Ben Welden
Encyclopedia
Ben Welden was an American
character actor
who played a wide variety of Damon Runyon
-type gangsters in various movies and television shows. Born in Toledo, Ohio
, Welden appeared in over 120 films between 1930
and 1966
.
Short, balding and somewhat rotund, he often literally played a "heavy
", frequently in a somewhat comical or slightly dim-witted way, offsetting the sinister nature of his character's actions. Among his roles in this vein was The Big Sleep
.
Fans of Adventures of Superman
remember him well, as he appeared in eight episodes, always as a different character and yet really the same character, in a way. His best-known Superman episode might be "Flight to the North", in which he tries (and fails) to outwit a country-bumpkin type (played by Chuck Connors
).
He was a semi-regular in the 1954-1955 CBS
legal drama
, The Public Defender
, starring Reed Hadley
as an attorney for the indigent.
In his later years, Welden owned a confection company called Nutcorn, which supplemented his acting income.
Outliving most of his peers, Welden died at age 96 on October 27, 1997. He was residing at the Motion Picture Retirement Home (Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital
) in Woodland Hills, California at the time of his passing.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
character actor
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
who played a wide variety of Damon Runyon
Damon Runyon
Alfred Damon Runyon was an American newspaperman and writer.He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Prohibition era. To New Yorkers of his generation, a "Damon Runyon character" evoked a distinctive social type from the...
-type gangsters in various movies and television shows. Born in Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
, Welden appeared in over 120 films between 1930
1930 in film
-Events:* November 1: The Big Trail featuring a young John Wayne in his first starring role is released in both 35mm, and a very early form of 70mm film and was the first large scale big-budget film of the sound era costing over $2 million. The film was praised for its aesthetic quality and realism...
and 1966
1966 in film
The year 1966 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Animation legend Walter Disney, well known for his creation of Mickey Mouse, died in 15 December 1966 of acute circulatory collapse following a diagnosis of, and surgery for, lung cancer...
.
Short, balding and somewhat rotund, he often literally played a "heavy
Heavy
-Music:* "Heavy" , a song by Collective Soul from the album Dosage* Heavy , the first album by the band Iron Butterfly* Heavy , 1999...
", frequently in a somewhat comical or slightly dim-witted way, offsetting the sinister nature of his character's actions. Among his roles in this vein was The Big Sleep
The Big Sleep
The Big Sleep is a hardboiled crime novel by Raymond Chandler, the first in his acclaimed series about detective Philip Marlowe. The work has been adapted twice into film, once in 1946 and again in 1978...
.
Fans of Adventures of Superman
Adventures of Superman (TV series)
Adventures of Superman is an American television series based on comic book characters and concepts created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The show is the first television series to feature Superman and began filming in 1951 in California...
remember him well, as he appeared in eight episodes, always as a different character and yet really the same character, in a way. His best-known Superman episode might be "Flight to the North", in which he tries (and fails) to outwit a country-bumpkin type (played by Chuck Connors
Chuck Connors
Chuck Connors was an American actor, writer, and professional basketball and baseball player. His best known role from his forty-year film career was Lucas McCain in the 1960s ABC hit Western series The Rifleman....
).
He was a semi-regular in the 1954-1955 CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
legal drama
Legal drama
A legal drama is a work of dramatic fiction about crime and civil litigation. Subtypes of legal dramas include courtroom dramas and legal thrillers, and come in all forms, including novels, television shows, and films. Legal drama sometimes overlap with crime drama, most notably in the case of Law...
, The Public Defender
The Public Defender (TV series)
The Public Defender is a half-hour 69-episode television dramatic series starring Reed Hadley as Bart Matthews, an attorney for the indigent. The series aired on CBS from March 11, 1954 to June 23, 1955, a season and a half.-Premise:...
, starring Reed Hadley
Reed Hadley
Reed Hadley was an American movie, television and radio actor.Reed Hadley was born Reed Herring in Petrolia in Clay County near Wichita Falls, Texas, to Bert Herring, an oil well driller, and his wife Minnie. Hadley had one sister, Bess Brenner. He was reared in Buffalo, New York...
as an attorney for the indigent.
In his later years, Welden owned a confection company called Nutcorn, which supplemented his acting income.
