Do you know the theme from "Ice Castles"? Did you pick up a copy of either Teen or Tiger Beat during the mid-to-late 1970s? Then chances are you're well acquainted with Robby Benson, a handsome young actor whose blue eyes motivated many girls to compose their own odes to Billy Joe during the decade of disco.
"Ode to Billy Joe," of course, is one of the movies Benson starred in; others included "One on One" and the figure-skating weeper "Ice Castles." Then his career took a couple of different turns ... so what's up with Robby Benson today?
As some people already may know -- and as this Los Angeles Times profile describes in detail -- Benson turned his attention to filmmaking after acting roles dried up for him during the 1980s. (Benson has a weak heart valve and needs surgery every decade or so, a fact that made him "uninsurable" on a movie set.) Benson has an impressive number of TV directing credits on his resume, including several episodes of "Ellen" and "Friends." Like seemingly every former child star on the planet, he's also done some voice work, including that of the Beast in the Disney classic, "Beauty and the Beast." On top of all that, he's been a professor for more than 20 years and is currently teaching a film course at NYU.
But the main reason Benson is back in the news is this: He recently directed "Billy: The Early Years," a portrait of Billy Graham that will open in a small number of theaters on Friday. Yet, as intriguing as that is, you know what interests me most about Robby Benson? The fact that he wrote "We Are Not Alone," the song that plays during the key dancing-in-the-library scene in "The Breakfast Club." The woman who sang that track, Karla DeVito, happens to be Benson's wife. Come on, that's kinda cool.
The couple currently lives on a farm in North Carolina and has a teenage son and a grown daughter. (Yeah, I said grown. Benson is 52, people!) I'm sure we all wish him much success with his film career. And, for old time's sake, let's hope he continues to "look through the eyes of.
Rich or Rehab appears every Tuesday morning on Strollerderby
Robby Benson (born January 21, 1956) is an American film and television actor, television director, and educator.
Early life
Benson was born Robin David Segal in Dallas to Jewish parents, Gerald Charles Segal and Freda Ann Benson. His sister is Shelli Segal, designer for the clothing line known as Laundry by Shelli Segal.
Career
Benson made his Broadway debut in The Rothschilds. Benson had an early role on the daytime soap Search for Tomorrow (1971-72). As a film star, Benson was popular for roles of teens in coming-of-age films, such as in 1972's Jory (his screen debut), in Jeremy (1973), and as Billy Joe McAllister in Ode to Billy Joe (1976).
He was listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1976" in John Willis' Screen World, Vol. 28. [1976], and auditioned for the role of Luke Skywalker in Star Wars (1977), but lost the role to Mark Hamill. He received critical acclaim for his role as the hockey player, Nick Peterson, in Ice Castles (1978).
Other notable performances include Death Be Not Proud and Lucky Lady, both in 1975, and One on One co-starring Annette O'Toole in 1977. Also in 1977 came the TV movie The Death of Richie, co-starring actor Ben Gazzara. He played the romantic lead in 1978's Ice Castles. In 1981, he costarred with Rod Steiger in the film The Chosen, based on the Chaim Potok book of the same name. Also in the early 1980s, he appeared as a young man with a learning disability in the made-for-television film Two of a Kind, along with George Burns playing the role of his "Grand-Poppy". In 1984 he costarred among others with Paul Newman in "Harry and Son".
In Disney's animated feature film Beauty and the Beast, Benson demonstrated his vocal abilities by providing the voice of Beast. Some critics claim he did such a good job the voice was nearly unrecognizable as Benson's. He would later reprise the role in the Kingdom Hearts role-playing game series. This role led to other voice work for animated features, including the widely popular Prince Valiant cartoon series, as well as the heroic Able Squad leader J.T. Marsh on Exosquad. Benson also lends his voice to some computer and video game work, such as the voice of Prince Alexander in the computer game King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow.
Benson directed over 100 sitcom episodes including Friends, Sabrina, an entire season of Ellen, and two seasons of Thunder Alley.
Career
Benson made his Broadway debut in The Rothschilds. Benson had an early role on the daytime soap Search for Tomorrow (1971-72). As a film star, Benson was popular for roles of teens in coming-of-age films, such as in 1972's Jory (his screen debut), in Jeremy (1973), and as Billy Joe McAllister in Ode to Billy Joe (1976).
He was listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1976" in John Willis' Screen World, Vol. 28. [1976], and auditioned for the role of Luke Skywalker in Star Wars (1977), but lost the role to Mark Hamill. He received critical acclaim for his role as the hockey player, Nick Peterson, in Ice Castles (1978).
Other notable performances include Death Be Not Proud and Lucky Lady, both in 1975, and One on One co-starring Annette O'Toole in 1977. Also in 1977 came the TV movie The Death of Richie, co-starring actor Ben Gazzara. He played the romantic lead in 1978's Ice Castles. In 1981, he costarred with Rod Steiger in the film The Chosen, based on the Chaim Potok book of the same name. Also in the early 1980s, he appeared as a young man with a learning disability in the made-for-television film Two of a Kind, along with George Burns playing the role of his "Grand-Poppy". In 1984 he costarred among others with Paul Newman in "Harry and Son".
In Disney's animated feature film Beauty and the Beast, Benson demonstrated his vocal abilities by providing the voice of Beast. Some critics claim he did such a good job the voice was nearly unrecognizable as Benson's. He would later reprise the role in the Kingdom Hearts role-playing game series. This role led to other voice work for animated features, including the widely popular Prince Valiant cartoon series, as well as the heroic Able Squad leader J.T. Marsh on Exosquad. Benson also lends his voice to some computer and video game work, such as the voice of Prince Alexander in the computer game King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow.
Benson directed over 100 sitcom episodes including Friends, Sabrina, an entire season of Ellen, and two seasons of Thunder Alley.
