Ben Welden

Ben Welden was born Benjamin Weinblatt in Toledo, Ohio on 12 June, 1901. He was an American character actor who played a wide variety of Damon Runyon-type gangsters (Damon Runyon) in various movies and television shows.

Short, balding and somewhat rotund, he often literally played a "heavy", frequently in a somewhat comical or slightly dim-witted way, offsetting the sinister nature of his character's actions.

Fans of "Adventures of Superman" remember him well, as he appeared in eight episodes, always as a different character and yet really the "same" character, in a way. His best-known "Superman" episode might be "Flight to the North", in which he tries (and fails) to outwit a country-bumpkin type (played by Chuck Connors).

In his later years Welden owned a confection company called Nutcorn, which supplemented his acting income. Weldon died 17 October, 1997 at the Motion Picture Retirement Home (Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital) in Woodland Hills, California.

elected filmography

* "The Adventures of Captain Africa" (1955)
* "Killers from Space" (1954)
* "Three Dark Horses" (1952)
* "The Fighting Seabees" (1944)
* "Love Is on the Air" (1937)

External links

* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0919700/ Ben Welden's IMDB entry]