Richard Benedict
Actor
Biography
Richard "Pepe" Benedict (born Riccardo Benedetto, January 8, 1920 – April 29, 1984) was an Italian-American television and film actor and director. He was born in Palermo, Italy.
He appeared in dozens of television programs and movies from the 1940s to the 1960s, most notably Ace in the Hole (1951), directed by Billy Wilder. Benedict appeared with Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack in the 1960 movie Ocean's 11 as one of the 11 men who rob five Las Vegas casinos on the same night. He also played the commander of the Mars rescue ship in the 1958 B sci-fi movie It! The Terror from Beyond Space.
Benedict's television appearances included Adventures of Superman, The Lone Ranger, Perry Mason, Zorro, Dragnet, Peter Gunn and Hawaii Five-O. His directing credits included Impasse, an adventure film starring Burt Reynolds. He died of a heart attack at Studio City, Los Angeles, on April 29, 1984, and was interred in Forest Lawn – Hollywood Hills Cemetery, in the Churchyard section. He was the father of three children, including actor Nick Benedict.
As Director
Filmography
Ace in the Hole
as Leo Minosa 1951
Ocean's Eleven
as "Curly" Steffans 1960
Crossfire
as Bill 1947
It! The Terror from Beyond Space
as Bob Finelli 1958
Somewhere in the Night
as Marine Desk Sergeant 1946
The Window
as Murdered Seaman (Uncredited) 1949
A Walk in the Sun
as Pvt. Tranella 1945
Shockproof
as 'Kid', Knife Wielder (Uncredited) 1949
Beginning of the End
as Cpl. Mathias 1957
The Midnight Story
as Pool Player (uncredited) 1957
Scene of the Crime
as Turk Kingby 1949
Backlash
as Detective Sergeant Tom Carey 1947
Race Street
as Sam 1948
Till the End of Time
as Soldier with "the shakes" 1946
The Guilt of Janet Ames
as Joe Burton 1947
Hoodlum Empire
as Silky Tanner 1952
O.S.S.
as Robert Bouchet, Tech Sgt., A.U.S. / Albert Bernardi 1946