George Frederick "Wilson" Benge (1 March 1875 – 1 July 1955) was an English

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

who mostly featured in American

films A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

from the silent days. He appeared in over 200 films between 1922 and 1955. Along with actors Charles Coleman and

Robert Greig Robert Greig (December 27, 1879 – June 27, 1958) was an Australian-American actor who appeared in more than 100 films between 1930 and 1949, usually as the dutiful butler. Born Arthur Alfred Bede Greig, he was the nephew of Australian pol ...

, Benge was heavily typecast as

butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some a ...

valet A valet or varlet is a male servant who serves as personal attendant to his employer. In the Middle Ages and Ancien Régime, valet de chambre was a role for junior courtiers and specialists such as artists in a royal court, but the term "vale ...

and was one of

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

's most familiar manservants in the 1930s and 1940s. He also appeared in several

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American Double act, comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–19 ...

comedies Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term origin ...

. He worked in films until his death.

Selected filmography

* ''

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...

'' (1922) * ''

Alias Mary Flynn ''Alias Mary Flynn'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Ralph Ince and starring Evelyn Brent. The film is considered to be lost. Plot As described in a film magazine review, John Reagan, Sr. adopts Mary Flynn after rescuing her ...

'' (1925) * '' Without Mercy'' (1925) * ''

The Road to Yesterday ''The Road to Yesterday'' is a 1925 American silent romantic drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. The film is significant because it was Cecil B. DeMille's first release from his new production company, DeMille Pictures Corporation. It wa ...

'' (1925) * ''

A Trip to Chinatown ''A Trip to Chinatown'' is a musical comedy in three acts by Charles H. Hoyt with music by Percy Gaunt and lyrics by Hoyt. In addition to the Gaunt and Hoyt score, many songs were interpolated into the score at one time or another during the run ...

'' (1926) * ''

The Clinging Vine ''The Clinging Vine'' is a 1926 American silent comedy film produced by Cecil B. DeMille and Paul Slone and directed by Sloane. It was distributed by DeMille's Producers Distributing Corporation.

'' (1926) * ''

The Midnight Message ''The Midnight Message'' is a 1926 silent film drama produced and released by an independent producer. It was directed by Paul Hurst and starred Wanda Hawley and Mary Carr. A surviving film today at the Library of Congress, it is available on hom ...

'' (1926) * ''

Fast and Furious ''Fast & Furious'' (also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'') is a media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family. The franchise also includes short films, a ...

'' (1927) * '' Do Detectives Think?'' (1927) * ''

The Lone Eagle The Lone Eagle is a 1927 American silent melodrama directed by Emory Johnson, based on the story by Emilie Johnson, and starring Raymond Keane, Barbara Kent and Nigel Barrie. It was released by Universal Pictures on September 18, 1927. Plot Du ...

'' (1927) * ''

The Battle of the Century ''The Battle of the Century'' is a 1927 silent short film starring comedy double act Laurel and Hardy, who appeared in 107 films between 1921 and 1951. The film is famous for its use of more than 3,000 cream pies (although the Guinness Book of ...

'' (1927) * ''

Alias the Deacon Alias the Deacon may refer to: * Alias the Deacon (1927 film), an American silent drama film * Alias the Deacon (1940 film), an American comedy film {{dab ...

'' (1928) * ''

That's My Daddy ''That's My Daddy'' is a 1928 American silent comedy starring Reginald Denny (actor), Reginald Denny and Barbara Kent. The film's story is credited to Denny; though the direction is credited to Fred C. Newmeyer, Denny claimed to have directed mos ...

'' (1928) * ''

You're Darn Tootin' ''You're Darn Tootin is a silent short subject directed by E. Livingston Kennedy starring comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. It was released on April 21, 1928, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Plot Members of a municipal band, Stanley and Oliver seem to be ...

'' (1928) * ''

A Gentleman Preferred ''A Gentleman Preferred'' is a 1928 American silent comedy Western film directed by Arthur Hotaling and starring Gaston Glass, Jimmy Aubrey and Kathleen Myers. Cast * Gaston Glass as James Fargo * Jimmy Aubrey as Bill Jenkins * Kathleen My ...

