Paul Benjamin (February 4, 1938 – June 28, 2019) was an American actor whose career spanned six decades. Benjamin appeared in dozens of films and television shows beginning in the late 1960s.

Biography

Born to Fair, a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

preacher (1890–1950) and Rosa Benjamin (née Butler; 1895–1940) in

Pelion, South Carolina Pelion is a town in Lexington County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 674 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Columbia, South Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. History A post office called Pelion has been in operation si ...

, Benjamin was the youngest of 12 children. Benjamin moved to Columbia, South Carolina with an older brother after the death of his parents. Benjamin attended C.A. Johnson High School and later enrolled at

Benedict College Benedict College is a private historically black college in Columbia, South Carolina. Founded in 1870 by northern Baptists, it was originally a teachers' college. It has since expanded to offer majors in many disciplines across the liberal arts ...

.South Carolina African American History - Paul Benjamin (1938-2019)
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Career

Benjamin relocated to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and studied at the Herbert Berghof Studio. He made his film debut in 1969 as a

bartender A bartender (also known as a barkeep, barman, barmaid, or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the bar, usually in a licensed establishment as well as in restaurants and nightclubs, but a ...

in ''

Midnight Cowboy ''Midnight Cowboy'' is a 1969 American drama (film and television), drama film, based on the 1965 Midnight Cowboy (novel), novel of the same name by James Leo Herlihy. The film was written by Waldo Salt, directed by John Schlesinger, and stars ...

''. After small roles in

Sidney Lumet Sidney Arthur Lumet ( ; June 25, 1924 – April 9, 2011) was an American film director. He was nominated five times for the Academy Award: four for Best Director for ''12 Angry Men'' (1957), ''Dog Day Afternoon'' (1975), ''Network'' (1976), ...

's ''

The Anderson Tapes ''The Anderson Tapes'' is a 1971 American crime film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Sean Connery and featuring Dyan Cannon, Martin Balsam and Alan King. The screenplay was written by Frank Pierson, based upon a best-selling 1970 nov ...

'' (1971) and '' Born to Win'' (1971), he did extensive television work in the 1970s. A few notable exceptions were a major role in

Barry Shear Barry Shear (March 23, 1923 in New York City – June 13, 1979 in Los Angeles) was an American film and television director and producer. Career Television career Shear began directing for television in the 1950s for the DuMont Television Ne ...

's ''

Across 110th Street ''Across 110th Street'' is a 1972 American action-crime film directed by Barry Shear and starring Yaphet Kotto, Anthony Quinn, Anthony Franciosa and Paul Benjamin. The film is set in Harlem, New York and takes its name from 110th Street, the tr ...

'' (1972), and smaller parts in Shear's western ''

The Deadly Trackers ''The Deadly Trackers'' is a 1973 American Western film directed by Barry Shear and starring Richard Harris, Rod Taylor and Al Lettieri. It is based on the novel ''Riata'' by Samuel Fuller. Plot Sheriff Sean Kilpatrick (Harris) is a pacifist ...

'' (1973), Michael Campus' ''

The Education of Sonny Carson ''The Education of Sonny Carson'' is a 1974 American blaxploitation drama film based on the best-selling autobiography of Sonny Carson. The film was directed by ''The Mack'' director Michael Campus, and starring Rony Clanton, Don Gordon, Joy ...

'' (1974), Arthur Marks' ''

Friday Foster ''Friday Foster'' is an American newspaper comic strip, created and written by Jim Lawrence and illustrated by Jorge Longarón. It ran from January 18, 1970, to February 17, 1974 and was notable for featuring one of the first African-American w ...

'' (1975),

Gordon Parks Gordon Roger Alexander Buchanan Parks (November 30, 1912 – March 7, 2006) was an American photographer, composer, author, poet, and film director, who became prominent in U.S. documentary photojournalism in the 1940s through 1970s—particu ...

' biopic ''

Leadbelly Huddie William Ledbetter (; January 20, 1888 – December 6, 1949), better known by the stage name Lead Belly, was an American folk music, folk and blues singer notable for his strong vocals, Virtuoso, virtuosity on the twelve-string guita ...

'' (1976), and

Don Siegel Donald Siegel ( ; October 26, 1912 – April 20, 1991) was an American film and television director and producer. Siegel was described by ''The New York Times'' as "a director of tough, cynical and forthright action-adventure films whose taut ...

's prison film '' Escape from Alcatraz'' (1979). He also performed in the TV adaptations of ''

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings ''I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings'' is a 1969 autobiography describing the young and early years of American writer and poet Maya Angelou. The first in a seven-volume series, it is a coming-of-age story that illustrates how strength of charact ...

'' (1979) and ''

Gideon's Trumpet ''Gideon's Trumpet'' is a 1964 book by Anthony Lewis describing the story behind the 1963 landmark court case ''Gideon v. Wainwright'', in which the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that criminal defendants have the right to an attorney e ...

'' (1980). He later starred in the 1987

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

movie ''

The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains ''The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains'' is a 1987 American drama film directed by Daniel Mann and written by Michael Campus. The film stars Val Kilmer, Charles Durning, Sônia Braga, Kyra Sedgwick, James Keach, Elisha Cook, Jr. and Clancy Brown. The fi ...

'', based on the novel by

Robert E. Burns Robert Elliott Burns (May 10, 1892 – June 5, 1955) was an American World War I veteran known for escaping from a Georgia chain gang and publishing a memoir, '' I Am a Fugitive from a Georgia Chain Gang!'', exposing the cruelty and injustice of t ...

