Richard Benedict
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.
Movie Appearances
Ace in the Hole
as Leo Minosa
1951
Hoodlum Empire
as Silky Tanner
1952
It! The Terror from Beyond Space
as Bob Finelli
1958
Crossfire
as Bill
1947
A Walk in the Sun
as Pvt. Tranella
1945
City Across the River
as Gaggsy Steens
1949
Backlash
as Detective Sergeant Tom Carey
1947
The Guilt of Janet Ames
as Joe Burton
1947
Scene of the Crime
as Turk Kingby
1949
Smart Girls Don't Talk
as Cliff Saunders
1948
Beginning of the End
as Cpl. Mathias
1957
Homicide
as Nick Foster
1949
Murder Without Tears
as Joe 'Candy Markwell' Martola
1953
The Man Is Armed
as Lew 'Mitch' Mitchell
1956
Race Street
as Sam
1948
Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison
1951
Streets of San Francisco
as Henry Walker
1949
Woman in the Dark
as Gino Morello
1952
Jalopy
as Tony, the driver
1953
Let's Go Navy!
as Red
1951
