Ben Wright (actor)

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Ben Wright (* 15. May 1915 in London , England as Benjamin Huntington Wright , † 2. July 1989 in Burbank , California ) was a British actor .

life and career

After studying acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art , where, among others, Ida Lupino was one of his fellow students, Ben Wright was active on the London stage in the 1930s. From 1936 he also made sparing film appearances. Wright moved to Hollywood in 1946 after serving in the King's Royal Rifle Corps during World War II . He first made a name for himself in the USA through appearances on radio shows such as Have Gun, Will Travel and Sherlock Holmes , in which he was able to prove his vocal talent - including the imitation of dialects.

It was not until the 1950s that Ben Wright regularly appeared as a supporting actor in Hollywood films. Among other things, he played the German domestic servant of Spencer Tracy in the film drama The Judgment of Nuremberg (1961) and, as the Austrian National Socialist Mr. Zeller, was the opponent of Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer in the musical film Meine Lieder - Meine Träume (1965). On US television he took on guest roles in series such as Bonanza , Twilight Zone , Smoking Colts , A Cage Full of Heroes , Your Appearance, Al Mundy and Detective Rockford - a call is enough . With his long experience as a radio announcer, he repeatedly took on engagements where the voice was important: for example, he acted as the narrator in the original version of the monumental film Cleopatra from 1963. Wright can also be heard as a speaker in three famous Disney cartoons: In 101 Dalmatian (1961) he lent his voice to the songwriter Roger Radcliffe ; in The Jungle Book (1967) he spoke the wolf Rama ; and in Ariel the Mermaid (1989) he was the servant of Grimsby . The latter was also his last role, before the premiere of the film Wright died.

Overall, Ben Wright completed over 200 film and television appearances between 1936 and 1989. He died at the age of 74 after complications from heart surgery, leaving behind his wife Muriel and two children.

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ From Staff, Wire Reports: Ben Wright, 74; Veteran Radio, Movie and TV Character Actor . In: Los Angeles Times . July 3, 1989, ISSN  0458-3035 ( latimes.com [accessed December 30, 2017]).
  2. ^ From Staff, Wire Reports: Ben Wright, 74; Veteran Radio, Movie and TV Character Actor . In: Los Angeles Times . July 3, 1989, ISSN  0458-3035 ( latimes.com [accessed December 30, 2017]).
  3. ↑ Ben Wright | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos | AllMovie. Retrieved December 30, 2017 .
  4. ^ From Staff, Wire Reports: Ben Wright, 74; Veteran Radio, Movie and TV Character Actor . In: Los Angeles Times . July 3, 1989, ISSN  0458-3035 ( latimes.com [accessed December 30, 2017]).
personal data
SURNAME Wright, Ben
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Wright, Benjamin Huntington (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British actor
DATE OF BIRTH May 15, 1915
PLACE OF BIRTH London , England
DATE OF DEATH July 2nd 1989
Place of death Burbank , California