Ben Piazza
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Ben Piazza | |
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Born | Benito Daniel Piazza July 30, 1933 Sherman Oaks, California, U.S. |
Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) |
Alma mater | Princeton University (1955)[1] |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1951–1991 |
Known for | The Very Strange and Exact Truth (1964 novel)[2] |
Notable work | The Hanging Tree |
Spouse | |
Partner | Wayne Tripp (1973–1991) |
Ben Piazza (July 30, 1933 – September 7, 1991) was an American actor.
Life and career
Piazza made his film debut in Sidney J. Furie's Canadian film A Dangerous Age (1959) followed by his Hollywood debut in The Hanging Tree (1959). Though he signed contracts with Warner Bros. and Gary Cooper's production companies for five years, he did not make another film until No Exit (1962).[3]
A prolific television and film character actor, Piazza is perhaps most widely recognized as the wealthy restaurant patron in
Piazza also wrote plays and a novel, The Exact and Very Strange Truth (1964), a coming-of-age story about an Italian-American boy in Little Rock, Arkansas, which was Piazza's hometown.[2][6] However, Ben wrote in the book's introduction that any resemblance between the characters and real people was “irrelevant”, although the parallels to his own life were unmistakable. Piazza dedicated the book to openly gay playwright Edward Albee, who was a close friend.
Personal life and death
Piazza was married to actress Dolores Dorn from 1967 until 1979.[7] Piazza was in a committed relationship with Wayne Tripp, from 1973 until Piazza died of AIDS-related cancer in 1991.[8]
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1957 | A Dangerous Age | David | |
1959 | The Hanging Tree | Rune | |
1962 | No Exit | Camarero | |
1970 | Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon | Jesse | |
1972 | The Outside Man | Desk Clerk | |
1973 | The Candy Snatchers | Avery | |
1975 | Gunsmoke | Fifer | "Hard Labor" |
1976 | The Bad News Bears | Bob Whitewood | |
1977 | I Never Promised You a Rose Garden | Jay Blake | |
1979 | Nightwing | Roger Piggott | |
1979 | The Concorde ... Airport '79 |
Associate | TV version, Uncredited |
1980 | The Blues Brothers | Father | |
1982 | Waltz Across Texas | Bill Wrather | |
1982–1983 | Dallas | Walt Driscoll | TV series, Season 6 (11 episodes) |
1985 | Mask | Mr. Simms | |
1988 | Clean and Sober | Kramer | |
1990 | Rocky V | Doctor | Uncredited |
1991 | Guilty by Suspicion | Darryl Zanuck | (Final Film Role) |
References
- ^ "Little Rock Look Back: Ben Piazza". Little Rock Culture Vulture. July 30, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ^ a b "The Very Exact and Strange Truth". The Neglected Books Page. May 23, 2010.
- Montreal Gazette. July 29, 1958. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
- ^ "Dr. A.L. Rawlings".
- ^ "Ben Piazza". IMDb.
- ISBN 978-0014105380.
- Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
- ^ "Ben Piazza; Broadway, Screen Actor". Los Angeles Times. September 14, 1991. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
Demetria Fulton; reviewed Piazza in Barnaby Jones episode “Bond of Fear”.
External links
- Ben Piazza at IMDb
- Ben Piazza at the Internet Broadway Database
- Ben Piazza at the Internet Broadway Database (juvenile credits)
- Ben Piazza at Find a Grave
- Ben Piazza at the University of Wisconsin's Actors Studio audio collection