Paul Benjamin
Known for Acting · 52 credits
- Born
- 1935-02-04
- Died
- 2019-06-28
- Place of birth
- Pelion, South Carolina, USA
Biography
Paul Benjamin (February 4, 1935 – June 28, 2019) was an American actor. 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 primarily did 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.
Known For
TV Shows (12)
Law & Order
1990
as Lonnie Jackson
ER
1994
as Al Ervin
Knots Landing
1979
as Mr. Carter
The Shield
2002
as Perry
Angel
1999
as Fellow Resident
Starsky & Hutch
1975
Police Woman
1974
Kojak
1973
as Willie Daniels
Police Story
1973
Night Heat
1985
Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Arlis
The Atlanta Child Murders
1985
as Homer Williams
Movies (40)
Escape from Alcatraz
1979
as English
Midnight Cowboy
1969
as Bartender
Hoodlum
1997
as Whispers
The Super
1991
as Gilliam
Do the Right Thing
1989
as ML
The Station Agent
2003
as Henry Styles
The Education of Sonny Carson
1974
as Pops
Rosewood
1997
as James Carrier
Nuts
1987
as Harry Harrison
Vanishing Point
1997
as Mose, Snake Wrangler
The Five Heartbeats
1991
as Mr. King
Some Kind of Hero
1982
as Leon
Across 110th Street
1972
as Jim Harris
Deadly Force
1983
as Lester
The Anderson Tapes
1971
as Jimmy
Drop Squad
1994
as Wellington Cosbie
DMX: Angel
2001
as Minister
Back in the Day
2005
as Cody
Gideon's Trumpet
1980
as Artis
Deacons for Defense
2005
as Otis
Friday Foster
1975
as Senator David Lee Hart
The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains
1987
as Big Sam
The Meeting
1989
as Rashad
The Deadly Trackers
1973
as Jacob
Born to Win
1971
as Fixer
The Breaks
1999
as Clerk
Back to the Streets of San Francisco
1992
as Henry Brown
A Stranger Waits
1987
as Cooper
Leadbelly
1976
as Wes Ledbetter
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
1979
as Freeman
The Fence
1994
as Del Reston
Last Rites
1999
as Fez
One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story
1978
as John LeFlore
Ascension Day
2007
as Sam
Stanley's Gig
2000
as Teddy Branson
Friendly Persuasion
1975
as Swan Stebeney
Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys
1976
as Ramsey
Mr. Inside/Mr. Outside
1973
as Lt. Valentine
Occupy, Texas
2016
as Mr. Goodman
Distance
1975
as Sgt. Elwood Horne
About Paul Benjamin
Paul Benjamin (February 4, 1935 – June 28, 2019) was an American actor. 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 primarily did 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 perfor… With 52 credits spanning from 1951 to 2016, Paul Benjamin has appeared in 40 films and 12 TV shows.
Fans searching for Paul Benjamin movies, Paul Benjamin filmography, or the latest projects starring Paul Benjamin can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Paul Benjamin Movies
- Escape from Alcatraz (1979) — as English
- Midnight Cowboy (1969) — as Bartender
- Hoodlum (1997) — as Whispers
- The Super (1991) — as Gilliam
- Do the Right Thing (1989) — as ML
Where to Watch Paul Benjamin Films
Most Paul Benjamin movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Paul Benjamin, check our movies catalogue and browse page.