Dirk Benedict (born Dirk Niewoehner; March 1, 1945) is an American film, television and stage actor, philosopher and author. He is best known for playing the characters Lieutenant Starbuck in the original Battlestar Galactica film and television series and Lieutenant Templeton "Faceman" Peck in The A-Team television series. He is the author of Confessions of a Kamikaze Cowboy and And Then We Went Fishing.
Dirk Benedict | |
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 Dirk Benedict at the 2011 Lucca Comics & Games | |
| Born | Dirk Niewoehner March 1, 1945 Helena, Montana, United States |
| Alma mater | Whitman College |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1972–present |
| Known for | The A-Team Battlestar Galactica |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | dirkbenedictcentral |
| Signature | |
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Early life
Benedict was born Dirk Niewoehner in Helena, Montana,[1] the son of Priscilla Mella (née Metzger), an accountant, and George Edward Niewoehner, a lawyer.[2] He grew up in White Sulphur Springs, Montana. He graduated from Whitman College in 1967.[3] Benedict allegedly chose his stage name from a serving of Eggs Benedict he had prior to his acting career. He is of German extraction.[citation needed]
Career
Benedict's film debut was in the 1972 film Georgia, Georgia. When the New York run for Butterflies Are Free ended, he received an offer to repeat his performance in Hawaii, opposite Barbara Rush. While there, he appeared as a guest lead on Hawaii Five-O. The producers of a horror film called Sssssss (1973) saw Benedict's performance in Hawaii Five-O and promptly cast him as the lead in that movie. He next played the psychotic wife-beating husband of Twiggy in her American film debut, W (1974). Benedict starred in the television series Chopper One, which aired for one season in 1974. He made two appearances in Charlie's Angels. He also appeared on the Donny & Marie variety show.
Benedict's career break came in 1978 when he appeared as Lieutenant Starbuck in the movie and television series Battlestar Galactica. The same year Benedict starred in the TV film Cruise into Terror, and appeared in the ensemble movie Scavenger Hunt the following year.
1980s and 1990s
In 1980, Benedict starred alongside Linda Blair in an action-comedy movie called Ruckus. In 1983, Dirk gained further popularity as con man Lieutenant Templeton "Face" Peck in 1980s action television series The A-Team. He played "Faceman" from 1982 to 1986, although the series didn't air until January 1983, and the final episode wasn't shown until 1987 rebroadcasts. The second season episode "Steel" includes a scene at Universal Studios where Face is seen looking bemused as a Cylon walks by him as an in-joke to his previous role in Battlestar Galactica. The clip is incorporated into the series' opening credit sequence from season 3 onward.
In 1986, Benedict starred as low-life band manager Harry Smilac in the movie Body Slam along with Lou Albano, Roddy Piper, and cameo appearances by Freddie Blassie, Ric Flair, and Bruno Sammartino. His character Smilac ends up managing the pro-wrestler "Quick Rick" Roberts (Piper) and faces opposition by Captain Lou and his wrestling tag-team "the Cannibals".
In 1987, Benedict took the title role of Shakespeare's Hamlet at the Abbey Theatre in Manhattan. Both his performance and the entire production were lambasted by critics.[4] Benedict starred in the 1989 TV film Trenchcoat in Paradise.
In 1991, Benedict starred in Blue Tornado, playing Alex, call sign Fireball, an Italian Air Force fighter pilot. Benedict published an autobiography, Confessions of a Kamikaze Cowboy: A True Story of Discovery, Acting, Health, Illness, Recovery, and Life (Avery Publishing ISBN 0895294796). In 1993, Benedict starred in Shadow Force.
Benedict also appeared as Jake Barnes in the 1996 action-adventure film Alaska.
2000s and 2010s
In 2000, Benedict wrote and directed his first screenplay, Cahoots.[5] Benedict appeared in the 2006 German film Goldene Zeiten ("Golden Times") in a dual role, playing an American former TV star as well as a German lookalike who impersonates him.
In 2006, he wrote an online essay criticizing the then-airing Battlestar Galactica re-imagined series and, especially, its casting of a woman as his character, Starbuck, writing that "the war against masculinity has been won" and that "a television show based on hope, spiritual faith, and family is unimagined and regurgitated as a show of despair, sexual violence and family dysfunction".[6]
He appeared as a contestant on the 2007 UK series of Celebrity Big Brother. He arrived on launch night in a replica of the A-Team van, smoking a cigar and accompanied by the A-Team theme tune.
In 2010, Benedict starred in a stage production of Prescription: Murder playing Lieutenant Columbo for the Middle Ground Theatre Company in the UK. Benedict also made a cameo appearance in the 2010 film adaptation of The A-Team as Pensacola Prisoner Milt.[7]
In 2019, Benedict took on the role of Jack Strange in the B movie Space Ninjas, written and directed by Scott McQuaid. Dirk plays an eccentric TV host of a show called Stranger Than Fiction, which is like a hybrid of The Twilight Zone and The X-Files. The movie is a sci-fi comedy horror that follows a bunch of high school students trying to survive the night of a Space Ninja invasion.
Personal life
Cancer
In the 1970s, Benedict survived a prostate tumor, which he refused to have tested for malignancy. Having rejected conventional medical treatment, he credited his survival to the adoption of a macrobiotic diet recommended to him by actress Gloria Swanson.[8]
Marriage and family
In 1986, he married Toni Hudson, an actress with whom he has two sons, George and Roland. Hudson had previously appeared as Dana in the fourth season A-Team episode titled "Blood, Sweat and Cheers". They divorced in 1995.
