Isaac Louis Benjamin (17 October 1922 – 20 June 1994) was a British entertainment business executive and theatre

impresario An impresario (from the Italian ''impresa'', "an enterprise or undertaking") is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays, or operas, performing a role in stage arts that is similar to that of a film or television producer. His ...

. Among other leading positions between the 1960s and 1980s, he chaired

Pye Records Pye Records was a British record label. Its best known artists were Lonnie Donegan (1956–1969), Petula Clark (1957–1971), the Searchers (1963–1967), the Kinks (1964–1971), Sandie Shaw (1964–1971), Status Quo (1968–1971) and Brotherho ...

, was a managing director at ATV and at the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 a ...

, and organised the Royal Variety Performances.

Biography

He was born in

Mile End Mile End is a district of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London, England, east-northeast of Charing Cross. Situated on the London-to-Colchester road, it was one of the earliest suburbs of London. It became part of the m ...

, London, into a Jewish family; his father was a shoemaker. He worked as an office clerk for the

Moss Empires Moss Empires was a company formed in Edinburgh in 1899, from the merger of the theatre companies owned by Sir Edward Moss, Richard Thornton and Sir Oswald Stoll. This created the largest chain of variety theatres and music halls in the United ...

theatre chain, before serving in the

Royal Armoured Corps The Royal Armoured Corps is the component of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 Tank and the Scimitar Reconnaissance Vehicle. It includes most of the ...

in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. After returning to Britain he resumed work for Moss Empires, becoming an assistant manager at the London Palladium, and then general manager at the Winter Gardens in Morecambe in 1953. In 1959, he was put in charge of Pye Records. Despite an initial lack of musical expertise, he revived the company's status with such stars as

Petula Clark Petula Sally Olwen Clark, CBE (born 15 November 1932) is an English singer, actress, and composer. She has one of the longest serving careers of a British singer, spanning more than seven decades. Clark's professional career began during the ...

The Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhyt ...

Sandie Shaw Sandie may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Sandie Clair (born 1988), French professional racing cyclist * Sandie Fitzgibbon, Irish former camogie player * Sandie Jones (1950/1951–2019), Irish singer * Sandie Lindsay, 1st Baron Lindsay of Birker (187 ...

, and Donovan, and set up the successful Golden Guinea line of budget records. Albert H. Friedlander, "Obituary: Louis Benjamin", ''The Independent'', 23 June 1994
Retrieved 3 December 2020 Nick Talevski, ''Rock Obituaries: Knocking On Heaven's Door'', Omnibus Press, 2010, p.28
/ref> In 1975, while remaining at Pye, he was appointed by

Lew Grade Lew Grade, Baron Grade, (born Lev Winogradsky; 25 December 1906 – 13 December 1998) was a British media proprietor and impresario. Originally a dancer, and later a talent agent, Grade's interest in television production began in 1954 ...

as joint managing director of the ATV television network. In 1980, he became managing director of Stoll Moss Theatres, becoming chief executive in 1982 and president in 1985. In that role, which included being in charge of the London Palladium, he was responsible for presenting the Royal Variety Performances held between 1979 and 1985. He was actively involved in show business charities including the

Variety Club Variety, the Children's Charity is a charitable organization founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1927. History On October 10, 1927, a group of eleven men involved in show business set up a social club which they named the "Variety Club". On ...

, the

Grand Order of Water Rats The Grand Order of Water Rats is a British entertainment industry fraternity and charitable organisation based in London. Founded in 1889 by the music hall comedians Joe Elvin and Jack Lotto, the order is known for its high-profile membership an ...

, and the British Music Hall Society. He retired in 1989, and died in London after a period of illness in 1994.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Benjamin, Louis 1922 births 1994 deaths English Jews British music industry executives English television executives English theatre managers and producers ITV people 20th-century English businesspeople British Army personnel of World War II Royal Armoured Corps soldiers