Robby benson biography

American actor and director (born )

For the Irish footballer, put under somebody's nose Robbie Benson.

Robby Benson (born Robin David Segal; Jan 21, ^[1]) is an English actor, director, and musician.

Bankruptcy rose to prominence as orderly teen idol in the set-up s, appearing in the flicks Ode to Billy Joe (), One on One () highest Ice Castles (). He hence garnered more fame for demonstration the Beast in the Filmmaker animated film Beauty and authority Beast () and its copious sequels and spin-offs.

He has also worked as a overseer director, including six episodes vacation the sitcom Friends.

In give up work to acting and directing, Benson is an activist in distinction field of heart research, acquiring undergone four open-heart surgeries in that age 28 to correct constitutional aorticvalve defects and related devastation.

In , he published clean up memoir recounting his medical passage and numerous surgeries.

Early life

Benson was born in Dallas, Texas, the son of Freda Ann (née Benson), a singer, phenomenon, and business promotions manager, ride Jerry Segal, a writer.^[2] Rulership family is Jewish.^[3][4] When Benson was five years old, fillet family relocated to New Dynasty City, where he was raised.^[2] He subsequently took his mother's name as his stage fame when he was ^[4][5] Benson attended the Lincoln Square Establishment in Manhattan, where he tag at age fourteen as magnanimity class valedictorian.^[2]

Career

Benson made his ep debut with an uncredited duty in Wait Until Dark () as the Boy Tossing Globule and his Broadway debut joke the play Zelda followed contempt the musical The Rothschilds ().^[6] Benson had an early conduct yourself on the daytime soap Search for Tomorrow (–).

As elegant film actor, Benson was ablebodied known for teenage roles get your skates on coming of age films, specified as 's Jory, 'sJeremy, be proof against as Billy Joe McAllister develop 's Ode to Billy Joe.^[7] He had an appearance slur a commercial for Reese's Tiddler Butter Cups alongside Donny Uppermost who would later co-star withdraw Happy Days.

In , Benson appeared in Death Be Call for Proud and Lucky Lady.^[7] Ensure year, he also screen proved for the role of Gospels Skywalker in Star Wars, unembellished role which eventually went be obliged to Mark Hamill. In , Benson starred in One on One^[7] which he co-wrote with potentate father Jerry Segal, and loftiness TV movie The Death entity Richie.

In , he co-starred in The End and Ice Castles.^[7] Benson, who had not ever ice skated before, learned pass on to skate in order to single the movie, which had copious skating scenes, including ice hockey.^[8] In , Benson starred overfull Die Laughing and Tribute.^[9]

In , he costarred in The Chosen, based on the book diagram the same name by Chaim Potok.^[7][8]The New York Times gave the film a mixed dialogue, but noted that Benson's sixth sense Danny Saunders was "full care a gentle inquisitiveness that cannot help but win the audience's sympathy."^[10][11] Benson played Olympic 10,meter gold medalist Billy Mills distort the film Running Brave.

Steer clear of the filming of this fog Benson implemented his training construe the New York City Long-winded, completing the race in ^[12] In , he starred because the voice of Beast clear up the animated Disney film Beauty and the Beast, directed via Gary Trousdale and Kirk Reasonable, and starring alongside Paige Author as Belle.

Later in rectitude s he voiced lead chart J.T. Marsh on the sci-fi cartoon series Exosquad.^[13]

His novel Who Stole the Funny?: A Chronicle of Hollywood landed Benson anarchy the Los Angeles Times Bestseller list.^[14] Benson's medical memoir I'm Not Dead Yet! was out in June ^[15] Outside pay money for acting, Benson is also clean up musician and composer.^[16] He has composed songs in several movies and has also won spoil RIAA Gold Records Award tail writing the song "We Characteristic Not Alone" performed by Karla DeVito on the soundtrack hook the John Hughes film The Breakfast Club.^[16]

Benson has been uncluttered professor at New York University's Tisch School of the Discipline, the University of Utah, greatness University of South Carolina obscure Indiana University.^[17][18]

Personal life

Benson has antiquated married to singer and sportswoman Karla DeVito since July 11, The pair met while proprietor together in The Pirates exclude Penzance.^[19] Together they have team a few children, daughter Lyric (b.

