Ben Powers
| Ben Powers | |
|---|---|
Powers, 1977.
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| Born |
Alton Adelbert Powers July 5, 1950 Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | April 6, 2015 (aged 64) New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Liver Cancer |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Ben A. Powers |
| Education | Rhode Island School of Design |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1974–1987 |
| Known for | Keith Anderson – Good Times |
| Spouse(s) | Julia Harper (m. 1981–2012) (her death) |
| Children | 4 |
Alton Adelbert Powers (July 5, 1950 – April 6, 2015), known professionally as Ben Powers was an American actor. Powers was best known for his role as Thelma Evans's (portrayed by Bern Nadette Stanis) husband, Keith Albert Anderson, during the sixth and final season of the CBS sitcom Good Times (1978–79). Powers was also a cast member on the NBC television comedy series Laugh-In in 1977. Powers died on April 6, 2015 at age 64 due to liver cancer.
Powers was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Providence, Rhode Island. He attended the Rhode Island School of Design. Powers got his first break in the 1970s with Adrian Hall, director at Trinity Repertory Theater in Providence, Rhode Island, his hometown. In addition to stage acting, Powers did stand-up comedy, amazing impressions, and sang standards as well as original music he wrote. He was discovered by a Hollywood agent in Providence, signed on to do movies, and entertained at the Playboy clubs in Las Vegas, New York & Boston. After Good Times, Powers guest starred on a number of popular TV dramas and sitcom shows of the 80s including Gimme a Break, Flamingo Road, The Greatest American Hero, The New Odd Couple and Laverne & Shirley. Powers was also a regular on the CBS-TV hit detective drama show Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer in 1984-85, until the star, Stacy Keach, was arrested in London for cocaine smuggling and the show was canceled while Keach did time in England. Powers left the Hollywood scene at the end of 1985, before the detective series was picked up again. In the early 1980s, Powers appeared in a handful of big-screen films which included Cheech & Chong's Next Movie, Things Are Tough All Over and The Man Who Loved Women as well as a number of made-for-TV movies, mostly in smaller supporting roles.
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