Dirk Benedict

Dirk Benedict (born Dirk Niewoehner; March 1, 1945) is an American actor and author. He is best known for playing the characters Lieutenant Starbuck in the original Battlestar Galactica film and television series and Templeton "Face" Peck in The A-Team television series. He is the author of Confessions of a Kamikaze Cowboy and And Then We Went Fishing.

Early life Benedict was born Dirk Niewoehner on March 1, 1945, in Helena, Montana, the son of George Edward Niewoehner, a lawyer, and his wife Priscilla Mella (née Metzger), an accountant. He grew up in White Sulphur Springs, Montana. He graduated from Whitman College in 1967. Benedict allegedly chose his stage name from a serving of Eggs Benedict he had prior to his acting career. He is of German extraction.

Career Photo of the cast of the short-lived television program Chopper One. From left: Dirk Benedict, Ted Hartley, Jim McMullan.

Benedict's film debut was in the 1972 film Georgia, Georgia. When the New York run for Butterflies Are Free ended, he received an offer to repeat his performance in Hawaii, opposite Barbara Rush. While there, he appeared as a guest lead on Hawaii Five-O. The producers of a horror film called Sssssss (1973) saw Benedict's performance in Hawaii Five-O and promptly cast him as the lead in that movie. He next played the psychotic wife-beating husband of Twiggy in her American film debut, W (1974). Benedict starred in the television series Chopper One, which aired for one season in 1974. He made two appearances in Charlie's Angels. He also appeared on the Donny & Marie variety show.

Benedict's career break came in 1978 when he appeared as Lieutenant Starbuck in the movie and television series Battlestar Galactica. The same year, Benedict starred in the TV film, Cruise into Terror, and appeared in the ensemble movie, Scavenger Hunt the following year.

1980s and 1990s In 1980, Benedict starred alongside Linda Blair in an action-comedy movie called Ruckus. In 1983, Dirk gained further popularity as con man Templeton "Faceman" Peck in 1980s action television series The A-Team. He played "Face" from to , although the series didn't air until January 1983, and the final episode wasn't shown until 1987 rebroadcasts. The second season episode "Steel" includes a scene at Universal Studios where Face is seen looking bemused as a Cylon walks by him as an in-joke to his previous role in Battlestar Galactica. The clip is incorporated into the series' opening credit sequence from season 3 onward.

In 1986, Benedict starred as low-life band manager Harry Smilac in the movie Body Slam along with Lou Albano, Roddy Piper, and cameo appearances by Freddie Blassie, Ric Flair, and Bruno Sammartino. His character Smilac ends up managing the pro-wrestler "Quick Rick" Roberts (Piper) and faces opposition by Captain Lou Murano (Albano) and his wrestling tag-team "the Cannibals".

In 1987, Benedict took the title role of Shakespeare's Hamlet at the Abbey Theatre in Manhattan. Both his performance and the entire production were lambasted by critics. Benedict starred in the 1989 TV film Trenchcoat in Paradise.

In 1991, Benedict starred in Blue Tornado, playing Alex, call sign Fireball, an Italian Air Force fighter pilot. Benedict published an autobiography, Confessions of a Kamikaze Cowboy: A True Story of Discovery, Acting, Health, Illness, Recovery, and Life (Avery Publishing ). In 1993, Benedict starred in Shadow Force.

Benedict also appeared as Jake Barnes in the 1996 action-adventure film Alaska.

2000s and 2010s In 2000, Benedict wrote and directed his first screenplay, Cahoots. Benedict appeared in the 2006 German film Goldene Zeiten ("Golden Times") in a dual role, playing an American former TV star as well as a German lookalike who impersonates him.

In 2006, he wrote an online essay criticizing the then-airing Battlestar Galactica re-imagined series and, especially, its casting of a woman as his character, Starbuck, writing that "the war against masculinity has been won" and that "a television show based on hope, spiritual faith, and family is unimagined and regurgitated as a show of despair, sexual violence and family dysfunction".

He appeared as a contestant on the 2007 UK series of Celebrity Big Brother 5, in which he placed third. He arrived on launch night in a replica of the A-Team van, smoking a cigar and accompanied by the A-Team theme tune.

