Introduction
Richard "Pepe" Benedict (January 8, 1920 – April 25, 1984) was an Italian-born television and film actor and director.
He appeared in dozens of television programs and movies from the 1940s to the 1960s, most notably Ace in the Hole (1951), directed by Billy Wilder. Benedict appeared with Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack in the 1960 movie Ocean's 11 as one of the 11 men who rob five Las Vegas casinos on the same night. He also played the commander of the Mars rescue ship in the 1958 B sci-fi movie It! The Terror from Beyond Space.
Benedict's television appearances included Adventures of Superman, The Lone Ranger, Perry Mason, Zorro, Dragnet, Peter Gunn and Hawaii Five-O. His directing credits included Impasse, an adventure film starring Burt Reynolds.
His interment was in Forest Lawn – Hollywood Hills Cemetery. He is the father of actor Nick Benedict.
Selected filmography
- Woman in the Dark (1952)
- Murder Without Tears (1953)
- The Walter Winchell File "The Decision" - Keeger (1957)
- Ocean's 11 (1960)