Dirk Benedict | |
|---|---|
 Benedict at the 2011Lucca Comics & Games | |
| Born | Dirk Niewoehner (1945-03-01)March 1, 1945 (age 80) Helena, Montana, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Whitman College |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1972–present |
| Known for | The A-Team Battlestar Galactica |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | dirkbenedictcentral |
| Signature | |
.png) | |
Dirk Benedict (bornDirk Niewoehner; March 1, 1945) is an American actor and author. He is best known for playing the charactersLieutenant Starbuck in the originalBattlestar Galactica film and television series andTempleton "Face" Peck inThe A-Team television series. He is the author ofConfessions of a Kamikaze Cowboy andAnd Then We Went Fishing.
Benedict was born Dirk Niewoehner on March 1, 1945, inHelena, Montana,[1] the son of George Edward Niewoehner, a lawyer, and his wife Priscilla Mella (née Metzger), an accountant.[2] He grew up inWhite Sulphur Springs, Montana. He graduated fromWhitman College in 1967.[3]Benedict allegedly chose his stage name from a serving ofEggs Benedict he had prior to his acting career. He is of German extraction.[4]
Benedict's film debut was in the 1972 filmGeorgia, Georgia. When the New York run forButterflies Are Free ended, he received an offer to repeat his performance in Hawaii, oppositeBarbara Rush. While there, he appeared as a guest lead onHawaii Five-O. The producers of a horror film calledSssssss (1973) saw Benedict's performance inHawaii Five-O and promptly cast him as the lead in that movie. He next played the psychotic wife-beating husband ofTwiggy in her American film debut,W (1974). Benedict starred in the television seriesChopper One, which aired for one season in 1974. He made two appearances inCharlie's Angels. He also appeared on theDonny & Marie variety show.
Benedict's career break came in 1978 when he appeared asLieutenant Starbuck in the movie and television seriesBattlestar Galactica. The same year, Benedict starred in the TV film,Cruise into Terror, and appeared in the ensemble movie,Scavenger Hunt the following year.
In 1980, Benedict starred alongsideLinda Blair in an action-comedy movie calledRuckus. In 1983, Dirk gained further popularity as con man Templeton "Faceman" Peck in 1980s action television seriesThe A-Team. He played "Face" from 1982 (1982) to 1986 (1986), although the series didn't air until January 1983, and the final episode wasn't shown until 1987 rebroadcasts. Thesecond season episode "Steel" includes a scene atUniversal Studios where Face is seen looking bemused as aCylon walks by him as an in-joke to his previous role inBattlestar Galactica. The clip is incorporated into the series' opening credit sequence from season 3 onward.
In 1986, Benedict starred as low-life band manager Harry Smilac in the movieBody Slam along withLou Albano,Roddy Piper, and cameo appearances byFreddie Blassie,Ric Flair, andBruno Sammartino. His character Smilac ends up managing the pro-wrestler "Quick Rick" Roberts (Piper) and faces opposition by Captain Lou Murano (Albano) and his wrestling tag-team "the Cannibals".
In 1987, Benedict took the title role of Shakespeare'sHamlet at theAbbey Theatre in Manhattan. Both his performance and the entire production were lambasted by critics.[5] Benedict starred in the 1989 TV filmTrenchcoat in Paradise.
In 1991, Benedict starred inBlue Tornado, playing Alex,call sign Fireball, anItalian Air Forcefighter pilot. Benedict published an autobiography,Confessions of a Kamikaze Cowboy: A True Story of Discovery, Acting, Health, Illness, Recovery, and Life (Avery PublishingISBN 0895294796). In 1993, Benedict starred inShadow Force.
Benedict also appeared as Jake Barnes in the 1996 action-adventure filmAlaska.
In 2000, Benedict wrote and directed his first screenplay,Cahoots.[6] Benedict appeared in the 2006 German filmGoldene Zeiten ("Golden Times") in a dual role, playing an American former TV star as well as a German lookalike who impersonates him.
In 2006, he wrote an online essay criticizing the then-airingBattlestar Galactica re-imagined series and, especially, its casting of a woman as his character, Starbuck, writing that "the war against masculinity has been won" and that "a television show based on hope, spiritual faith, and family is unimagined and regurgitated as a show of despair, sexual violence and family dysfunction".[7]
He appeared as a contestant on the 2007 UK series ofCelebrity Big Brother 5, in which he placed third. He arrived on launch night in a replica of theA-Team van, smoking a cigar and accompanied by theA-Team theme tune.
