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Richard Benjamin

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The Marriage of a Young Stockbroker is a 1971 American romantic comedy-drama film produced and directed by Lawrence Turman (in his directorial debut ) and written by Lorenzo Semple Jr. , based on a novel of the same title by Charles Webb . Turman had produced 1967's high-grossing hit The Graduate , also adapted from a book by Webb.

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24-421: Richard Samuel Benjamin (born May 22, 1938) is an American actor and film director. He has starred in a number of well-known films, including Goodbye, Columbus (1969), Catch-22 (1970), Portnoy's Complaint (1972), Westworld , The Last of Sheila (both 1973) and Saturday the 14th (1981). In 1968, Benjamin was nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance on

48-521: A moderate hit with Mermaids (1990) starring Cher and Winona Ryder . Made in America (1993) with Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson was also successful. Milk Money (1994) with Melanie Griffith and Ed Harris was less so. He also directed Mrs. Winterbourne (1996). In the 1990s, Benjamin returned to acting with appearances on shows including The Ray Bradbury Theater , Love & War , Ink , Mad About You , and Titus , as well as

72-611: A script by Anthony Perkins and Stephen Sondheim , and in Westworld (1973), directed by Michael Crichton and co-starring Yul Brynner . The Los Angeles Times stated that by this stage, his image was of "a whining, petulant bore by doing too good a job of acting in a series of sleazy roles." He decided to steer away from such roles by turning down a part in The Towering Inferno (which Richard Chamberlain ended up playing). Benjamin supported Walter Matthau and George Burns in

96-502: A small role. He produced and directed a TV adaptation of Simon's The Goodbye Girl (2004) with Jeff Daniels and Patricia Heaton . In 2006, Benjamin directed the award-winning cable television drama A Little Thing Called Murder , starring Australian Judy Davis . It was based on the true story of Sante and Kenny Kimes , mother and son grifters and killers. His later acting appearances on television include Ray Donovan and Childrens Hospital . He most recently played Dr. Green in

120-542: A wonderful script to act in and a mediocre script to direct, I'll act. And the same principle applies the other way around. It's the material that counts." He focused on directing, though, for the next decade. Benjamin's second feature as director was Racing with the Moon (1984) from a script by Steve Kloves starring Sean Penn and Nicolas Cage . He was then called in at short notice to replace Blake Edwards on City Heat (1984) with Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds , which

144-560: The CBS sitcom He & She (starring opposite his wife Paula Prentiss ), which aired from 1967-1968. In 1976, Benjamin received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Motion Picture for his performance as aged vaudevillian Willy Clark's ( Walter Matthau ) comedically long-suffering nephew, confidant and talent agent, Ben Clark, in Herbert Ross ' The Sunshine Boys (1975), based on Neil Simon 's 1972 hit stage play of

168-517: The 14th (1981). They also began hosting corporate videos. Benjamin's work on the Where's Poppa? pilot saw him offered the job as director on My Favorite Year (1982) starring Peter O'Toole . The film was warmly received, earning O'Toole an Oscar nomination for Best Actor and launched Benjamin as a director. Benjamin and Prentiss returned to acting with the TV movie Packin' It In (1983). He said, "If I get

192-555: The Netflix comedy film You People (2023) opposite Jonah Hill and Julia Louis-Dreyfus . Benjamin met Paula Prentiss at Northwestern University . She had transferred from Randolph-Macon Woman's College and was a year ahead of Benjamin at the university. They married on October 26, 1961 and have two children, son Ross (b. 1974) and daughter Prentiss (b. 1978), both graduates of Beverly Hills High School . Goodbye, Columbus (film) Too Many Requests If you report this error to

216-710: The Shrew and guest-starred on shows such as The New Breed and Dr. Kildare . Benjamin's early break came when cast in the touring company of Barefoot in the Park in 1964. He later toured in The Odd Couple with Dan Dailey . In 1966, he directed Barefoot in the Park on stage in London. Simon was pleased with Benjamin's work and cast him in his new play The Star-Spangled Girl (1966–67) directed by George Axelrod . Benjamin appeared alongside Anthony Perkins and Connie Stevens , and

240-581: The Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.226 via cp1108 cp1108, Varnish XID 768313553 Upstream caches: cp1108 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Fri, 29 Nov 2024 05:50:13 GMT The Marriage of a Young Stockbroker It stars Richard Benjamin in the title role and Joanna Shimkus as his beleaguered wife, with Adam West , Elizabeth Ashley , Patricia Barry , and Tiffany Bolling in supporting roles. The story mainly deals with

264-427: The ambitious but short-lived television series Quark . The same year he appeared in a TV film Fame , written by Arthur Miller . Benjamin played a frustrated fiancé of a woman who falls for the vampire Count Dracula in the surprise box-office smash Love at First Bite (1979) starring George Hamilton and Susan Saint James . Benjamin has hosted Saturday Night Live twice, once by himself on April 7, 1979 and