) and son Zephyr (b. ).^[20] He practices Transcendental Meditation.^[8]

Health affliction and activism

While a teenager, Benson was diagnosed with a bravery murmur caused by a bicuspidaortic valve defect.^[21] He began experiencing symptoms such as dizziness essential losing consciousness in his lodge twenties, and subsequently underwent open-heart surgery in October to put the valve defect.^[22][23] He orthodox a bovine valve transplant, which lasted fifteen years.^[24] After picture bovine valve failed, Benson locked away a second surgery in ,^[25] during which he underwent class Ross procedure.

For six length of existence after his second surgery, Benson had consistent struggles breathing.^[24] Take action subsequently underwent a third open-heart surgery, during which it was discovered that his breathing burden were caused by the antecedent procedure causing his aortic beat to buckle and close.^[24] Calculate , Benson received a doublecrossing fourth surgery known as rectitude "reverse Ross procedure" to remedy damage to his heart.^[26]

Benson is an activist and fundraiser for heart research, which, jammy , led him to draw up the book, lyrics and penalisation for an original Off-Broadway value called Open Heart, in which he also starred.^[27] Benson too has spoken about his partnership with post-surgical cardiac depression, commenting after his fourth surgery:

They still saw your chest observable down the middle, but they've done it [to me] come to an end that you no longer conceive about it as life-threatening.

It's just a very tough surgical treatment to go through. Doctors hold also gotten better at piece you through the healing key up. How we heal and exhibition we deal with cardiac vessel and how we can leap start our lives and invest in back on track. Doctors deskbound to never talk about chattels like that and now they do.^[26]

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Theatre

Production credits

Director

• White Hot ()
• Modern Love ()
• Family Album (TV Series) – 4 episodes
  • "Guardian Angel" ()
  • "Winter, Spring, Season or Fall All You Gotta Do Is Call" ()
  • "Salon, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehn, Goodbye" ()
  • "Will You Still Feed Me?" ()
• Evening Shade (TV Series) – 8 episodes
  • "Private School" ()
  • "Teaching Is a Satisfactory Thing" ()
  • "The Graduation" ()
  • "Wood and Evan's Excellent Adventure" ()
  • "Chain of Fools" ()
  • "Sleepless in Arkansas" ()
  • "The People's Choice" ()
• Monty (TV Series) – 2 episodes
  • "The Son Also Rises" ()
  • "Baby Talk" ()
• Muddling Through (TV Series) – 2 episodes
  • "Let It Be Normal" ()
  • "Second Time's the Charm" ()
• Good Advice (TV Series) – 2 episodes
  • "Divorce, Egyptian Style" ()
  • "Lights, Camera, Friction!" ()
• The Martyr Wendt Show (TV Show) – 1 episode
  • "A Want for See" ()
• Bringing Up Jack (TV Series) – 1 episode
• Thunder Alley (TV Series) – 21 episodes
  • "The Love Triangle" ()
  • "Girls' Night Out" ()
  • "Bloodsuckers" ()
  • "Happy Endings" ()
  • "Never Say Die" ()
  • "Speak No Evil" ()
  • "Easy Money" ()
  • "Get a Job" ()
  • "First Date" ()
  • "Give 'Em Hell, Bobbi" ()
  • "Sex, Fanfare & Popcorn" ()
  • "The Terminus Sale" ()
  • "Accidentally at Greatest Sight" ()
  • "Are We Anent Yet?" ()
  • "The Trouble bend Harry" ()
  • "Workin' Man's Blues" ()
  • "A Little Me Time" ()
  • "I Am Spartacus" ()
  • "Just a Vacation" ()
  • "Buzz Off, Buzzard Boy" ()
  • "No Swing Set" ()
• Dream On (TV Series) – 1 episodes
  • "Try Not to Remember" ()
• Ellen (TV Series) – 25 episodes
  • "Shake, Rattle and Rumble" ()
  • "These Successful Friends lay out Mine" ()
  • "The Shower Scene" ()
  • "The Bridges of L.A.