In 2010, Benedict starred in a stage production ofPrescription: Murder playingLieutenant Columbo for theMiddle Ground Theatre Company in the UK. Benedict also made acameo appearance in the2010 film adaptation ofThe A-Team as Pensacola Prisoner Milt.[8]
In 2019, Benedict took on the role of Jack Strange in the B movieSpace Ninjas, written and directed by Scott McQuaid. Dirk plays an eccentric TV host of a show calledStranger Than Fiction, which is like a hybrid ofThe Twilight Zone andThe X-Files. The movie is a sci-fi comedy horror that follows a bunch of high school students trying to survive the night of a Space Ninja invasion.
In the 1970s, Benedict survived a prostatetumor, which he refused to have tested for malignancy. Having rejected conventional medical treatment, he credited his survival to the adoption of amacrobiotic diet recommended to him by actressGloria Swanson.[9]
In 1986, he marriedToni Hudson, an actress with whom he has two sons, George and Roland. Hudson had previously appeared as Dana in the fourth seasonA-Team episode titled"Blood, Sweat and Cheers". They divorced in 1995.[10][11][12]
In 1998, Benedict learned that he also has another son from an earlier relationship, who was placed for adoption.[13]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Georgia, Georgia | Michael Winters | |
| 1973 | Sssssss | David Blake | |
| 1974 | W | William Caulder | a.k.a.I Want Her Dead |
| 1978 | Battlestar Galactica | Lieutenant Starbuck | |
| 1979 | Scavenger Hunt | Jeff Stevens | |
| 1980 | Ruckus | Kyle Hanson | a.k.a.Ruckus in Madoc County |
| 1981 | Underground Aces | Pete Huffman | |
| 1986 | Body Slam | M. Harry Smilac | |
| 1991 | Blue Tornado | Alex Long | |
| 1992 | Shadow Force | Detective Rick Kelly | |
| 1994 | Demon Keeper | Alexander Harris | |
| 1995 | The Feminine Touch | John Mackie | Direct-to-video; a.k.a.The November Conspiracy |
| 1996 | Alaska | Jake Barnes | |
| 1998 | The Adventures of Young Brave | Tyler | a.k.a.Waking Up Horton |
| 2001 | Cahoots | — | Director and writer |
| 2006 | Goldene Zeiten | Douglas Burnett / John Striker / Horst Müller | |
| 2007 | Recon 7 Down | Tom Myers | |
| 2009 | Inglorious Bumblers | Tom Mayers | Direct-to-video |
| 2010 | The A-Team | Milt, Pensacola Prisoner | |
| 2019 | Space Ninjas | Jack Strange | |
| 2020 | Charlie's Christmas Wish | Stanley |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Hawaii Five-O | Walter Clyman | Episode: "Chain of Events" |
| 1974 | Chopper One | Officer Gil Foley | 13 episodes; Main cast |
| 1975 | Journey from Darkness | Bill | TV film |
| 1977 | Charlie's Angels | Cadet John Barton | Episode: "The Blue Angels" |
| The Cabot Connection | Brom Loomis | Pilot episode | |
| 1978 | Cruise Into Terror | Simon McLane | TV film |
| Charlie's Angels | Denny Railsback | Episode: "The Jade Trap" | |
| 1978–1979 | Battlestar Galactica | Lieutenant Starbuck | 24 episodes; Main cast |
| 1980 | Galactica 1980 | Episode: "The Return of Starbuck" | |
| The Georgia Peaches | "Dusty" Tyree | TV film; a.k.a.Follow That Car | |
| The Love Boat | Jeff Dalton | Episode: "That's My Dad" | |
| 1982 | Family in Blue | Matt Malone | TV pilot episode |
| 1983 | The Love Boat | Gary Wells | Episode: "The Dog Show: Whose Dog Is It Anyway?" |
| 1983–1987 | The A-Team | Lieutenant Templeton "Faceman" Peck | 96 episodes; Main cast |
| 1984 | Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense | Frank Rowlett | Episode: "Mark of the Devil" |
| 1985 | Amazing Stories | "Face" | Episode: "Remote Control Man" |
| 1987 | Hotel | Trevor Harris | Episode: "Prized Possessions" |
| 1989 | Murder, She Wrote | Dr. David Latimer | Episode: "Smooth Operators" |
| Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Dr. Rush | Episode: "In the Name of Science" | |
| Trenchcoat in Paradise | Eddie Mazda | TV film | |
| 1991 | Bejewelled | Gordon | |
| 1992 | Baywatch | Aaron Brody | Episode: "Rookie of the Year" |
| 1993 | Official Denial | Lieutenant Colonel Dan Lerner | TV film |
| The Commish | Gil Higgins | Episode: "All That Glitters" | |
| 1995 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Blair | Episode: "Case Closed" |
| Murder, She Wrote | Gary Harling | Episode: "Frozen Stiff" | |
| 1996 | Abduction of Innocence | Robert Steves | TV film |
| 2006 | Earthstorm | Victor Stevens |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Zork: Grand Inquisitor | Antharia Jack |
| 2003 | Battlestar Galactica | Lieutenant Starbuck |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
