Paul Henry (actor)
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Paul Henry | |
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Born | Paul Henry Smith Birmingham Rep |
Occupation | Actor |
Spouse | Sheila |
Children | 2 |
Paul Henry Smith (born 3 January 1946),[1] known professionally as Paul Henry, is an English actor best known for his role as Benny Hawkins in the soap opera Crossroads, on which he appeared on 354 episodes over 11 years.[2] Henry's first acting credit was for his role as Guiccioli on the TV miniseries The Roads to Freedom.[2]
Career
Born in
In 1975 Henry featured in the British television police drama,
In 1977, Henry recorded "Benny's Theme" with the Mayson Glen Orchestra for
Henry made a guest appearance on the Central Television game show Bullseye, presented by Jim Bowen, on 11 February 1985. He scored 215 and raised £215 for charity.
His country-boy style gained him the part of Peter Stevens in The Archers for a time.[4] Henry's post-Crossroads career included minor stage roles and the running of a nightclub in Whitchurch, Shropshire, but, in 1994, he returned to television briefly in a tribute to Crossroads, called 30 Years On.[7] In a 2002 interview, Henry said that the public still loved Benny and that during a shopping trip, he returned to his car to find someone had left a piece of paper on it saying, "Benny, we miss you."[8]
Henry appeared in the episode "Stoppo Driver" in The Sweeney playing a gangster.[9]
In 2003, he returned to acting on TV in an episode of the British medical soap opera Doctors.[10] He then played the regular character Frank, a baker's delivery man and later attempted rapist, in the penultimate series of the ITV1 prison drama Bad Girls.[11]
Returning to the stage in 2009, he appeared in a touring version of Run for Your Wife and in the following year portrayed Tony Hancock in the play Hancock's Finest Hour.[3]
The slang phrase "throwing a benny" refers to someone having a temper tantrum and may originate from Henry's Crossroads character.[12]
The comic actor
In October 2017, Henry appeared on Pointless Celebrities alongside Shaun Williamson. They won the jackpot.[14]
In the 2023 ITVX miniseries Nolly, which dramatised the life of his former Crossroads colleague Noele Gordon, Henry was portrayed by Lloyd Griffith.[15]
Personal life
Henry and his wife Sheila had a son, Anthony, and a daughter, Justine, who died as a result of a traffic collision at the age of 19.[3]
References
- ^ a b c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DCvZ8SzRLI
- ^ a b "Paul Henry". IMDB. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
- ^ a b c "Benny from Crossroads opens Monmouth Carnival". Sunday Mercury. 20 June 2010. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- ^ a b Rogers, Bob (9 October 2021). "Benny from Crossroads opens Monmouth Carnival". Monmouthshire Beacon. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- ^ "Stoppo Driver (1975)". BFI. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022.
- ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "Paul Henry". Theatricalia.
- "Crossroads 30 Years On (1994)". British Film Institute. - ^ "Paul Henry interview". Crossroads Appreciation Society. August 2002. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007.
- ^ "Stoppo Driver (1975)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022.
- ^ "Paul Henry". Aveleyman.com.[unreliable source?]
- ^ "Paul Henry". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020.
- ^ Ziezulewicz, Geoff (11 July 2007). "Expand your UK IQ: Throw a benny". Stars and Stripes. Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- ^ "'Porridge' - the TV Series - A713882". BBC. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
- ^ Austin, Sue (30 October 2017). "'Benny' triumphs on Pointless". Shropshire Star.
- ^ "Nolly cast: Meet the actors and their real-life counterparts". Radio Times. 2 February 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
External links
- Paul Henry at IMDb