William Benedict
- Teen actor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
William Benedict (April 16, 1917 – November 25, 1999) was an American actor, perhaps best known for playing "Whitey" in Monogram Pictures' The Bowery Boys series.
Born in Haskell, Oklahoma, he took part in school theatricals, and on leaving school he made his way to Hollywood. His first film was $10 Raise (1935) starring Edward Everett Horton, which launched Benedict on a busy career. The blond-haired Benedict almost always played juvenile roles, such as newsboys, messengers, office boys, and farmhands.
In 1939, when Universal Pictures began its Little Tough Guys series to compete with the popular Dead End Kids features, Billy Benedict was recruited into the cast. These films led him into the similar East Side Kids movies (usually playing a member of the East Side gang, but occasionally in villainous roles). The East Side Kids became The Bowery Boys in 1946, and Benedict stayed with the series (as "Whitey") through the end of 1951.
Other films included My Little Chickadee (1940) starring W. C. Fields and Mae West, The Ox-Bow Incident (1943), Ed Wood's Bride of the Monster (1955), The Sting (1973) and Farewell, My Lovely (1975). Benedict never shook his juvenile image completely, and continued to play messengers and news vendors well into his sixties. He also worked often in television commercials.
Acted in
The Bowery Boys: Legends of Laughter
2020
as Himself
Bonanza: The Next Generation
1988
as Gus Morton
Highway to Heaven
1984
Computercide
1982
as Elderly Man
Hill Street Blues
1981
Goldie and the Boxer
1979
as Old Man
Born Again
1978
as Leon Jaworski
The Incredible Hulk
1977
as Vic
Sherlock Holmes in New York
1976
as Telegraph Office Manager
Quincy, M.E.
1976
Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood
1976
as Man on Bus
Matt Helm
1975
as Scavenger
Ellery Queen
1975
Cop on the Beat
1975
as Lennie
The Dead Don't Die
1975
as Hotel Desk Clerk (uncredited)
Little House on the Prairie
1974
The Sting
1973
as Roulette Dealer
Police Story
1973
Police Story
1973
as Prescott
The Dirt Gang
1972
as Station Attendant
The Streets of San Francisco
1972
The Adventures of Nick Carter
1972
as Newsboy
Call Her Mom
1972
as Mr. Feigelbaum
Emergency!
1972
All in the Family
1971
as Jimmy McNab
Alias Smith and Jones
1971
The Immortal
1970
Hello, Dolly!
1969
as News Vendor (uncredited)
The Brady Bunch
1969
The Over the Hill Gang
1969
as Joe, the Telegrapher (as Bill Benedict)
Big Daddy
1969
The Lottery
1969
as Joe Summers
Here's Lucy
1968
as Deliveryman
Mayberry R.F.D.
1968
as Uncle Whitmore
Mayberry R.F.D.
1968
as Pet Shop Owner
Land of the Giants
1968
as Villager Peabody
Adam-12
1968
as Bill White
Funny Girl
1968
as Western Union Boy (uncredited)
Rogue's Gallery
1968
as Jocko (as William Benedict)
Mannix
1967
Hondo
1967
The Guns of Will Sonnett
1967
Ironside
1967
What Am I Bid?
1967
as Clem (as Bill Benedict)
Mission: Impossible
1966
as Denver
The Monkees
1966
Felony Squad
1966
Frankie and Johnny
1966
as Bum Sleeping on Bench (uncredited)
I Dream of Jeannie
1965
as Cleaning Man
Honey West
1965
as Farley
The Hallelujah Trail
1965
as Simpson
Dear Heart
1965
as Stu
Branded
1965
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
1964
Petticoat Junction
1963
as Willie
Lover Come Back
1961
as Musician Exiting Elevator (uncredited)
Route 66
1960
The Barbara Stanwyck Show
1960
as Joe
Dennis the Menace
1959
The Twilight Zone
1959
as Conklin
The Hanging Tree
1959
as Trapper (uncredited)
The Rifleman
1958
Wagon Train
1957
as Wagon Train Member
The Adventures of Jim Bowie
1956
The Killing
1956
as American Airlines Clerk
Mobs, Inc.
1956
as Telegraph Boy
Navy Log
1955
Gunsmoke
1955
as Gus
Bride of the Monster
1955
as Newsboy
Lassie
1954
The Magnetic Monster
1953
as Albert
I'm the Law
1953
Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Degnan
Dragnet
1951
Crazy Over Horses
1951
as Whitey (as William Benedict)
Let's Go Navy!