    County" ()

  • "Hello, I Obligated to Be Going" ()
  • "Trick up-to-the-minute Treat - Who Cares?" ()
  • "She Ain't Friendly, She's Furious Mother" ()
  • "Salad Days" ()
  • "The Movie Show" ()
  • "What's Up, Ex-Doc?" ()
  • "Ellen's Choice" ()
  • "Do You Fear What I Fear?" ()
  • "Horschak's Law" ()
  • "Morgan, P.I." ()
  • "Oh, Sweet Rapture" ()
  • "Witness" ()
  • "Ellen: With Child" ()
  • "Lobster Diary" ()
  • "Two Ring Circus" ()
  • "A Penney Saved" ()
  • "Too Hip for the Room" ()
  • "Two Mammograms and spruce up Wedding" ()
  • "Go Girlz" ()
  • "When the Vow Breaks: Substance 1" ()
  • "When the Disorder Breaks: Part 2" ()
• Life gangster Roger (TV Series) – 1 episode
• Pearl (TV Series) – 1 episodes
  • "Teacher's Pet" ()
• Common Law (TV Series) – 1 episodes
• Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (TV Series) – 3 episodes
  • "Pilot" ()
  • "Sweet & Sour Victory ()
  • "First Kiss" ()
• Friends (TV Series) – 6 episodes
  • "The One gangster the Ick Factor" ()
  • "The One with All the Jealousy" ()
  • "The One Where Monica and Richard Are Just Friends" ()
  • "The One with Phoebe's Ex-Partner" ()
  • "The One rule the Hypnosis Tape" ()
  • "The One with the Ultimate Militant Champion" ()
• House Rules (TV Series) – 1 episodes
• The Simple Truth (TV Series) – 14 episodes
  • "The Scoop" ()
  • "The Birds" ()
  • "Things Change" ()
  • "Her Girl Friday" ()
  • "Bully for Dave" ()
  • "Liesl Weapon" ()
  • "Bridesface Revisited" ()
  • "Look at Me!

    Look level Me!" ()

  • "Women on loftiness Verge of a Rhytidectomy" ()
  • "8 1/2" ()
  • "The Butt of Bath" ()
  • "Day bring into the light the Locos" ()
  • "Born do good to Be Wilde" ()
  • "Muddy help out Nothing" ()
• Reunited (TV Series) – 1 episodes
• Brother's Keeper (TV Series) – 1 episode
• Jesse (TV Series) – 8 episodes
  • "Goober Up the Nose" ()
  • "Bees Do It, Birds Prang It, But Not in nifty Car" ()
  • "Live Nude Girls" ()
  • "Boo!

    He's Back" ()

  • "The Methadone Clinic" ()
  • "The Kiss" ()
  • "The Cheese Ship" ()
  • "My Casual Friend's Wedding" ()
• Dharma & Greg (TV Series) – 1 episode
  • "Mad Secretaries and Englishmen" ()
• Two Guys, a Girl and a Dish Place (TV Series) – 2 episodes
  • "Rescue Me" ()
  • "The Love Boat" ()
• The Huntress (TV Series) – 4 episodes
  • "Black Widow" ()
  • "Generations" ()
  • "Undercover" ()
  • "Showdown" ()
• Bob Patterson (TV Series) – 1 episodes
  • "Bathroom Bob" ()
• 8 Simple Rules (TV Series) – 2 episodes
  • "Sex Ed" ()
  • "Donny Goes AWOL" ()
• I'm with Her (TV Series) – 2 episodes
  • "Meet high-mindedness Parent" ()
  • "The Greatest Christmastime Story Ever Told" ()
• Baby Bob (TV Series) – 2 episodes
  • "You Don't Know Jack" ()
  • "Boys Will Be Girls" ()
• Complete Savages (TV Series) – 1 episode
• Billy: The Prematurely Years ()

Producer

• Die Laughing ()
• Modern Love ()
• Caligo ()
• Unwelcome ()
• Calypso ()
• Straight Outta Tompkins ()

Writer

Composer

• Walk Proud ()
• Unwelcome ()
• Straight Outta Tompkins ()

Discography

Singles

• "Blue Balloon (The Hourglass Song)" ()
• "Hey Everybody" ()
• "A Rock and Roll Song" ()
• "Adios Yesterday" ()
• "All I Want Deterioration Love" ()

Awards and nominations

References

External links