Paul Benjamin (February 4, 1935 – June 28, 2019) was an American actor.

Early life

Benjamin was born to Fair, a

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

preacher (1890–1950), and Rosa Benjamin (née Butler; 1895–1940) in Pelion, South Carolina, 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, United States. Founded in 1870 by northern Baptists, it was originally a teachers' college. It has since expanded to offer majors in many disciplines across ...

.South Carolina African American History - Paul Benjamin (1935–2019)
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Career

Benjamin relocated to New York and studied at the Herbert Berghof Studio. He made his film debut in 1969 as a bartender in ''

Midnight Cowboy ''Midnight Cowboy'' is a 1969 American drama film directed by John Schlesinger, adapted by Waldo Salt from the 1965 novel by James Leo Herlihy. The film stars Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight, with supporting roles played by Sylvia Miles, J ...

''. After small roles in

Sidney Lumet Sidney Arthur Lumet ( ; June 25, 1924 – April 9, 2011) was an American film director. Lumet started his career in theatre before moving to film, where he gained a reputation for making realistic and gritty New York City, New York dramas w ...

's '' The Anderson Tapes'' (1971) and ''

Born to Win ''Born to Win'' is a 1971 crime thriller directed by Ivan Passer (his first American film) and starring George Segal, Karen Black, Paula Prentiss, Hector Elizondo, Jay Fletcher and Robert De Niro. Filming locations were in Manhattan, specifical ...

'' (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 Brooklyn, New York – June 13, 1979 in Los Angeles) was an American film and television director and producer. Career Military He served in the United States Army Air Forces from October 1942 to March 1945. Tel ...

's ''

Across 110th Street ''Across 110th Street'' is a 1972 American neo noir action thriller 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 11 ...

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

The Deadly Trackers ''The Deadly Trackers'' is a 1973 American Western (genre), 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 is a pac ...

'' (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, ...

'' (1974), Arthur Marks' '' Friday Foster'' (1975),

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

' biopic '' Leadbelly'' (1976), and

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

'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 Maya Angelou#Chronology of autobiographies, seven-volume series, it is a Bildungsroman, ...

'' (1979) and '' Gideon's Trumpet'' (1980). He later starred in the 1987

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, 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 based a ...

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, written by Michael Campus, and is based on the true story '' I Am a Fugitive from a Georgia Chain Gang!'' by Robert Elliott Burns. The film stars Val Kilmer, ...

'', based on the novel by Robert E. Burns. 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'' (1982) opposite

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

Martin Ritt Martin Ritt (March 2, 1914 – December 8, 1990) was an American director, producer, and actor, active in film, theatre and television. He was known mainly as an auteur of socially-conscious dramas and literary adaptations, described by Stanley K ...

's drama film ''

Nuts Nut often refers to: * Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed * Nut (food), a dry and edible fruit or seed, including but not limited to true nuts * Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt Nut, NUT or Nuts may also refer to: A ...

'' (1987) starring

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

, '' 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 (genre), Western TV series ''Rawhide (TV series), Rawhide'', Eastwood rose to international fame with his role as the "Ma ...

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and author. His work has continually explored race relations, issues within the black community, the role of media in contemporary ...

'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 an ...

'' (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 Rob ...

'' (1991),

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

's '' Hoodlum'' (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 ...

's ''

Rosewood Rosewood is any of a number of richly hued hardwoods, often brownish with darker veining, but found in other colours. It is hard, tough, strong, and dense. True rosewoods come from trees of the genus '' Dalbergia'', but other woods are often ca ...

'' (1997). On television, he appeared in the 1989 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. Ellison wrote '' Shadow and Act'' (1964), a co ...

, which aired on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

. 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 and Universal Television, launching the ''Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire ...

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

The Shield ''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series created by Shawn Ryan and starring Michael Chiklis that aired on FX from March 12, 2002 to November 25, 2008 for seven seasons. The show is known for its portrayal of corrupt police ...

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

The Station Agent ''The Station Agent'' is a 2003 American 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 Newfoundland section of Jeff ...

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

Death

Benjamin died on June 28, 2019, in Los Angeles at age 84.

Filmography

*''

'' (1969) - Bartender - New York *'' The Anderson Tapes'' (1971) - Jimmy *''

'' (1971) - Fixer *''

'' (1972) - Jim Harris *''

'' (1973) - Jacob *''

'' (1974) - Pops *''Distance'' (1975) - Sgt. Elwood Horne *'' Friday Foster'' (1975) - Sen. David Lee Hart *'' Leadbelly'' (1976) - Wes Ledbetter *'' One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story'' (1978) - John LeFlore *''

'' (1979, TV movie) - Freeman *'' Escape from Alcatraz'' (1979) - English *'' Gideon's Trumpet'' (1980, TV movie) - Artis *'' Some Kind of Hero'' (1982) - Leon *''

Deadly Force Deadly force, also known as lethal force, is the use of force that is likely to cause serious bodily injury or death to another person. In most jurisdictions, the use of deadly force is justified only under conditions of extreme necessity a ...

'' (1983) - Lester *''

'' (1987) - Harry Harrison *''

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

'' (1991) - Mr. King *'' The Super'' (1991) - Gilliam *'' Drop Squad'' (1994) - Wellington Cosbie *''The Fence'' (1994) - Del Reston *''

New York Undercover ''New York Undercover'' is an American police drama that aired on the Fox television network from September 8, 1994, to February 11, 1999. The series starred Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and Michael DeLorenzo as Detective Eddie Torre ...

'' (1995) - The Professor *''

'' (1997) - James Carrier *'' Hoodlum'' (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 1935 births 2019 deaths 20th-century African-American male actors 20th-century American male actors 21st-century African-American male actors 21st-century American male actors Age controversies American male film actors American male television actors People from Lexington County, South Carolina Male actors from South Carolina