Paul Benjamin is an American actor.

Benjamin was born in Pelion, South Carolina

Pelion, South Carolina

Pelion is a town in Lexington County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 553 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Columbia, South Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area...

. He made his film debut in 1969 as a bartender

Bartender

A bartender is a person who serves beverages behind a counter in a bar, pub, tavern, or similar establishment. A bartender, in short, "tends the bar". The term barkeeper may carry a connotation of being the bar's owner...

 in Midnight Cowboy

Midnight Cowboy

Midnight Cowboy is a 1969 American drama film based on the 1965 novel of the same name by James Leo Herlihy. It was written by Waldo Salt, directed by John Schlesinger, and stars Dustin Hoffman and newcomer Jon Voight in the title role. Notable smaller roles are filled by Sylvia Miles, John...

. After a small role in Sidney Lumet

Sidney Lumet

Sidney Lumet was an American director, producer and screenwriter with over 50 films to his credit. He was nominated for the Academy Award as Best Director for 12 Angry Men , Dog Day Afternoon , Network and The Verdict...

's The Anderson Tapes

The Anderson Tapes

The Anderson Tapes is a 1971 crime film. It was directed by Sidney Lumet and stars Sean Connery, Dyan Cannon, Martin Balsam, and comedian Alan King. The screenplay was written by Frank Pierson, based upon a best-selling 1970 novel of the same name by Lawrence Sanders...

, he did extensive television work in the 1970s.

A few notable exceptions were a major role in Barry Shear

Barry Shear

Barry Shear was an American film director and producer.He directed films such as The Todd Killings in 1971 , and the blaxploitation film Across 110th Street in 1972.-External links:...

's Across 110th Street

Across 110th Street

Across 110th Street is a 1972 American crime-drama film starring Anthony Quinn, Yaphet Kotto, and Anthony Franciosa, and directed by Barry Shear...

, and smaller parts in Gordon Parks

Gordon Parks

Gordon Roger Alexander Buchanan Parks was a groundbreaking American photographer, musician, poet, novelist, journalist, activist and film director...

' biopic Leadbelly

Leadbelly

Huddie William Ledbetter was an iconic American folk and blues musician, notable for his strong vocals, his virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the songbook of folk standards he introduced....

, Arthur Marks' Friday Foster

Friday Foster (film)

Friday Foster is a 1975 blaxploitation film, written and directed by Arthur Marks, and starring Pam Grier in the title role. Yaphet Kotto, Eartha Kitt, Scatman Crothers and Carl Weathers co-starred. It was an adaptation of the 1970-74 eponymous syndicated newspaper comic strip, scripted by Jim...

, and Don Siegel

Don Siegel

Donald Siegel was an influential American film director and producer. His name variously appeared in the credits of his films as both Don Siegel and Donald Siegel.-Early life:...

's prison film Escape from Alcatraz

Escape from Alcatraz (film)

Escape from Alcatraz is a 1979 American thriller film, directed by Don Siegel and starring Clint Eastwood. It dramatizes possibly the only successful escape attempt from the maximum security prison on Alcatraz Island. The film co-stars Fred Ward, and also features Patrick McGoohan as the...

. He gave exceptional performances in the TV adaptations of I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is the 1969 autobiography about the early years of African-American writer and poet Maya Angelou. The first in a six-volume series, it is a coming-of-age story that illustrates how strength of character and a love of literature can help overcome racism and trauma...

and Gideon's Trumpet

Gideon's Trumpet

Gideon's Trumpet is a book by Anthony Lewis describing the story behind Gideon v. Wainwright, in which the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that criminal defendants have the right to an attorney even if they cannot afford it...

. He later starred in the HBO movie The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains, based on the novel by Robert E. Burns.

On the big screen in the 1990s, Benjamin worked with some well known directors. He appeared in Spike Lee

Spike Lee

Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983....

's Do The Right Thing

Do the Right Thing

Do the Right Thing is a 1989 American dramedy produced, written, and directed by Spike Lee, who is also a featured actor in the film. Other members of the cast include Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, and John Turturro. It is also notably the...

, Robert Townsend's The Five Heartbeats

The Five Heartbeats

The Five Heartbeats is a 1991 musical drama film directed by Robert Townsend, who co-wrote the script with Keenan Ivory Wayans. Distributed by 20th Century Fox, the film's main cast includes Townsend, Michael Wright, Leon Robinson, Harry J. Lennix, Tico Wells, Harold Nicholas of the Nicholas...

, Bill Duke

Bill Duke

William Henry "Bill" Duke, Jr. is an American actor and film director with over 30 years of experience. Known for his physically imposing frame, Duke's work frequently dwells within the action/crime and drama genres but also includes comedy.-Early life:Duke was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, the...

's Hoodlum, and John Singleton's Rosewood

Rosewood

Rosewood refers to any of a number of richly hued timbers, often brownish with darker veining, but found in many different hues. All rosewoods are strong and heavy, taking an excellent polish, being suitable for guitars, marimbas, turnery , handles, furniture, luxury flooring, etc.In general,...

.

On television, he appeared in the 1994 pilot episode of ER

ER (TV series)

ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...

, which led to his recurring role of homeless man Al Ervin during the next few seasons. Benjamin also worked on the American Masters documentary of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ralph Ellison

Ralph Ellison

Ralph Waldo Ellison was an American novelist, literary critic, scholar and writer. He was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Ellison is best known for his novel Invisible Man, which won the National Book Award in 1953...

, which aired on PBS.

After 2000, he appeared primarily in small independent films like Stanley's Gig, The Station Agent

The Station Agent

The Station Agent is a 2003 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Thomas McCarthy. McCarthy's script about a man who seeks solitude in an abandoned train station in Newfoundland, New Jersey won him the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay.-Plot:Finbar McBride, a quiet,...

, Deacons For Defense, and James Hunter

James Hunter

Dr James Hunter CBE is currently Director for the UHI Centre for History, Chairman of the Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust and formerly the Chairman of Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the Inverness-based development and training agency for the North of Scotland...

's 2004 drama Back in the Day

Back in the Day (film)

Back in the Day is a 2005 Crime drama starring Ja Rule and Ving Rhames and directed by James Hunter. The film was introduced on May 15, 2004 at the Cannes Film Festival and was released a year later in the U.S.A...

.

He recently made a special appearance in the independent film The Talk Man, directed by Gene Gallerano.

External links