In 2010, Benedict starred in a stage production of Prescription: Murder playing Lieutenant Columbo for the Middle Ground Theatre Company in the UK. Benedict also made a cameo appearance in the 2010 film adaptation of The A-Team as Pensacola Prisoner Milt.

In 2019, Benedict took on the role of Jack Strange in the B movie Space Ninjas, written and directed by Scott McQuaid. Dirk plays an eccentric TV host of a show called Stranger Than Fiction, which is like a hybrid of The Twilight Zone and The X-Files. The movie is a sci-fi comedy horror that follows a bunch of high school students trying to survive the night of a Space Ninja invasion.

Personal life Cancer In the 1970s, Benedict survived a prostate tumor, which he refused to have tested for malignancy. Having rejected conventional medical treatment, he credited his survival to the adoption of a macrobiotic diet recommended to him by actress Gloria Swanson.

Marriage and family In 1986, he married Toni Hudson, an actress with whom he has two sons. Hudson had previously appeared as Dana in the fourth season A-Team episode titled "Blood, Sweat and Cheers". They divorced in 1995.

In 1998, Benedict learned that he also has another son from an earlier relationship, who was placed for adoption.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 1972 Georgia, Georgia Michael Winters 1973 Sssssss David Blake 1974 W William Caulder a.k.a. I Want Her Dead 1978 Battlestar Galactica Lieutenant Starbuck 1979 Scavenger Hunt Jeff Stevens 1980 Ruckus Kyle Hanson a.k.a. Ruckus in Madoc County 1981 Underground Aces Pete Huffman 1986 Body Slam M. Harry Smilac 1991 Blue Tornado Alex Long 1992 Shadow Force Detective Rick Kelly 1994 Demon Keeper Alexander Harris 1995 The Feminine Touch John Mackie Direct-to-video; a.k.a. The November Conspiracy 1996 Alaska Jake Barnes 1998 The Adventures of Young Brave Tyler a.k.a. Waking Up Horton 2001 Cahoots — Director and writer 2006 Goldene Zeiten Douglas Burnett / John Striker / Horst Müller 2007 Recon 7 Down Tom Myers 2009 Inglorious Bumblers Tom Mayers Direct-to-video 2010 The A-Team Milt, Pensacola Prisoner2019 Space Ninjas Jack Strange 2020 Charlie's Christmas Wish Stanley

Television Year Title Role Notes 1972 Hawaii Five-O Walter Clyman Episode: "Chain of Events" 1974 Chopper One Officer Gil Foley 13 episodes; Main cast 1975 Journey from Darkness Bill TV film 1977 Charlie's Angels Cadet John Barton Episode: "The Blue Angels" The Cabot Connection Brom Loomis Pilot episode 1978 Cruise Into Terror Simon McLane TV film Charlie's Angels Denny Railsback Episode: "The Jade Trap" 1978–1979 Battlestar Galactica Lieutenant Starbuck 24 episodes; Main cast 1980 Galactica 1980 Episode: "The Return of Starbuck" The Georgia Peaches "Dusty" Tyree TV film; a.k.a. Follow That Car The Love Boat Jeff Dalton Episode: "That's My Dad" 1982 Family in Blue Matt Malone TV pilot episode 1983 The Love Boat Gary Wells Episode: "The Dog Show: Whose Dog Is It Anyway?" 1983–1987 The A-Team Lieutenant Templeton "Faceman" Peck 96 episodes; Main cast 1984 Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense Frank Rowlett Episode: "Mark of the Devil" 1985 Amazing Stories "Face" Episode: "Remote Control Man" 1987 Hotel Trevor Harris Episode: "Prized Possessions" 1989 Murder, She Wrote Dr. David Latimer Episode: "Smooth Operators" Alfred Hitchcock Presents Dr. Rush Episode: "In the Name of Science" Trenchcoat in Paradise Eddie Mazda TV film 1991 Bejewelled Gordon 1992 Baywatch Aaron Brody Episode: "Rookie of the Year" 1993 Official Denial Lieutenant Colonel Dan Lerner TV film The Commish Gil Higgins Episode: "All That Glitters" 1995 Walker, Texas Ranger Blair Episode: "Case Closed" Murder, She Wrote Gary Harling Episode: "Frozen Stiff" 1996 Abduction of Innocence Robert Steves TV film 2006 Earthstorm Victor Stevens

Video games