Martin Benson (actor)

Benson was born in the East End of London, into a Jewish family,William D. Rubinstein, Michael Jolles, Hilary L. Rubinstein, The Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History, Palgrave Macmillan (2011), p. 75 the son of a Russian-Jewish grocer and his Polish-Jewish wife who had left Russia at the revolution.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/film-obituaries/7535928/Martin-Benson.html/ |title=Martin Benson |date=29 March 2010 |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=UK |archive-date=28 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228195537/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/film-obituaries/7535928/Martin-Benson.html |url-status=dead }} After attending Tottenham Grammar School on a scholarship, he served in the 2nd Searchlight, Royal Artillery, during World War II. Stationed in Cairo, Egypt, he and Arthur Lowe founded the repertory company Mercury Theatre in Alexandria.

Benson is remembered for his role as the Kralaholme in the original London production of The King and I, a role he recreated in the Oscar-winning film version.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/may/06/martin-benson-obituary |title=Martin Benson obituary |work=The Guardian |location=UK |first=Gavin |last=Gaughan |date=6 May 2010 |access-date=23 April 2017 |archive-date=28 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328224910/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/may/06/martin-benson-obituary |url-status=live }}

Appearing in films for over six decades, Benson played mostly supporting characters or villains. His films include The Blind Goddess (1948), Wheel of Fate (1953), Interpol (1957), The Strange World of Planet X (1958), Once More, with Feeling! (1959), Exodus (1960), Five Golden Hours (1961), A Shot in the Dark (1964), Pope Joan (1972), The Sea Wolves (1980) and Angela's Ashes (1999).{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/artist/martin-benson-p5472/filmography|title=Martin Benson – Movies and Filmography|publisher=AllMovie}}

Benson also had an uncredited role in MGM's hit historical film, Ivanhoe, and in 1963 he acted in another historic

film, as Ramos in Cleopatra (which also starred Elizabeth Taylor). Benson played both serious roles, such as Ali in Killers of Kilimanjaro (1959) and comic roles, such as Maurice in A Shot in the Dark.

In 1964, Benson appeared as Mr. Solo, the gangster who is killed by Goldfinger's henchman Oddjob in the James Bond film Goldfinger.

Benson appeared in many roles on television. He played a barrister, using his own name, in the unscripted series The Verdict is Yours which ran for several years in the 1950s. Cases were shown and the previously unknown verdict was given by jury of viewers. In 1957 he made a guest appearance on The Jack Benny Show.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UX_GCwAAQBAJ&q=%27the+jack+benny+show%27+martin+benson&pg=PA28|title=Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2010|first=Harris M. Lentz|last=III|date=21 March 2016|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9780786486496}} In the same year he played the recurring

character the Duke de Medici in the children's adventure series Sword of Freedom.{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/artist/martin-benson-p5472|title=Martin Benson – Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos|publisher=AllMovie}} In 1960 he appeared in the series Danger Man in the episode entitled "Position of Trust" as Fawzi. In 1981 he appeared in the television production of The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, albeit unrecognisable under the heavy make-up and costume of Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz, leader of the Vogon fleet sent to

destroy Earth.{{cite web|url=http://www.aveleyman.com/ActorCredit.aspx?ActorID=1362|title=Martin Benson|website=aveleyman.com}} His last appearance was in the TV series Casualty in 2005.{{cite web|url=http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/2010/03/actor-martin-benson-dies/|title=Actor Martin Benson dies|work=The Stage}}

Benson died in his sleep on 28 February 2010, from natural causes.