1951
as Whitey
Ghost Chasers
1951
as Whitey
The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok
1951
Bowery Battalion
1951
as Whitey
Blues Busters
1950
as Whitey (as William Benedict)
Triple Trouble
1950
as Whitey, Bowery Boy
Lucky Losers
1950
as Whitey
Blonde Dynamite
1950
as Whitey
Master Minds
1949
as Whitey
Angels in Disguise
1949
as Whitey
Hold That Baby!
1949
as Whitey
Riders of the Pony Express
1949
as Eddie Lund
Fighting Fools
1949
as Whitey
Trouble Makers
1948
as Whitey (as Billy Benedict)
Smuggler's Cove
1948
as Whitey
Night Wind
1948
as Irv Bennett
Jinx Money
1948
as Whitey (as Billy Benedict)
Secret Service Investigator
1948
as Counterman
Angels' Alley
1948
as Whitey
Bowery Buckaroos
1947
as Whitey
Merton of the Movies
1947
as Von Strutt's Assistant (uncredited)
News Hounds
1947
as Whitey (as Billy Benedict)
The Hucksters
1947
as Bellboy at Blue Penguin Inn (uncredited)
Fun on a Weekend
1947
as Hotel Bellboy (Uncredited)
Hard Boiled Mahoney
1947
as Whitey
The Pilgrim Lady
1947
as Bellboy
Mr. Hex
1946
as Whitey (as Billy Benedict)
Never Say Goodbye
1946
as Messenger Boy (uncredited)
Spook Busters
1946
as Whitey (as Billy Benedict)
Bowery Bombshell
1946
as Whitey
In Fast Company
1946
as Whitey (as Billy Benedict)
One More Tomorrow
1946
as Stinky
Do You Love Me
1946
as Singing Western Union Boy (uncredited)
Without Reservations
1946
as Telegraph Delivery Boy (uncredited)
The Kid from Brooklyn
1946
as Newsboy (uncredited)
The Gentleman Misbehaves
1946
as Bellboy (uncredited)
Road to Utopia
1946
as Second Newsboy (uncredited)
Gay Blades
1946
as Newsboy (uncredited)
Live Wires
1946
as Whitey (as Billy Benedict)
People Are Funny
1946
as NBC Usher
Come Out Fighting
1945
as Skinny
Mr. Muggs Rides Again
1945
as Skinny
Story of G.I. Joe
1945
as Pvt. Whitey (uncredited)
Hollywood and Vine
1945
as Joe the Newsboy
Docks of New York
1945
as Skinny
Brenda Starr, Reporter
1945
as Pesky (uncredited)
Bowery Champs
1944
as Skinny
I Won't Play
1944
as Florida
They Live in Fear
1944
as Thomas 'Mack' Knight (uncredited)
That's My Baby!
1944
as Office boy
Janie
1944
as Soda Jerk (uncredited)
Block Busters
1944
as Butch
Follow the Leader
1944
as Spider O'Brien
The Whistler
1944
as The Deafmute (Uncredited)
Million Dollar Kid
1944
as Skinny
Whispering Footsteps
1943
as Jerry Murphy
Moonlight in Vermont
1943
as Abel
Mr. Muggs Steps Out
1943
as Pinky
Thank Your Lucky Stars
1943
as Busboy (uncredited)
Adventures of the Flying Cadets
1943
as Zombie Parker
Nobody's Darling
1943
as Sammy (uncredited)
Ghosts on the Loose
1943
as Benny
All by Myself
1943
as Telegraph Messenger
Clancy Street Boys
1943
as Butch
Aerial Gunner
1943
as Jackson 'Sleepy' Laswell
The Ox-Bow Incident
1943
as Greene (uncredited)
The Powers Girl
1943
as Powers Agency Office Boy (uncredited)
A Night to Remember
1942
as Messenger Boy (uncredited)
Heart of the Golden West
1942
as Telegraph Messenger
Get Hep to Love
1942
as Soda Jerk
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch
1942
as Theatre Usher
The Glass Key
1942
as Farr's Receptionist (uncredited)
Wildcat
1942
as Bud Smithers
The Talk of the Town
1942
as Western Union Boy (uncredited)
Junior G-Men of the Air
1942
as Whitey
Perils of Nyoka
1942
as Red Davis
Lady in a Jam
1942
as Barker (uncredited)