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288-424: The crumbling marriage of William Alren and his wife Lisa, and how William uses voyeurism and extra-marital affairs to "spice up" his marriage. William gives up his career as a stockbroker , and takes up voyeurism full-time. After putting up with her husband's various dalliances, Lisa is advised by her outspoken sister Nan to get a divorce. Nan's own marriage to Chester is in no better shape than Lisa's and equally on

312-553: The film adaptation of Neil Simon 's The Sunshine Boys (1975), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture . He starred with Prentiss in The Norman Conquests (1975–76) on Broadway, which went for 76 performances. The couple went to Australia to make No Room to Run (1978). In Hollywood, Benjamin supported Matthau and Glenda Jackson in House Calls (1978). In 1978, he starred in

336-579: The film of Catch-22 (1970). He was top billed in Diary of a Mad Housewife (1970) from the team of Eleanor and Frank Perry, appearing alongside Carrie Snodgress and Frank Langella . He directed his wife off-Broadway in Arf/The Great Airplane Snatch (1969), which ran for five performances. Benjamin played the lead in The Marriage of a Young Stockbroker (1971), directed by the producer and

360-429: The film was "occasionally amusing" it also tended to be "generally heavy-handed" (Scheuer, 1990: 672). Roger Greenspun generally found the picture to be miscast, especially Richard Benjamin, feeling that while he is "a good comedian [he is] miscast [in this role]" (Greenspun, 1971). He also thought it closer to an "unsuccessful television pilot" than a movie, in terms of its treatment of themes such as "sexual mechanics,

384-527: The films Deconstructing Harry (1997), Keeping Up with the Steins (2006), and Henry Poole Is Here (2008). In 1998, Benjamin and Prentiss performed Power Plays on stage. Benjamin did some directing for TV – The Pentagon Wars (1998), Tourist Trap (1999), The Sports Pages (2001), and Laughter on the 23rd Floor (2001) from the play by Neil Simon. Benjamin returned to features with The Shrink Is In (2001) and Marci X (2003), in which he also had

408-587: The original author of The Graduate , though it was not as successful. He acted in a comedy, The Steagle (1971), the directorial debut of designer Paul Sylbert , which was little seen. Another box-office flop was the film of Roth's Portnoy's Complaint (1972), the sole directorial effort of Ernest Lehman . In 1972 Benjamin returned to Broadway with The Little Black Book , which only ran for nine performances. He then acted in two more successful films, as part of an all-star cast in The Last of Sheila (1973), from

432-512: The other nearly a year later on April 5, 1980 with his wife Paula Prentiss . He was top billed in Scavenger Hunt (1979), an ensemble film. Benjamin had directed in theatre and was keen to do it in film. In 1979, Benjamin directed for the first time, creating a pilot for a sitcom spin-off of the film Where's Poppa? by Carl Reiner. "The pilot turned out really well," said Benjamin. "But I don't think ABC ever quite 'got' it. They never did put

456-399: The rocks. The film ends with William and Lisa reunited, but not before Lisa finally gets "revenge" on her husband. Critic Leonard Maltin felt that while the film was a "humorous and sad depiction of marital breakdown", the cast was let down by a script that "seems uncertain as to what point it wants to drive across" (Maltin, 1991: 769). Steven Scheuer concurred somewhat, saying that while

480-451: The same name. After directing for television, his first film as a director was the 1982 comedy My Favorite Year , starring Peter O'Toole , who was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor. His other films as a director include City Heat (1984), The Money Pit (1986), My Stepmother Is an Alien (1988), Mermaids (1990), Made in America (1993), Milk Money (1994), Mrs. Winterbourne (1996), and Marci X (2003). Benjamin

504-572: The show on the air... At least I could prove that I wasn't nuts, that I really had actually directed something." He directed one episode of the 1980 TV series Semi-Tough . Benjamin had supporting roles in The Last Married Couple in America (1980), How to Beat the High Co$ t of Living (1980), Witches' Brew (1980), and First Family (1980). He and Prentiss played the leads in Saturday

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528-455: The show ran for 261 performances. The success of the show led to Benjamin appearing in a television series with his wife Paula, He & She (1967–68). It ran for 26 episodes. Benjamin's first lead role in a film came with an adaptation of the Philip Roth novella, Goodbye, Columbus (1969) with Ali MacGraw . It was a critical and commercial hit. He followed it with a key support role in

552-440: Was a critical and commercial disappointment. Benjamin directed a comedy for Steven Spielberg 's company, The Money Pit (1986) with Tom Hanks and Shelley Long . He then directed a thriller Little Nikita (1988) with Sidney Poitier and River Phoenix , and a comedy with Dan Aykroyd , My Stepmother Is an Alien (1988). Benjamin did another comedy, Downtown (1990), with Anthony Edwards and Forest Whitaker . He had

576-675: Was born in New York City, the son of Samuel Roger Benjamin (1910–1997), a garment industry worker. Benjamin's uncle was vaudeville comedian Joe Browning . His family was Jewish . He attended the High School of Performing Arts and graduated from Northwestern University , where he was involved in many plays and studied in the Northwestern theater school. While there, he met future wife Paula Prentiss . Benjamin appeared on stage in The Taming of

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