In 1998, Benedict learned that he also has another son, John Talbert (born 1968), from an earlier relationship, who had been placed for adoption. With the help of his adoptive parents, Talbert discovered and contacted his birth parents.[9]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Georgia, Georgia | Michael Winters | |
| 1973 | Sssssss | David Blake | |
| 1974 | W | William Caulder | a.k.a. I Want Her Dead |
| 1978 | Battlestar Galactica | Lieutenant Starbuck | |
| 1979 | Scavenger Hunt | Jeff Stevens | |
| 1980 | Ruckus | Kyle Hanson | a.k.a. Ruckus in Madoc County |
| 1981 | Underground Aces | Pete Huffman | |
| 1986 | Body Slam | M. Harry Smilac | |
| 1991 | Blue Tornado | Alex Long | |
| 1992 | Shadow Force | Detective Rick Kelly | |
| 1994 | Demon Keeper | Alexander Harris | |
| 1995 | The Feminine Touch | John Mackie | Direct-to-video; a.k.a. The November Conspiracy |
| 1996 | Alaska | Jake Barnes | |
| 1998 | The Adventures of Young Brave | Tyler | a.k.a. Waking Up Horton |
| 2001 | Cahoots | — | Director and writer |
| 2006 | Goldene Zeiten | Douglas Burnett / John Striker / Horst Müller | |
| 2007 | Recon 7 Down | Tom Myers | |
| 2009 | Inglorious Bumblers | Tom Mayers | Direct-to-video |
| 2010 | The A-Team | Milt, Pensacola Prisoner | |
| 2019 | Space Ninjas | Jack Strange | |
| 2020 | Charlie's Christmas Wish | Stanley |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Hawaii Five-O | Walter Clyman | Episode: "Chain of Events" |
| 1974 | Chopper One | Officer Gil Foley | 13 episodes; Main cast |
| 1975 | Journey from Darkness | Bill | TV film |
| 1977 | Charlie's Angels | Cadet John Barton | Episode: "The Blue Angels" |
| The Cabot Connection | Brom Loomis | Pilot episode | |
| 1978 | Cruise Into Terror | Simon McLane | TV film |
| Charlie's Angels | Denny Railsback | Episode: "The Jade Trap" | |
| 1978–1979 | Battlestar Galactica | Lieutenant Starbuck | 24 episodes; Main cast |
| 1980 | Galactica 1980 | Lieutenant Starbuck | Episode: "The Return of Starbuck" |
| The Georgia Peaches | "Dusty" Tyree | TV film; a.k.a. Follow That Car | |
| 1980 | The Love Boat | Jeff Dalton | Episode: "That's My Dad" |
| 1981 | Scruples | "Spider" Elliott | TV film |
| 1982 | Family in Blue | Matt Malone | TV pilot episode |
| 1983 | The Love Boat | Gary Wells | Episode: "The Dog Show: Whose Dog Is It Anyway?" |
| 1983–1987 | The A-Team | Lieutenant Templeton "Faceman" Peck | 96 episodes; Main cast |
| 1984 | Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense | Frank Rowlett | Episode: "Mark of the Devil" |
| 1985 | Amazing Stories | "Face" | Episode: "Remote Control Man" |
| 1987 | Hotel | Trevor Harris | Episode: "Prized Possessions" |
| 1989 | Murder, She Wrote | Dr. David Latimer | Episode: "Smooth Operators" |
| Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Dr. Rush | Episode: "In the Name of Science" | |
| Trenchcoat in Paradise | Eddie Mazda | TV film | |
| 1991 | Bejewelled | Gordon | TV film |
| 1992 | Baywatch | Aaron Brody | Episode: "Rookie of the Year" |
| 1993 | Official Denial | Lieutenant Colonel Dan Lerner | TV film |
| The Commish | Gil Higgins | Episode: "All That Glitters" | |
| 1995 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Blair | Episode: "Case Closed" |
| Murder, She Wrote | Gary Harling | Episode: "Frozen Stiff" | |
| 1996 | Abduction of Innocence | Robert Steves | TV film |
| 1997 | Zork: Grand Inquisitor | Antharia Jack (voice) | Video game |
| 2003 | Battlestar Galactica | Lieutenant Starbuck (voice) | Video game |
| 2006 | Earthstorm | Victor Stevens | TV film |
References
- ^ Hal Erickson (2010). "Dirk Benedict". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on February 27, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
- ^ "Dirk Benedict Biography (1945–)". FilmReference.com. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
- ^ "Alumni Individual Web Sites". Whitman College. Archived from the original on June 11, 2011. Retrieved May 10, 2011.
- ^ Brucker, D.J.R. "The Stage: Hamlet", The New York Times, September 22, 1987
- ^ Mark Deming (2008). "Cahoots". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on September 8, 2008. Retrieved May 10, 2011.
- ^ Benedict, Dirk (May 2004). "Lost in Castration". Dirk Benedict Central. Archived from the original on December 20, 2013. Retrieved February 7, 2006.
- ^ ""Prescription:Murder" and "The A-Team"". Dirk Benedict Central. November 23, 2009. Archived from the original on September 21, 2010. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
- ^ Benedict, Dirk (July 2, 2014). "An A-Team Star's Toughest Battle—Against the Specter of Cancer—is Waged in Secret and Alone". People. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
- ^ "Adopted and Searching for Answers". Parade. Archived from the original on May 4, 2007. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
External links
