Paul Benedict, Star of Stage and Screen Dead at 70

Paul Benedict was an American character actor who made numerous appearances in television and movies beginning in the 1960s. He is probably best recognized for his roles as The Number Painter on the PBS children's show Sesame Street, and as the quirky English neighbor "Harry Bentley" on the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons.

The well respected actor was found dead at his home in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. He was 70 years old.   

Benedict was born on September 17th, 1938 in Silver City, New Mexico, the son of Alma Marie Mitchell M. Benedict. 

He was featured as the director of the Richard III production in the 1977 movie The Goodbye Girl starring Richard Dreyfuss, in which Richard was to be portrayed in the played in a fey manner.

Benedict made the most of a short scene in the 1984 mockumentary film This is Spinal Tap, playing the awkward desk clerk who checks in the band. In the Marlon Brandon led 1990 film The Freshman, he played the condescending NYU film school professor to Matthew Broderick's college freshman character.

Memorable movie moments on his varied resume included the incorrectly assumed "title character" in the 1996 cult comedy film Waiting for Guffman.

Paul Benedict was also a well accomplished theater actor as well. He appeared on Broadway multiple times, most notably in Eugene O'Neill's two character play Hughie in 1996 opposite Al Pacino at the Circle in the Square, and more recently in the 2000 revival of The Music Man.

In 2007, Benedict performed as critical success as "Hirst" in Harold Pinter's No Man's Land at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

He directed Frank Conroy's Any Given Day on Broadway and the original production of Terrence McNally's Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune along with the Kathy Najimy and Mo Gaffney hit, The Cathy and Mo Show, which won an Obie Award.