{{more footnotes needed|section|date=April 2017}}

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• Suspected Person (1942) as minor role (uncredited){{citation needed|date=April 2017}}
• The Blind Goddess (1948) as Count Stephan Mikla
• But Not in Vain (1948) as Mark Meyer
• Trapped by the Terror (1949) as Prison Governor{{citation needed|date=April 2017}}
• Under Capricorn (1949) as Man Carrying Shrunken Head (uncredited){{citation needed|date=April 2017}}
• The Adventures of PC 49: Investigating the Case of the Guardian Angel (1949) as Skinny Ellis
• I'll Get You for This (1951) as Frankie Sperazza
• Assassin for Hire (1951) as Catesby
• Night Without Stars (1951) as White Cap
• The Dark Light (1951) as Luigi
• Hotel Sahara (1951) as Minor Role (uncredited){{citation needed|date=April 2017}}
• Mystery Junction (1951) as Steve Harding
• Judgment Deferred (1952) as Pierre Desportes
• The Frightened Man (1952) as Alec Stone
• Wide Boy (1952) as Rocco
• Ivanhoe (1952) as Minor Role (uncredited){{citation needed|date=April 2017}}
• The Gambler and the Lady (1952) as Tony – Pat's Dance Partner
• Top of the Form (1953) as Cliquot
• Wheel of Fate (1953) as Riscoe
• Recoil (1953) as Farnborough
• Always a Bride (1953) as Hotel Desk Clerk (uncredited){{citation needed|date=April 2017}}
• Black 13 (1953) as Bruno
• Escape by Night (1953) as Guillio
• You Know What Sailors Are (1954) as Agrarian Officer (uncredited){{citation needed|date=April 2017}}
• West of Zanzibar (1954) as Dhofar
• Knave of Hearts (1954) as Art (uncredited){{citation needed|date=April 2017}}
• Passage Home (1955) as Gutierres
• Doctor at Sea (1955) as Head Waiter (uncredited){{citation needed|date=April 2017}}
• Soho Incident (aka Spin a Dark Web) (1956) as Rico Francesi
• 23 Paces to Baker Street (1956) as Pillings
• The King and I (1956) as Kralahome
• Istanbul (1957) as Mr. Darius
• Doctor at Large (1957) as Maharajah of Rhanda
• Interpol (1957) as Captain Varolli
• The Flesh Is Weak (1957) as Angelo Giani
• Man from Tangier (1957) as Voss
• Windom's Way (1957) as Samcar, Rebel Commander (uncredited){{citation needed|date=April 2017}}
• The Strange World of Planet X (1958) as Smith
• Sea of Sand (1958) as German Half-track Officer (uncredited){{citation needed|date=April 2017}}
• The Two-Headed Spy (1958) as Gen. Wagner
• Make Mine a Million (1959) as Chairman
• Killers of Kilimanjaro (1959) as Ali
• Dial 999 (TV series) (Special Branch), episode 13) (1959) as Waymac (filmed 1958)
• Once More, with Feeling! (1960) as Luigi Bardini
• Oscar Wilde (1960) as George Alexander
• Sands of the Desert (1960) as Selim
• The Gentle Trap (1960) as Ricky Barnes{{citation needed|date=April 2017}}
• The 3 Worlds of Gulliver (1960) as Flimnap
• Exodus (1960) as Mordekai
• Gorgo (1961) as Dorkin
• Five Golden Hours (1961) as Enrico
• A Matter of WHO (1961) as Rahman
• The Silent Invasion (1962) as Borge
• Satan Never Sleeps (1962) as Kuznietsky
• Village of Daughters (1962) as 1st Pickpocket
• Captain Clegg (1962) as Mr. Rash (innkeeper)
• I tre nemic (1962) as Prof. Otto Kreutz{{citation needed|date=April 2017}}
• The Fur Collar (1962) as Martin Benson
• Cleopatra (1963) as Ramos
• Mozambique (1964) as Da Silva
• The Secret Door (1964) as Edmundo Vara
• A Shot in the Dark (1964) as Maurice
• Behold a Pale Horse (1964) as Priest
• Goldfinger (1964) as Mr. Solo
• The Secret of My Success (1965) as Rex Mansard
• A Man Could Get Killed (1966) as Politanu
• The Magnificent Two (1967) as President Diaz
• Battle Beneath the Earth (1967) as Gen. Chan Lu
• Pope Joan (1972) as Lothair
• Tiffany Jones (1973) as Petcek
• The Omen (1976) as Father Spiletto
• Mohammad, Messenger of God (1976) as Abu-Jahal
• Al-risâlah (1976) as Kisra{{citation needed|date=April 2017}}
• Jesus of Nazareth (1977, TV mini-series) as Pharisee
• Meetings with Remarkable Men (1979) as Dr. Ivanov
• The Human Factor (1979) as Boris
• The Sea Wolves (1980) as Mr. Montero
• Sphinx (1981) as Muhammed
• Young Toscanini (1988) as Comparsa (uncredited){{citation needed|date=April 2017}}
• Campion (1989 TV Series) as Isaac Melchizadek
• Capstick's Law (1989) as maitre d'hotel{{Cite web|title=Capstick's Law Episode 6 (1989)|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b81d72757|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190811214848/https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b81d72757|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 August 2019|publisher=British Film Institute|language=en|access-date=2020-05-21}}
• The Camomile Lawn (1992) as Pauli Erstweiler
• Angela's Ashes (1999) as Christian Brother

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{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• {{IMDb name|0072578|Martin Benson}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20100524162015/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article7054321.ece Obituary in The Times]
• [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/film-obituaries/7535928/Martin-Benson.html Martin Benson] – Daily Telegraph obituary

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