Ben Alexander
Nicholas Benton Alexander (born May 26, 1911 in Goldfield , Nevada , † July 5, 1969 in Hollywood , California ) was an American actor . In the acting business from childhood to death, he received three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in film, television and radio .
Life
Born in Nevada, his family moved with Alexander to California in early childhood. He played his first roles at the age of four under directors such as Cecil B. DeMille and DW Griffith . The child actor played among others Griffiths drama Hearts of the World 's little brother silent film star Lillian Gish , and starred in several short films. After his puberty, Alexander's career in the film business almost came to an end at the end of the 1920s, when he took on the role of soldier Franz Kemmerich in the classic film In the West in 1930, when he started talking about talkies. In the following years Alexander played youthful leading or supporting roles in many B-films, but his acting career flattened significantly in the mid-1930s. He found a new field of activity as a radio announcer, including regularly alongside Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis on their radio comedy show.
Ben Alexander had largely withdrawn from the film business when he was hired by Jack Webb in the early 1950s for one of the leading roles in his television series Dragnet . Webb was looking for a replacement for the late actor Barton Yarborough and found him in Alexander, who played the role of police officer Frank Smith in a total of 68 episodes of the television series until 1959. Between 1966 and 1969, Alexander played the role of Sergeant Dan Briggs in 73 episodes of another police series called Dangerous Everyday Life . In addition to his film career, the actor also owned a rental car shop in northwest Los Angeles from the 1950s.
From 1941 until the divorce in 1947, Alexander was married to Elizabeth Robb, they had one child. In 1950 he married Lesley Smith, with whom he remained married until his death and had two children. When his wife and children returned from a camping trip in the summer of 1969, they found the 58-year-old actor dead. The cause of death was apparently a heart attack. Ben Alexander has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to film, television and radio. He was buried in Maui Cemetery in Wailuku , Hawaii .
Filmography (selection)
- 1916: Each Pearl a Tear
- 1916: Macbeth
- 1917: The Little American
- 1918: Hearts of the World
- 1929: The Uncrowned Queen ( The Divine Lady )
- 1930: on the Western Front ( All Quiet on the Western Front )
- 1932: A clever crook ( high pressure )
- 1933: Revolution of Youth ( This Day and Age )
- 1934: The Life of Vergie Winters
- 1935: His last command ( Annapolis Farewell )
- 1937: Dance with me ( Shall We Dance )
- 1952–1959: Police report ( Dragnet ; TV series, 68 episodes)
- 1954: Great roundup ( Dragnet )
- 1957: The Devil's Wages ( Man in the Shadow )
- 1966: Batman (TV series, episode)
- 1966–1969: Dangerous Everyday Life ( Felony Square ; TV series, 73 episodes)
Web links
- Ben Alexander in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Ben Alexander in the database of Find a Grave (English)
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Alexander, Ben |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Alexander, Nicholas Benton (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | US-American actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 26, 1911 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Goldfield , Nevada |
| DATE OF DEATH | 5th July 1969 |
| Place of death | Hollywood , California |