'' (1928) * ''

The Rush Hour ''The Rush Hour'' is a 1928 American silent comedy film directed by E. Mason Hopper and starring Marie Prevost, Harrison Ford and Seena Owen. Cast * Marie Prevost as Margie Dolan * Harrison Ford as Dan Morley * Seena Owen as Yvonne Dor� ...

'' (1928) * ''

Bulldog Drummond Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond is a fictional character, created by H. C. McNeile and published under his pen name "Sapper". Following McNeile's death in 1937, the novels were continued by Gerard Fairlie. Drummond is a First World War veteran who, ...

'' (1929) * '' Raffles'' (1930) * '' The She-Wolf'' (1931) * ''

Consolation Marriage ''Consolation Marriage'' is a 1931 American Pre-Code drama film directed by Paul Sloane and written by Humphrey Pearson. The film stars Irene Dunne, Pat O'Brien, John Halliday, Myrna Loy, and Matt Moore. The film was released on November 21, 1 ...

'' (1931) * '' Heartbreak'' (1931) * ''

Men in Her Life ''Men in Her Life'' is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film directed by William Beaudine and starring Lois Moran, Charles Bickford and Victor Varconi. It was based on a 1930 novel by Warner Fabian (Samuel Hopkins Adams)."AT THE PALACE 'Men in ...

'' (1931) * '' Scram!'' (1932) * ''

Unholy Love ''Unholy Love'' (released in the United Kingdom as ''Deceit'') is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed and produced by Albert Ray. It was the first film adaptation of Gustave Flaubert's 1857 French novel ''Madame Bovary'' produced. T ...

'' (1932) * '' Twin Husbands'' (1933) * ''

The Ghost Walks ''The Ghost Walks'' is a 1934 American horror film directed by Frank R. Strayer starring John Miljan and June Collyer. Plot On a stormy night, a theatrical producer, his secretary, and playwright Prescott Ames are stranded when their car skids ...

'' (1934) * '' Dodsworth'' (1936) * '' What Becomes of the Children?'' (1936) * '' Camille'' (1936) as Attendant (uncredited) * ''

Rulers of the Sea ''Rulers of the Sea'' is a 1939 American historical drama film directed by Frank Lloyd and starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Margaret Lockwood and Will Fyffe. The film's story is based on the voyage of the , the first steamship to cross the North ...

'' (1939) * ''

The Spider Woman ''The Spider Woman'' (alternatively titled ''Sherlock Holmes and the Spider Woman'' and ''Spider Woman'') is a 1943 mystery film starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson, the seventh of fourteen such films the pa ...

'' (1944) * ''

The Pearl of Death ''The Pearl of Death'' is a 1944 Sherlock Holmes film starring Basil Rathbone as Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson, the ninth of fourteen such films the pair made. The story is loosely based on Conan Doyle's short story "The Adventure of the ...

'' (1944) * '' House of Fear'' (1945) * ''

Pursuit to Algiers ''Pursuit to Algiers'' (1945) is the twelfth entry in the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes film series of fourteen. Elements in the story pay homage to an otherwise unrecorded affair mentioned by Dr. Watson at the beginning of the 1903 ...

'' (1945) * '' Dressed To Kill'' (1946) * ''

The Three Musketeers ''The Three Musketeers'' (french: Les Trois Mousquetaires, links=no, ) is a French historical adventure novel written in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is in the swashbuckler genre, which has heroic, chivalrous swordsmen who fight f ...

'' (1948) * ''

The Scarlet Coat ''The Scarlet Coat '' is a 1955 American historical drama and swashbuckler in Eastmancolor and CinemaScope released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, produced by Nicholas Nayfack, directed by John Sturges. It stars Cornel Wilde, Michael Wilding, George Sa ...

'' (1955)

External links

* * English male film actors English male silent film actors 1875 births 1955 deaths Male actors from London 20th-century English male actors British expatriate male actors in the United States {{England-film-actor-stub