Who is Martin Benson?

Martin Benson was an actor and writer, known for The King and I (1956), The Omen (1976) and Goldfinger (1964).

Trivia

  • In his later years painted portraits of noted Shakespearean actors, including Olivier, Gielgud and Guiness, staging a 1993 exhibition at the Shakespeare Globe Centre.
  • Due to his dark, somewhat sardonic looks, he was often cast as a continental villain.
  • Initially aimed for a career as a pharmacist.
  • Served as a gunner with the British Army in North Africa during World war II, rising to the rank of captain. He organised entertainment for his fellow soldiers and built a theatre from scratch in Alexandria, Egypt, assisted by future "Dad's Army" star Arthur Lowe.
  • Having played opposite Sean Connery in 'Goldfinger', he later bought a car from another Bond Actor, Roger Moore. The car he bought was the Volvo 1800S that Roger drove in the later episodes of the TV-series The Saint, which happened to be Roger's private car as well.