. On the big screen in the 1980s and 1990s, Benjamin worked with some well-known actors and directors. He acted in ''

Some Kind of Hero ''Some Kind of Hero'' is a 1982 American comedy-drama film starring Richard Pryor as a returning Vietnam War veteran having trouble adjusting to civilian life. Soon he is involved in an organized crime heist. It co-stars Margot Kidder and was dir ...

'' (1982) opposite

Richard Pryor Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, and is widely regarded as on ...

Martin Ritt Martin Ritt (March 2, 1914 – December 8, 1990) was an American director and actor who worked in both film and theater, noted for his socially conscious films. Some of the films he directed include ''The Long, Hot Summer'' (1958), '' The Black ...

's drama film '' Nuts'' (1987) starring

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers List ...

, '' Pink Cadillac'' (1989) with

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the "Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "''Doll ...

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...

's ''

Do the Right Thing ''Do the Right Thing'' is a 1989 American comedy-drama film produced, written, and directed by Spike Lee. It stars Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, John Turturro, and Samuel L. Jackson, a ...

'' (1989), Robert Townsend's ''

The Five Heartbeats ''The Five Heartbeats'' is a 1991 musical drama film directed by Robert Townsend, who co-wrote the script with Keenen Ivory Wayans. Produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox, the film's main cast includes Townsend, Michael Wright, Leon Robins ...

'' (1991),

Bill Duke William Henry Duke Jr. (born February 26, 1943) is an American actor and film director. Known for his physically imposing frame, Duke works primarily in the action and crime drama genres often as a character related to law enforcement. Frequently ...

's ''

Hoodlum A hoodlum is a thug, usually in a group of misfits who are associated with crime or theft. Early use The earliest reference to the word "hoodlum" was in the December 14, 1866, ''San Francisco Daily Evening Bulletin'' after the Hoodlum Band was ...

'' (1997), and

John Singleton John Daniel Singleton (January 6, 1968 April 28, 2019) was an American director, screenwriter, and producer. He made his feature film debut writing and directing ''Boyz n the Hood'' (1991), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for B ...

's ''

Rosewood Rosewood refers to any of a number of richly hued timbers, often brownish with darker veining, but found in many different hues. True rosewoods All genuine rosewoods belong to the genus ''Dalbergia''. The pre-eminent rosewood appreciated in ...

'' (1997). On television, he appeared in the 1988 episode of '' In The Heat of the Night'' as a death row inmate and in the 1994 pilot episode of '' ER'', which led to his recurring role of homeless man Al Ervin during the next few seasons. Benjamin also worked on the American Masters documentary of Pulitzer Prize-winning author

Ralph Ellison Ralph Waldo Ellison (March 1, 1913 – April 16, 1994) was an American writer, literary critic, and scholar best known for his novel ''Invisible Man'', which won the National Book Award in 1953. He also wrote ''Shadow and Act'' (1964), a collecti ...

, which aired on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

. He also acted in an episode of the 14th season of

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...

entitled "Identity" (2003) as well as an episode of ''

The Shield ''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series starring Michael Chiklis that premiered on March 12, 2002, on FX in the United States, and concluded on November 25, 2008, after seven seasons. Known for its portrayal of corrupt poli ...

''. After 2000, he acted mainly in independent films like '' Stanley's Gig'', ''

The Station Agent ''The Station Agent'' is a 2003 American independent psychological comedy-drama film written and directed by Tom McCarthy in his directorial debut. It stars Peter Dinklage as a man who seeks solitude in an abandoned train station in the Newfoun ...

'', ''

Deacons For Defense The Deacons for Defense and Justice was an armed African-American self-defense group founded in November 1964, during the civil rights era in the United States, in the mill town of Jonesboro, Louisiana. On February 21, 1965—the day of Malcolm X' ...

'', and James Hunter's 2005 drama '' Back in the Day''.

Personal life and death

Benjamin died on June 28, 2019, in Los Angeles at age 81.

Filmography

*''

'' (1969) - Bartender - New York *''

'' (1971) - Jimmy *'' Born to Win'' (1971) - Fixer *''

'' (1972) - Jim Harris *''

'' (1973) - Jacob *''

'' (1974) - Pops *''Distance'' (1975) - Sgt. Elwood Horne *''

'' (1975) - Sen. David Lee Hart *''

'' (1976) - Wes Ledbetter *'' One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story'' (1978) - John LeFlore *''

'' (1979, TV Movie) - Freeman *'' Escape from Alcatraz'' (1979) - English *''

'' (1980, TV Movie) - Artis *''

'' (1982) - Leon *'' Deadly Force'' (1983) - Lester *'' Nuts'' (1987) - Harry Harrison *''

'' (1989) - ML *'' Pink Cadillac'' (1989) - Judge *''

'' (1991) - Mr. King *'' The Super'' (1991) - Gilliam *''

Drop Squad ''Drop Squad'' (sometimes spelled as ''DROP Squad'' or ''D.R.O.P. Squad'') is a 1994 American drama film directed by David C. Johnson and executive produced by Spike Lee via his production company 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks. The plot depicts a t ...

'' (1994) - Wellington Cosbie *''The Fence'' (1994) - Del Reston *''

'' (1997) - James Carrier *''

'' (1997) - Whispers *'' The Breaks'' (1999) - Clerk *''Stanley's Gig'' (2000) - Teddy Branson *''

'' (2003) - Henry Styles *'' Back in the Day'' (2005) - Cody *''Ascension Day'' (2007) - Sam *''The Tall Man'' (2011) - Dallas *''Occupy, Texas'' (2016) - Mr. Goodman

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Benjamin, Paul 1938 births 2019 deaths 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people Age controversies American male film actors American male television actors People from Lexington County, South Carolina Male actors from South Carolina African-American male actors