
Paul Benjamin
Known for Acting · 52 credits
- Born
- 1935-02-04
- Died
- 2019-06-28
- Place of birth
- Pelion, South Carolina, USA
Biography
Paul Benjamin (February 4, 1935 – June 28, 2019) was an American actor. is an American actor.
Benjamin was born in Pelion, South Carolina. He made his film debut in 1969 as a bartender in Midnight Cowboy. After a small role in Sidney Lumet's The Anderson Tapes, he primarily did television work in the 1970s. A few notable exceptions were a major role in Barry Shear's Across 110th Street, and smaller parts in Gordon Parks' biopic Leadbelly, Arthur Marks' Friday Foster, and Don Siegel's prison film Escape from Alcatraz. He gave exceptional performances in the TV adaptations of I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings and Gideon's Trumpet. 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's Do The Right Thing, Robert Townsend's The Five Heartbeats, Bill Duke's Hoodlum, and John Singleton's Rosewood.
On television, he appeared in the 1994 pilot episode of ER, 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, which aired on PBS.
After 2000, he appeared primarily in small independent films like Stanley's Gig, The Station Agent, Deacons For Defense, and James Hunter's 2004 drama Back in the Day.
Known For
TV Shows (12)

Law & Order
1990
as Lonnie Jackson

ER
1994
as Al Ervin

Knots Landing
1979
as Mr. Carter

The Shield
2002
as Perry

Angel
1999
as Fellow Resident

Starsky & Hutch
1975

Police Woman
1974

Kojak
1973
as Willie Daniels

Police Story
1973

Night Heat
1985

Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Arlis

The Atlanta Child Murders
1985
as Homer Williams
Movies (40)

Escape from Alcatraz
1979
as English

Hoodlum
1997
as Whispers

Midnight Cowboy
1969
as Bartender

Do the Right Thing
1989
as ML

The Station Agent
2003
as Henry Styles

The Super
1991
as Gilliam

Vanishing Point
1997
as Mose, Snake Wrangler

Rosewood
1997
as James Carrier

Nuts
1987
as Harry Harrison

The Education of Sonny Carson
1974
as Pops

The Five Heartbeats
1991
as Mr. King

Deadly Force
1983
as Lester

Across 110th Street
1972
as Jim Harris

Some Kind of Hero
1982
as Leon

Friday Foster
1975
as Senator David Lee Hart

Gideon's Trumpet
1980
as Artis

The Meeting
1989
as Rashad

The Anderson Tapes
1971
as Jimmy

DMX: Angel
2001
as Minister

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
1979
as Freeman

Back in the Day
2005
as Cody

Drop Squad
1994
as Wellington Cosbie

Born to Win
1971
as Fixer

Deacons for Defense
2005
as Otis

The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains
1987
as Big Sam

Leadbelly
1976
as Wes Ledbetter

The Breaks
1999
as Clerk

The Deadly Trackers
1973
as Jacob

A Stranger Waits
1987
as Cooper

One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story
1978
as John LeFlore

The Fence
1994
as Del Reston

Ascension Day
2007
as Sam

Last Rites
1999
as Fez

Back to the Streets of San Francisco
1992
as Henry Brown

Stanley's Gig
2000
as Teddy Branson

Mr. Inside/Mr. Outside
1973
as Lt. Valentine

Occupy, Texas
2016
as Mr. Goodman

Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys
1976
as Ramsey

Distance
1975
as Sgt. Elwood Horne

Friendly Persuasion
1975
as Swan Stebeney
About Paul Benjamin
Paul Benjamin (February 4, 1935 – June 28, 2019) was an American actor. is an American actor. Benjamin was born in Pelion, South Carolina. He made his film debut in 1969 as a bartender in Midnight Cowboy. After a small role in Sidney Lumet's The Anderson Tapes, he primarily did television work in the 1970s. A few notable exceptions were a major role in Barry Shear's Across 110th Street, and smaller parts in Gordon Parks' biopic Leadbelly, Arthur Marks' Friday Foster, and Don Siegel's prison film Escape from Alcatraz. He gave exceptional perfor… With 52 credits spanning from 1951 to 2016, Paul Benjamin has appeared in 40 films and 12 TV shows.
Fans searching for Paul Benjamin movies, Paul Benjamin filmography, or the latest projects starring Paul Benjamin can stream many of these titles on HinFlix, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Paul Benjamin Movies
- Escape from Alcatraz (1979) — as English
- Hoodlum (1997) — as Whispers
- Midnight Cowboy (1969) — as Bartender
- Do the Right Thing (1989) — as ML
- The Station Agent (2003) — as Henry Styles
Where to Watch Paul Benjamin Films
Most Paul Benjamin movies and series are available to stream on HinFlix in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Paul Benjamin, check our movies catalogue and browse page.