Actor Paul Benedict died last Monday at the age of 70. Benedict is probably best remembered as playing Mr. Bentley, the English neighbor of George Jefferson, on “The Jeffersons.” Benedict played the character on the show from 1975 until 1985 with a briefly departure for the 1982 season.
Benedict suffered from acromegaly, a pituitary disorder which gave him an over-sized jaw and angular features. The unusual looks allowed him to use his facial features well in comedy skits.
In addition, Benedict also appeared films such as The Goodbye Girl, The Man with Two Brains, This is Spinal Tap, A Mighty Wind, and The Addams Family.
And, it wasn’t until I read his online obituary that Benedict was the Mad Painter on “Sesame Street” who painted numbers everywhere. I never realized it, but once I read that, I thought “Wow, that was him.” Another thing I didn’t know until I read his obituary is that Benedict wasn’t even English! He used the accent offstage, but was actually born in New Mexico.
If you have ever watched the show “My Three Son,” you probably remember Beverly Garland. She played the second wife of the widowed father of three Fred MacMurray during the last three seasons of the show. I didn’t realize it, but “My Three Sons” aired from 1960 until 1972 – that is quite a run!
Garland died Friday at the age of 82 after a long illness. She started her career in 1950 in the film D.O.A.. Over the span of her career, she would star in forty films. She became known early on for low-budget films such as It Conquered the World,” “The Alligator People,” and “Naked Paradise.” After “My Three Sons,” she turned her attention to television, starring in many shows such as “Remington Steele,” “Scarecrow and Mrs. King,” “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,” “Lois and Clark: The Adventures of Superman,” and “7th Heaven.”
(This image is in the public domain because it was published in the United States between 1923 and 1963 with a copyright notice, and its copyright was not renewed.)
She and second husband Fillmore Crank build a hotel in North Hollywood, which is now called the Beverly Garland’s Holiday Inn. She also served as the honorary mayor of North Hollywood as well as serving on the boards of the California Tourism Corp. and the Greater Los Angeles Visitors and Convention Bureau.