?) divorced
Joy Swinson-Benson (m. 1977–2010) (his death)

Martin Benjamin Benson (10 August 1918 – 28 February 2010) [1] [2] was a British character actor who appeared in films, theatre and television. He appeared in both British and Hollywood productions. [3]

Contents

Early life

Benson was born in the East End of London, into a Jewish family, [4] the son of a Russian-Jewish grocer and his Polish-Jewish wife who had left Russia at the revolution. [1] After attending Tottenham Grammar School on a scholarship, he served in the 2nd Searchlight, Royal Artillery, during World War II. Stationed in Cairo, Egypt, he and Arthur Lowe founded the repertory company Mercury Theatre in Alexandria. [1]

Career

He is remembered for his role as the Kralaholme in the original London production of The King and I , a role he recreated in the Oscar-winning film version. [5]

Appearing in films for over six decades, Benson played mostly supporting characters or villains. [6] His films include The Blind Goddess (1948), Wheel of Fate (1953), Interpol (1957), The Strange World of Planet X (1958), Once More, with Feeling! (1959), Exodus (1960), Five Golden Hours (1961), A Shot in the Dark (1964), Pope Joan (1972), The Sea Wolves (1980) and Angela's Ashes (1999). [7]

He also had an uncredited role in MGM's hit historical film, Ivanhoe , and in 1963 he acted in another historic film, as Ramos in Cleopatra (which also starred Elizabeth Taylor). Benson played both serious roles, such as Ali in Killers of Kilimanjaro (1959) and comic roles, such as Maurice in A Shot in the Dark . [3]

In 1964, he appeared as Mr. Solo, the gangster who is killed by Goldfinger's henchman Oddjob in the James Bond film Goldfinger . [5]

Television

He appeared in many roles on television. He appeared as a barrister, using his own name, in the unscripted series The Verdict is Yours which ran for several years in the 1950s. Cases were shown and the previously unknown verdict was given by jury of viewers. [2] In 1957 he made a guest appearance on The Jack Benny Show . [8] In the same year he played the recurring character the Duke de Medici in the children's adventure series Sword of Freedom . [9] In 1981 he appeared in the television production of The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy , albeit unrecognisable under the heavy make-up and costume of Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz, leader of the Vogon fleet sent to destroy Earth. [6] His last appearance was in the TV series Casualty in 2005. [10]

Death

Benson died in his sleep on 28 February 2010, from natural causes. [2]

Filmography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basil Dignam</span> English actor

Basil Dignam was an English character actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finlay Currie</span> Scottish actor (1878–1968)

William Finlay Currie was a Scottish actor of stage, screen, and television. He received great acclaim for his roles as Abel Magwitch in the British film Great Expectations (1946) and as Balthazar in the American film Ben-Hur (1959).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawrence Dobkin</span> American actor, director and screenwriter (1919–2002)

Lawrence Dobkin was an American television director, character actor and screenwriter whose career spanned seven decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Haggerty</span> American actor (1914–1988)

Don Haggerty was an American actor of film and television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Doucette</span> American actor (1921–1994)

John Arthur Doucette was an American character actor who performed in more than 280 film and television productions between 1941 and 1987. A man of stocky build who possessed a deep, rich voice, he proved equally adept at portraying characters in Shakespearean plays, Westerns, and modern crime dramas. He is perhaps best remembered, however, for his villainous roles as a movie and television "tough guy".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raymond Huntley</span> English actor (1904–1990)

Horace Raymond Huntley was an English actor who appeared in dozens of British films from the 1930s to the 1970s. He also appeared in the ITV period drama Upstairs, Downstairs as the pragmatic family solicitor Sir Geoffrey Dillon, and other television shows, such as the Wodehouse Playhouse,, in 1975..

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter Reed (actor)</span> American actor (1916-2001)

Walter Reed was an American stage, film and television actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Ripper</span> British actor

Michael George Ripper was an English character actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torin Thatcher</span> British actor (1905–1981)

Torin Herbert Erskine Thatcher was a British actor who was noted for his flashy portrayals of screen villains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willis Bouchey</span> American actor (1907–1977)

Willis Ben Bouchey was an American character actor who appeared in almost 150 films and television shows. He was born in Vernon, Michigan, but raised by his mother and stepfather in Washington state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vaughn Taylor (actor)</span> American actor (1910–1983)

Vaughn Everett Taylor was an American actor. He became known for his roles in many anthology series, including Kraft Television Theatre (1947–1957) and Robert Montgomery Presents (1950–1954). He also appeared in films such as Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) and Psycho (1960).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marianne Stone</span> English actress (1922–2009)

Marianne Stone was an English character actress. She performed in films from the early 1940s to the late 1980s, typically playing working class parts such as barmaids, secretaries and landladies. Stone appeared in nine of the Carry On films, and took part in an episode of the Carry On Laughing television series. She also had supporting roles with comedian Norman Wisdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myron Healey</span> American actor (1923–2005)

Myron Daniel Healey was an American actor. He began his career in Hollywood, California during the early 1940s and eventually made hundreds of appearances in movies and on television during a career spanning more than half a century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Les Tremayne</span> English actor (1913–2003)

Lester Tremayne was an English actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas Kennedy (actor)</span> American actor (1915–1973)

Douglas Richards Kennedy was an American supporting actor originally from New York City who appeared in more than 190 films between 1935 and 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wensley Pithey</span> South African actor

Wensley Ivan William Frederick Pithey was a South African character actor who had a long stage and film career in Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugh Sanders</span> American actor (1911–1966)

Hugh Howard Sanders was an American actor, probably best known for playing the role of Dr. Reynolds in the movie To Kill a Mockingbird.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Bell (actor)</span> American actor (1891–1973)

James Harlee Bell was an American film and stage actor who appeared in about 150 films and television shows through 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Foulk</span> American actor (1908–1989)

Robert C. Foulk was an American television and film character actor who portrayed Sheriff H. Miller in the CBS series Lassie from 1958 to 1962.

Robert Osterloh was an American actor. His career spanned 20 years, appearing in films such as The Dark Past (1948), The Wild One (1953), I Bury the Living (1958) and Young Dillinger (1965).

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Martin Benson". The Daily Telegraph . UK. 29 March 2010. Archived from the original on 28 December 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "Martin Benson obituary". The Times . UK. 4 March 2010. Martin Benson passed away peacefully in his sleep on Sunday 28th February 2010.
  3. 1 2 "Martin Benson". BFI. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012.
  4. William D. Rubinstein, Michael Jolles, Hilary L. Rubinstein, The Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History, Palgrave Macmillan (2011), p. 75
  5. 1 2 Gaughan, Gavin (6 May 2010). "Martin Benson obituary". The Guardian . UK. Archived from the original on 28 March 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  6. 1 2 "Martin Benson". www.aveleyman.com.
  7. "Martin Benson - Movies and Filmography". AllMovie.
  8. III, Harris M. Lentz (21 March 2016). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2010. McFarland. ISBN   9780786486496 via Google Books.
  9. "Martin Benson - Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos". AllMovie.
  10. "Actor Martin Benson dies". The Stage.
  11. "Capstick's Law Episode 6 (1989)". BFI. Retrieved 21 May 2020.