I Live on Danger
1942
as Bellboy (uncredited)
Home in Wyomin'
1942
as Usher (uncredited)
The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine
1942
as Bellboy
Two Yanks in Trinidad
1942
as Messenger (uncredited)
Rings on Her Fingers
1942
On the Sunny Side
1942
as Messenger
Confessions of Boston Blackie
1941
as Ice Cream Man
Cadet Girl
1941
as Soldier at Camp Show (uncredited)
Tuxedo Junction
1941
as Thomas 'Piecrust' Murphy (as Billy Benedict)
Jesse James at Bay
1941
as Young Davis
Great Guns
1941
as Recruit at Corral
Dressed to Kill
1941
as Singing Telegram Boy
Time Out for Rhythm
1941
as Messenger (uncredited)
She Knew All the Answers
1941
as Singing Telegraph Boy
In Old Cheyenne
1941
as Train Vendor
Adventures of Captain Marvel
1941
as Whitey Murphy
Mr. District Attorney
1941
as Office Boy
The Man Who Lost Himself
1941
as Telegram Delivery Boy
Scattergood Baines
1941
as Lafe Hopper (uncredited)
The Great Mr. Nobody
1941
as Jig
Second Chorus
1941
as Ticket Taker (uncredited)
Bowery Boy
1940
as (uncredited)
The Mad Doctor
1940
as Mickey Barnes (Uncredited)
Give Us Wings
1940
as Link (as Billy Benedict)
Melody Ranch
1940
as Slim
Young People
1940
as Boy (uncredited)
Rhythm on the River
1940
as Elevator Boy
Lucky Partners
1940
as Delivery Boy (uncredited)
The Great McGinty
1940
as Farm Boy (uncredited)
Stage to Chino
1940
as Happy (uncredited)
Adventures of Red Ryder
1940
as Dan Withers
Grand Ole Opry
1940
as Newsboy (uncredited)
And One Was Beautiful
1940
as Delivery Man
My Little Chickadee
1940
as Lem (uncredited)
Legion of the Lawless
1940
as Eddie
Pack Up Your Troubles
1939
as Office Boy
Hollywood Hobbies
1939
as Tour Guide
Code of the Streets
1939
as Trouble
Newsboys' Home
1938
as Trouble
Say It in French
1938
as Midget Car Driver
Little Tough Guys in Society
1938
as Trouble
Hold That Co-ed
1938
as Sylvester
Young Fugitives
1938
as Jud (as William 'Billy' Benedict)
Hold That Kiss
1938
as Delivery Boy
There's Always a Woman
1938
as Bellboy
King of the Newsboys
1938
as Squimpy
Walking Down Broadway
1938
as Eddie
Bringing Up Baby
1938
as David's Caddy (uncredited)
I Met My Love Again
1938
as Billy (uncredited)
Tim Tyler's Luck
1937
as Spud
The Last Gangster
1937
as Freddy the Office Boy
That I May Live
1937
as Kurt Plivens
Tramp Trouble
1937
Flying Fists
1937
as Monk, Tall Kid
Rhythm in the Clouds
1937
as Bellboy
Jim Hanvey, Detective
1937
as Copy Boy (uncredited)
They Wanted to Marry
1937
as Freckles
After the Thin Man
1936
as Newsboy (uncredited)
Crack-Up
1936
as Bunky, Office Boy (uncredited)
Laughing at Trouble
1936
as Wilbur
Can This Be Dixie?
1936
as Shenandoah Peachtree (uncredited)
Theodora Goes Wild
1936
as Henry - Copyboy (uncredited)
Libeled Lady
1936
as Joe
Ramona
1936
as Joseph Hyar
M'Liss
1936
as Archer Morpher
The Witness Chair
1936
as Benny Ryan
Captain January
1936
as Telegram Delivery Boy
The Country Doctor
1936
as The Gawker
Your Uncle Dudley
1935
as Cyril Church
Show Them No Mercy!
1935
as Willie (uncredited)
Way Down East
1935
as Amos
Bad Boy
1935
as Grocery Clerk
3 Kids and a Queen
1935
as Flash
Steamboat Round the Bend
1935
as Breck
Doubting Thomas
1935
as Caddie
The Farmer Takes a Wife
1935
as Boy Announcing Dan's Arrival Before Fight
College Scandal
1935
as 'Penny' Parker
$10 Raise
1935
as Jimmy