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Paul Benedict

Paul Benedict

Actor · Died December 1, 2008, aged 70 · Silver City, New Mexico, United States

Paul Benedict (September 17, 1938 – December 1, 2008) was an American actor who made numerous appearances in television and movies beginning in the 1960s. He was known for his roles as The Number Painter on the popular PBS children's show Sesame Street, and as the quirky English neighbor "Harry Bentley" on the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons. Often mistakenly credited as Charlie Bucket's school teacher (the uncredited role of Mr. Turkentine), in the cult classic Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, who was actually played by David Battley. Description above from the Wikipedia article Paul Benedict, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 17, 1938
Died
December 1, 2008 (aged 70)
From
Silver City, New Mexico, United States
Works as
Actor
Titles
38 on MovieCove · 53 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 63 days to Oct 26Down 7% in 30 days

What are Paul Benedict's films like?

Across their 16 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy11 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 67th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 52nd percentile
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
30%
Bonds
25%
Power
17%
Society
13%
Morality
10%
Survival
5%
Self-worth4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFame2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 15 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 11 · Serious 2 · Dark 2

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 8 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 5 · Charged 9 · Intense 1

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 7 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 3

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 8

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 11 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 13 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

2 analyzed roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Absurd
7
Warm
7
Contemplative
5
Joyful
5
Tense
4
Other
14

How their films linger

Feel-good10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy9
  • Bittersweet5
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Paul Benedict's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 21 of their 38 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (12).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Paul Benedict's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

53 credits, 38 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Side by Each (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    as Chief Rodrocks

  • After the Sunset(2004)

    as Night Shift Guard

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • A Mighty Wind(2003)

    as Martin Berg

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Isn't She Great(2000)

    as Prof. Brainiac

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • A Fish in the Bathtub(1998)

    as Milo

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • The Devil's Advocate(1997)

    as Walter Krasna (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Waiting for Guffman(1996)

    as Not Guffman

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • The Drew Carey Show(1995)

    Show 1 episode · as Jeremy

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all shows

  • Guns & Lipstick (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    as Mickey

  • Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman(1993)

    as Dr. Victor Loeb

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Basic Values: Sex, Shock & Censorship in the 90's(1993)

    as Malcolm Maltved

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Addams Family(1991)

    as Judge Womack

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Sibling Rivalry(1990)

    as Dr. Plotner

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • The Freshman(1990)

    as Arthur Fleeber

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Seinfeld(1989)

    Show 1 episode · as Mr. Elinoff

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • Tales from the Crypt(1989)

    Show 1 episode · as Beaks

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Babycakes(1989)

    as Magleby

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Chair (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    as Warden Edward Dwyer

  • Cocktail(1988)

    as Finance Teacher

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Arthur 2: On the Rocks(1988)

    as Fairchild

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • A Different World(1987)

    Show 1 episode · as Mr. Ludlow

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all shows

  • The Twilight Zone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 1 episode · as Hoakie (segment "Song of the Younger World")

  • Murder, She Wrote(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Friedrich Hoffman

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • Mama Malone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

  • This Is Spinal Tap(1984)

    as Tucker 'Smitty' Brown

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Lonely Guy(1984)

    as Dr. Zook (voice) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Man with Two Brains(1983)

    as Butler

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The Blue and the Gray (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 3 episodes · as Arbuthnot

  • The Electric Grandmother (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    as Guido Fantoccini

  • Spinal Tap: The Final Tour(1981)

    as Hotel Clerk

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Desperate Moves (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    as Cosmo

  • Billy in the Lowlands (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    as Billy's Father

  • $weepstake$ (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Goodbye Girl(1977)

    as Mark

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Bad Dog (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    as Owner

  • NBC Special Treat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Show 1 episode · as Telegraph Man

  • Smile(1975)

    as Orren Brooks

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Mandingo(1975)

    as Brownlee

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Hustling(1975)

    as Lester Traube

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The Jeffersons(1975)

    Show 221 episodes · Director · as Harry Bentley

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows

  • The Front Page(1974)

    as Plunkett

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Kojak(1973)

    Show 1 episode · as Kauldor

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all shows

  • Up the Sandbox(1972)

    as Dr. Beineke

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Jeremiah Johnson(1972)

    as Reverend Lindquist

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Deadhead Miles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    as Hitchhiker

  • The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight(1971)

    as Shots O'Toole

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • They Might Be Giants(1971)

    as Chestnut Man

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Taking Off(1971)

    as Ben Lockston

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Cold Turkey(1971)

    as Zen Buddhist

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • All in the Family(1971)

    Show 1 episode · as Harry Bentley

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Sesame Street(1969)

    Show 1 episode · as The Mad Painter

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all shows

  • The Virgin President (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    as Rutherford Melon

  • The Double-Barrelled Detective Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    as Wells Fargo Ferguson

Career shape

Star power in the 97th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 53 titles from 1965 to 2008; peak year 1971.

Biggest box office

The Addams Family (1991)

$192M worldwide

Highest rated

This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

The Jeffersons (1975)

Film career

19652008

Peak 1971 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting53 of 53: 52 only acting, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score66thDirecting1 of 53: 0 only directing, 1 with another role

By decade

1960s3 · acting1970s19 · 19 acting · 1 crew1980s17 · acting1990s10 · acting2000s4 · acting

Billing

usually 9th · top billed in 0% of 19 roles
717691

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Paul Benedict's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 65th percentile, the median of all 29; across their 15 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 63rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Approval · how many liked their films

55thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Reach · how many have seen their films

79thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Midcredits score across 38 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up14
  • 50th to 74th11
  • 25th to 49th9
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

17 of their 38 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved7
  • Universally Panned1
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser17
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed9

Most divisive · actor

Basic Values: Sex, Shock & Censorship in the 90's (1993)

96th percentile spread · 30% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

Midcredits 97th · 86% liked

Reviewers score the acting 71/100 in their films, across 15 reviewed titles; fans 80, detractors 43. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Paul Benedict's work okay for kids?

Across up to 7 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore5 titles22–70 · median 49 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity7 titles23–70 · median 34 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity6 titles30–71 · median 56 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 32 · mildMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 38 · moderateMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Paul Benedict work with?

People who share at least 2 of Paul Benedict's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Burt Bacharach shares the most, 2.

Composers

Mixed roles