Outliving most of his peers, Welden died at age 96 on October 27, 1997. He was residing at the Motion Picture Retirement Home (Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital
Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital
The Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital is a retirement community, with individual cottages, and a fully licensed, acute-care hospital, located at 23388 Mulholland Drive in Woodland Hills, California...
) in Woodland Hills, California at the time of his passing.
Selected filmography
- The Medicine ManThe Medicine Man (1933 film)The Medicine Man is a British comedy film directed by Redd Davis and starring Claud Allister, Frank Pettingell, Pat Paterson, and Ben Welden. A young man impersonates a doctor.-Cast:* Claud Allister as Hon. Freddie Wiltshire...
(1933) - Born LuckyBorn Lucky (film)Born Lucky is a 1933 British rags to riches musical-comedy drama, directed by Michael Powell and starring René Ray and John Longden. The screenplay was adapted from the 1928 novel Mops by Marguerite Florence Barclay....
(1933) - His Grace Gives NoticeHis Grace Gives NoticeHis Grace Gives Notice is a 1933 British comedy film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and based on the novel His Grace Gives Notice by Lady Laura Troubridge which had previously been adapted into a 1924 film...
(1933) - Admirals AllAdmirals AllAdmirals All is a 1935 British comedy film directed by Victor Hanbury and starring Wynne Gibson, Gordon Harker, Anthony Bushell and George Curzon. It was based on a play by Ian Hay...
(1935) - Come Out of the PantryCome Out of the PantryCome Out of the Pantry is a 1935 British musical film directed by Jack Raymond and starring Jack Buchanan, Fay Wray, James Carew and Fred Emney.-Plot:...
(1935) - The Triumph of Sherlock HolmesThe Triumph of Sherlock HolmesThe Triumph of Sherlock Holmes is a 1935 British mystery film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and based on The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle.- Plot summary :...
(1935) - The Improper DuchessThe Improper DuchessThe Improper Duchess is a 1936 British comedy film directed by Harry Hughes and starring Yvonne Arnaud, Hugh Wakefield, Wilfrid Caithness and Arthur Finn. The film is based on the 1931 play of the same name by J. B...
(1936) - Love Is on the AirLove Is on the AirLove is on the Air is a 1937 film directed by Nick Grinde. The film stars Ronald Reagan, Eddie Acuff, supported by Robert Barrat, Raymond Hatton, and Willard Parker. This was Reagan's screen debut....
(19371937 in filmThe year 1937 in film involved some significant events, including the Walt Disney production of the first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.- Events :*April 16 - Way Out West premieres in the US....
) - The Fighting SeabeesThe Fighting SeabeesThe Fighting Seabees is a 1944 war film starring John Wayne and Susan Hayward. The picture portrays a heavily fictionalized account of the dilemma that led to the creation of the U.S. Navy's "Seabees" in World War II...
(19441944 in filmThe year 1944 in film involved some significant events, including the wholesome, award-winning Going My Way plus popular murder mysteries such as Double Indemnity, Gaslight and Laura.-Events:*July 20 - Since You Went Away is released....
) - Three Dark HorsesThree Dark HorsesThree Dark Horses is the 142nd short subject starring American slapstick comedy team the Three Stooges. The trio made a total of 190 shorts for Columbia Pictures between 1934 and 1959.-Plot:...
(19521952 in filmThe year 1952 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 10 - Cecil B. DeMille's circus epic, The Greatest Show on Earth, premieres at Radio City Music Hall in New York City....
) - Killers from SpaceKillers from SpaceKillers from Space is a 1954 American black and white science fiction feature film, produced and directed by W. Lee Wilder from an original, commissioned screenplay by his son Myles Wilder and their regular collaborator William Raynor, and starring Peter Graves and Barbara Bestar...
(19541954 in filmThe year 1954 in film involved some significant events and memorable ones.-Events:*May 12 - The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces wife Marion Benda...
) - The Adventures of Captain AfricaThe Adventures of Captain AfricaThe Adventures of Captain Africa is a Columbia serial starring John Hart. It was the third to last serial to be produced by Columbia.-Plot:Trapper Nat Coleman and government agent Ted Arnold come upon a plot to take over an African nation...
(19551955 in filmThe year 1955 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* November 3 - The musical Guys and Dolls, starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, debuts.* June 27 - The last ever Republic serial, King of the Carnival, is released....
)