Robby Benson Biography

Best known for starring in films such as Ice Castles, Ode to Billy Joe, The Chosen, Tribute, Harry and Son, in his own screenplay for the Warner Bros. basketball classic, One on One, and to a new generation as the voice of Beast in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, the only animated feature film ever to receive a Best Picture Academy Award nomination, Robby Benson is also a three time Golden Globe nominated actor who has co-starred with legends Paul Newman, Jack Lemmon, Burt Reynolds, Gene Hackman, George Burns, Maximillan Schell, and Rod Steiger. His four decades of show business versatility include producing and directing feature films and television series. He’s directed over 100 sitcom episodes/pilots, (including episodes of Friends, and an entire season of Ellen); starred on Broadway in Zelda, The Rothschilds, and The Pirates of Penzance; composed film soundtracks, and has been the recipient of RIAA Gold Records for songwriting. For the theatre, Mr. Benson wrote the libretto and score of his off-Broadway musical Open Heart, which debuted in 2004 and is published and licensed by Samuel French.

Mr. Benson recently added Author to his career accomplishments with the release of his first novel, Who Stole the Funny? published by HarperCollins on August 28, 2007, and praised by the Editor in Chief of Variety, Peter Bart as "an irreverent and hilarious stroll down the dark alleys of Hollywood's TV landscape.” Barbara D. Phillips of The Wall Street Journal states in her review, “Who Stole the Funny? benefits from Mr. Benson's deep knowledge of his subject matter-both the shallow snake pit of TV comedy and the angst of a perfectionist director... I can see the novel joining college reading lists-and not only in Mr. Benson's film classes. There are plenty of books on acting and directing, on semiotics, amateur theory and Stanislavsky's method. But not many are likely to present so many appalling, and reality-based, teachable moments... Mr. Benson labors overtime -- and succeeds -- in making us care.”

His most valued professional accomplishment is that of College Professor, teaching for two decades at universities around the country. Most recently Robby spent the 2006-2007 academic year as Professor of Film in NYU's famed Tisch School of the Arts in the Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film and Television, where he received the honor of being nominated for New York University's Distinguished Teaching Award for his service.

Having survived three open heart surgeries for a congenital valve defect, Benson has spoken on behalf of the National Institute of Health before the Senate Appropriations Committee in Washington, DC for heart research funding, and representing the American Heart Association he has spoken on behalf of the successful Kennedy/Hatch bill to ban the promotion of cigarettes to minors. He and his wife, Karla DeVito, are chairs of the annual Cupid's Cup 5k Race benefiting cardiovascular health and rehabilitation programs at the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC.