PB
Paul Benjamin
Actor
Born February 4, 1938Died June 28, 2019 (81 years)
Paul Benjamin (born 1938) is an American actor.
Benjamin was born in Pelion, South Carolina. He made his film debut in 1969 as a bartender in Midnight Cowboy. After a small role in Sidney Lumet's The Anderson Tapes, he did extensive television work in the 1970s.
A few notable exceptions were a major role in Barry Shear's Across 110th Street, and smaller parts in Gordon Parks' biopic Leadbelly, Arthur Marks' Friday Foster, and Don Siegel's prison film Escape from Alcatraz. He gave exceptional performances in the TV adaptations of I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings and Gideon's Trumpet. He later starred in the HBO movie The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains, based on the novel by Robert E. Burns.
On the big screen in the 1990s, Benjamin worked with some well known directors. He appeared in Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing, Robert Townsend's The Five Heartbeats, Bill Duke's Hoodlum, and John Singleton's Rosewood.
On television, he appeared 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, which aired on PBS.
After 2000, he appeared primarily in small independent films like Stanley's Gig, The Station Agent, Deacons For Defense, and James Hunter's 2004 drama Back in the Day.
He recently made a special appearance in the independent film The Talk Man, directed by Gene Gallerano.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Paul Benjamin, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Benjamin was born in Pelion, South Carolina. He made his film debut in 1969 as a bartender in Midnight Cowboy. After a small role in Sidney Lumet's The Anderson Tapes, he did extensive television work in the 1970s.
A few notable exceptions were a major role in Barry Shear's Across 110th Street, and smaller parts in Gordon Parks' biopic Leadbelly, Arthur Marks' Friday Foster, and Don Siegel's prison film Escape from Alcatraz. He gave exceptional performances in the TV adaptations of I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings and Gideon's Trumpet. He later starred in the HBO movie The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains, based on the novel by Robert E. Burns.
On the big screen in the 1990s, Benjamin worked with some well known directors. He appeared in Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing, Robert Townsend's The Five Heartbeats, Bill Duke's Hoodlum, and John Singleton's Rosewood.
On television, he appeared 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, which aired on PBS.
After 2000, he appeared primarily in small independent films like Stanley's Gig, The Station Agent, Deacons For Defense, and James Hunter's 2004 drama Back in the Day.
He recently made a special appearance in the independent film The Talk Man, directed by Gene Gallerano.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Paul Benjamin, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Filmography
| 2016 | Occupy, Texas · as Mr. Goodman |
| 2007 | Ascension Day · as Sam |
| 2005 | Back in the Day · as Cody |
| 2003 | The Station Agent · as Henry Styles |
| 2003 | Deacons for Defense · as Otis |
| 2002 | The Shield (TV Series) · as Perry |
| 2000 | Stanley's Gig · as Teddy Branson |
| 1999 | Angel (TV Series) · as Fellow Resident |
| 1999 | The Breaks · as Clerk |
| 1998 | Last Rites · as Fez |
| 1997 | Hoodlum · as Whispers |
| 1997 | Rosewood · as James Carrier |
| 1997 | Vanishing Point · as Mose, Snake Wrangler |
| 1994 | Drop Squad · as Wellington Cosbie |
| 1994 | ER (TV Series) · as Al Ervin |
| 1994 | Sweet Justice (TV Series) · as Beecher Lowe |
| 1994 | New York Undercover (TV Series) · as The Professor |
| 1994 | |
| 1992 | Back to the Streets of San Francisco · as Henry Brown |
| 1991 | The Super · as Gilliam |
| 1991 | The Five Heartbeats · as Mr. King |
| 1990 | Law & Order (TV Series) · as Lonnie Jackson |
| 1989 | Do the Right Thing · as Ml |
| 1989 | Pink Cadillac · as Judge |
| 1988 | In the Heat of the Night (TV Series) · as George Brownlow |
| 1987 | Nuts · as Harry Harrison |
| 1987 | The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains · as Big Sam |
| 1987 | A Stranger Waits · as Cooper |
| 1985 | American Masters (TV Series) · as Grandfather |
| 1985 | The Atlanta Child Murders (TV Series) · as Homer Williams |
| 1985 | Night Heat (TV Series) |
| 1983 | Deadly Force · as Lester |
| 1982 | Some Kind of Hero · as Leon |
| 1980 | American Playhouse (TV Series) · as Rashad |
| 1980 | Gideon's Trumpet · as Artis |
| 1979 | Knots Landing (TV Series) · as Mr. Carter |
| 1979 | Escape from Alcatraz · as English |
| 1979 | I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings · as Freeman |
| 1978 | One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story · as John Leflore |
| 1976 | Leadbelly · as Wes Ledbetter |
| 1976 | Serpico (TV Series) · as Eddie Pickett |
| 1976 | Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys · as Ramsey |
| 1975 | Friday Foster · as Senator David Lee Hart |
| 1975 | Distance · as Sgt. Elwood Horne |
| 1975 | Starsky & Hutch (TV Series) |
| 1974 | Police Woman (TV Series) |
| 1974 | The Education of Sonny Carson · as Pops |
| 1973 | The Deadly Trackers · as Jacob |
| 1973 | Kojak (TV Series) · as Willie Daniels |
| 1973 | Police Story (TV Series) |
| 1973 | Mr. Inside/Mr. Outside · as Lt. Valentine |
| 1972 | Across 110th Street · as Jim Harris |
| 1971 | Born to Win · as Fixer |
| 1971 | The Anderson Tapes · as Jimmy |
| 1970 | All My Children (TV Series) · as Patrolman |
| 1969 | Midnight Cowboy · as Bartender |
| 1952 | This Is The Life (TV Series) · as Gaspar |
| 1951 | Hallmark Hall Of Fame (TV Series) · as Arlis |