Actor Dies Submitted By: Cerco Communications Wednesday, 3 March 2010

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Well known 'King and I' actor dies Submitted by: Cerco Communications Wednesday, 3 March 2010

Martin Benson, whose film and television career spanned from the mid-1940s through to 2005, has died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Buckinghamshire. Well-known for his work on the British stage, television and as a film actor, Martin played notable supporting roles in many famous films and television programmes. He is perhaps best known for his part as Kralahome, the King’s Vizier, in the 1956 film version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's ‘The King and I’. He was the only actor to transfer to the film from the long-running London stage musical and even played the King in a stage tour across America. Film roles included parts in Mozambique (1965), The Omen (1976), The Sea Wolves (1980), Sphinx (1981), .The Message (1976), The Pure Hell of St. Trinian's (1960), Exodus (1960), Doctor at Large (1957) and Ivanhoe (1952). He was Ramos in Cleopatra (1963) and Maurice in A Shot in the Dark, the 1964 Pink Panther film. A key role was Mr Solo in the James Bond film Goldfinger in 1964, playing alongside Sean Connery in the iconic film. A highly versatile actor with a mobile and expressive face, he played a wide range of roles (often as a villain) across a number of nationalities, from Western Europeans (such as Italians and Frenchmen) through to East Europeans (Latvians, Russians and Poles) plus Egyptians, Turks and Koreans. Television roles included The Saint (1963 – 1967), No Hiding Place (1961/5), Danger Man (1960 and 1965), The Return of the Saint (1978), The Professionals (1978), Jesus of Nazareth (1977), The Onedin Line (1977), Telford’s Change (1979), The Human Factor (1979), Tales of the Unexpected (1981), The Champions (1969), Campion (1989), The Protectors (1973), The Bill (1989), The Last of the Summer Wine (1998) and Richard the Lionheart (1962). An early taste of fame came in the late 1950’s when he played the subtle Duke de Medici in the long-running Sword of Freedom weekly Renaissance television series alongside the dashing Edmund Purdom as Marco del Monte. A memorable Vogon Captain in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (1981), Martin’s final television appearance was in 2005 in an episode of Casualty. In addition to his acting work, he had a successful career as a writer and director. For many years he had a flourishing film studio, writing and producing commercial, scientific and medical films for clients such as the RSPCA, for which he won many awards in Great Britain and America. A talented artist who started painting while appearing in the long-running stage version of ‘The King and I’ at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, he held five one-man exhibitions in London and exhibited twice at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. Many of his portrait subjects included fellow actors such as Sir

Page 1 Alec Guinness and Sir John Gielgud. He was a well-known member of the Savage Club, where he was Chairman on a number of occasions. A gifted linguist, he spoke several languages fluently and was both a vintage car enthusiastic and a music lover whose tastes ranged from modern jazz to the classics. During the Second World War, having been captured at Dunkirk and having escaped from the Germans, he fought in the Middle East as a officer and at the end of hostilities with the help of his sergeant (later the well-known actor Arthur Lowe) he converted an empty building in Alexandria into a repertory theatre (The Mercury) to which King Farouk came on a regular basis to enjoy the Shakespearean performances. He is survived by his widow Joy plus three daughters, a son, two step-daughters and one step-son. ENDS For further media information please contact: Roberta Kanal (agent) Tel: 0208 894 2277/0208 894 7952 Mobile: 07726 915874 [email protected] Sabra Swinson (step-daughter) Tel: 01727 847407 Mobile: 07785 917089 [email protected] Images: High res image at http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/3298062/Hulton-Archive

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