Robert Benchley

Robert Benchley
Benchley photographed for Vanity Fair
Born	Robert Charles Benchley (1889-09-15)September 15, 1889 Worcester, Massachusetts, US
Died	November 21, 1945(1945-11-21) (aged 56) New York City
Occupation	Writer, critic, film actor
Genre	Deadpan, Parody, Surreal humour
Years active	1928–1945
Spouse	Gertrude Darling (1914–1945; his death)

Robert Charles Benchley (September 15, 1889 – November 21, 1945) was an American humorist best known for his work as a newspaper columnist and film actor. From his beginnings at the Harvard Lampoon while attending Harvard University, through his many years writing essays and articles for Vanity Fair and The New Yorker and his acclaimed short films, Benchley's style of humor brought him respect and success during his life, from New York City and his peers at the Algonquin Round Table to contemporaries in the burgeoning film industry.

Benchley is best remembered for his contributions to The New Yorker, where his essays, whether topical or absurdist, influenced many modern humorists. He also made a name for himself in Hollywood, when his short film How to Sleep was a popular success and won Best Short Subject at the 1935 Academy Awards, and through his many memorable appearances in films such as Alfred Hitchcock's Foreign Correspondent (1940) and Nice Girl? (1941). His legacy includes written work and numerous short film appearances.

Although Benchley was known for misleading and fictional autobiographical statements about himself (at one point asserting that he wrote A Tale of Two Cities before being buried at Westminster Abbey), he actually was the great-grandchild of the founder of Benchley, Texas, Henry Wetherby Benchley, who was jailed for his help with the Underground Railroad. Robert Benchley was born on September 15, 1889 in Worcester, Massachusetts, the son of Maria Jane (Moran) and Charles Henry Benchley.