Paul Benedict made officious men funny without making them seem aware of the joke. We rate his deadpan comedy, especially in brief appearances, though repeated casting as the resident eccentric could leave him with too little to do.
Fi1m perspective
Paul Benedict looks entirely at home behind the hotel desk in This Is Spinal Tap (1984). His Tucker 'Smitty' Brown is a brief appearance, but the deadpan timing makes him worth noticing in Rob Reiner's comedy. We laughed because he lets the awkwardness sit there rather than trying to hurry us towards the joke. That patience suits a film whose actors take its foolish musicians seriously, one of the reasons we recommend it so strongly. Benedict does not need a large part to contribute to that effect.
Television gave him more time as Harry Bentley, the polite English neighbour in The Jeffersons (1975–1985). That long run brought him widespread recognition, while the butler in The Man with Two Brains (1983) belongs to his parallel employment as a film eccentric. The television role allowed familiarity to accumulate over years; in films, he often had only a short appearance to make an impression. We value that ability to register quickly, but repeated casting as an oddity can limit an actor's opportunities.
The Addams Family (1991) offers the familiar Benedict assignment: Judge Womack, a grouchy authority figure. Barry Sonnenfeld's comedy is worth seeing for its cast, especially Anjelica Huston and Raúl Juliá, although the story barely keeps the jokes together. Benedict's casting makes sense, but it also suggests how readily a useful comic actor can become the obvious choice for a familiar job. A judge or a butler gives him status to play with; repeated often enough, it narrows the opportunities.
Benedict's recurring work with Christopher Guest includes Roy Loomis in Waiting for Guffman (1996). It is an understandable association for an actor comfortable with deadpan and awkward comedy, though This Is Spinal Tap remains our clearest recommendation. Its patient seriousness gives a small performance something useful to join, rather than asking every supporting player to arrive with a separate comic routine. Start there, then try The Jeffersons to spend longer in his company.
Biography
Paul Benedict (1938–2008) was an American actor known for his work in television and film. He appeared regularly on the PBS children's programme Sesame Street as the Number Painter and played the English neighbour Harry Bentley in the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons from 1975 to 1985.
Benedict's film roles include Reverend Lindquist in Jeremiah Johnson (1972), Tucker 'Smitty' Brown in This Is Spinal Tap (1984), a finance teacher in Cocktail (1988), Judge Womack in The Addams Family (1991) and an uncredited part in The Devil's Advocate (1997). He trained at Suffolk University and began his career with the Theatre Company of Boston.
