Robby Benson

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Robby Benson
File:Robby Benson - 1980 promo.jpg
Benson in 1980.
Born Robin David Segal
(1956-01-21) January 21, 1956 (age 68)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Occupation Actor, director, singer, educator
Years active 1965–present
Spouse(s) Karla DeVito (m. 1982)
Children 2

Robin David Segal (born January 21, 1956), better known by the stage name Robby Benson, is an American actor, director, singer, and teacher.

Early life

Benson was born in Dallas, Texas, the son of Freda Ann (née Benson), a singer, actress, and business promotions manager, and Jerry Segal, a writer.[1] His family is Jewish.[2][3] Benson was raised in New York City and took his mother's maiden name as his stage name when he was 10.[3][4]

Career

Benson made his film debut with an uncredited role in Wait Until Dark (1967) as the Boy Tossing Ball[5] and his Broadway debut in The Rothschilds (1970). Benson had an early role on the daytime soap Search for Tomorrow (1971–72). As a film actor, Benson was well known for teenage roles in coming-of-age films, such as 1972's Jory, 1973's Jeremy, and as Billy Joe McAllister in 1976's Ode to Billy Joe. He was listed as one of 12 "Promising New Actors of 1976" in John Willis' Screen World, Vol. 28 (1976).[citation needed]

In 1975, Benson appeared in Death Be Not Proud and Lucky Lady. In 1977, he starred in One on One and the TV movie The Death of Richie. In 1978, he co-starred in The End and also Ice Castles, co-starring Lynn Holly Johnson, who was a U.S. national figure skating medalist. Benson, who had never ice skated before, learned to skate in order to film the movie, which had numerous skating scenes, including ice hockey.[6] In 1980, Benson starred opposite Linda Grovenor in the Orion film, Die Laughing. The same year, Benson also starred in the movie Tribute opposite Jack Lemmon.[7]

In 1981, he costarred in the film The Chosen, based on the book of the same name by Chaim Potok.[6] The New York Times gave the film a mixed review, but noted that Benson's character was "full of a gentle inquisitiveness that cannot help but win the audience's sympathy."[8][9]}}

His 2007 novel Who Stole the Funny?: A Novel of Hollywood[10] landed Benson on the LA TImes Bestseller list. Benson's medical memoir, "I'm Not Dead... Yet!", was released in June 2012.[11]

Benson has been a professor at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, the University of Utah and the University of South Carolina.[12] It was announced he would serve as a professor of Practice in the fall of 2013 at Indiana University.[13]

Personal life

Benson married singer and actress Karla DeVito.[citation needed] He is an activist and fundraiser for heart research, which, in 2004, led him to write the book, lyrics and music for an original Off-Broadway play called Open Heart, in which he also starred.[14] He practices Transcendental Meditation.[15]

References

  1. Robby Benson Biography (1956-)
  2. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Benson, Robby. I'm Not Dead Yet!, Begal Productions ebook (2012)
  7. Tribute (1980 film)
  8. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. Bloom, Harold, ed. Chaim Potok's "The Chosen", Chelsea House (2005) p. 15
  10. Who Stole the Funny?: A Novel of Hollywood, HarperCollins Publishers, 2007. ISBN 0-06-124500-3.
  11. Links to get "I’m Not Dead… Yet!” in all ebook formats and paperback on the Official Robby Benson site.
  12. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. I'm Not Dead Yet—or, "The Corpse Moved", 2012 ValorEditions.com, ISBN 978-0-9831416-2-4

External links