Richard Benjamin | |
---|---|
Richard Benjamin in July 1986
|
|
Born |
New York City, New York, United States |
May 22, 1938
Alma mater | Northwestern University |
Occupation | |
Years active | 1962–present |
Spouse(s) | Paula Prentiss (1961–present; 2 children) |
Richard Samuel Benjamin (born May 22, 1938) is an American actor and film director.
He has starred in a number of well-known film productions, including Goodbye, Columbus (1969), based on the novella by Philip Roth;Catch-22 (1970), from the Joseph Heller best-seller;Westworld (1973), a science-fiction thriller by Michael Crichton; and The Sunshine Boys (1975), written by Neil Simon.
After directing for television, Benjamin's first feature as director was 1982 comedy My Favorite Year, for which star Peter O'Toole was nominated for an Academy award. His other films as director include City Heat (1984), starring Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood, Made in America with Whoopi Goldberg and The Money Pit (1986) with Tom Hanks.
Benjamin was born in New York City, the son of Samuel Roger Benjamin (1910–1997), a garment industry worker, and Chelsea Angelina (née Roberts) Benjamin (1913–1959), a homemaker. His family was Jewish. He attended the High School of Performing Arts and graduated from Northwestern University, where he was involved in many plays and studied in the Northwestern theater school.