Brooks Benedict


Brooks Benedict was an American actor of the silent and sound film era, where he played supporting and utility roles in over 300 films, mostly uncredited.

Life

He was born to Alice Julian and Samuel Mann. He attended Princeton University for two years, and was a member its football team.
He then joined the American Ambulance Corp. in France for six months at the height of World War I. Upon return and after the Selective Service Act of 1917, he enlisted and served as a private in the United States Army Air Service.
Benedict then went to Hollywood and pursued different jobs until his starting role in William Wellman's movie Cupid's Fireman at Fox Film Corporation. His first major role came later opposite Harold Lloyd in The Freshman / College Days as the Campus Cad. He continued to appear with Lloyd and other prominent silent era stars in the 1920s During World War II and throughout the 1940s, he appeared in more than 130 movies, where he was limited to utility roles in all but three. During this time, in an interview published in the Prescott Evening Courier, he and Howard R. Philbrick explain the challenges faced by some 7000 extras in 1940 Hollywood. In later stages of his career, he extended his work to television, appearing as a regular in such series as the Four Star Playhouse. His last performance was in the movie Houseboat.
As of 1940, he was married to Marjorie Benedict in Los Angeles.
He died at 12:05 am January 1, 1968, in Bellaire General Hospital in Houston, Texas, due to myocardial infarction after a history of arteriosclerosis and rheumatic heart disease.

Gallery

Selected filmography