William Benedict
Known for: Acting
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. William Benedict (April 16, 1917 – November 25, 1999) was an American actor, perhaps best known for playing "Whitey" in Monogram Pictures' The Bowery Boys series. Born in Haskell, Oklahoma, he took part in school theatricals, and on leaving school he made his way to Hollywood. His first film was $10 Raise (1935) starring Edward Everett Horton, which launched Benedict on a busy career. The blond-haired Benedict almost always played juvenile roles, such as newsboys, messengers, office boys, and farmhands. In 1939, when Universal Pictures began its Little Tough Guys series to compete with the popular Dead End Kids features, Billy Benedict was recruited into the cast. These films led him into the similar East Side Kids movies (usually playing a member of the East Side gang, but occasionally in villainous roles). The East Side Kids became The Bowery Boys in 1946, and Benedict stayed with the series (as "Whitey") through the end of 1951. Other films included My Little Chickadee (1940) starring W. C. Fields and Mae West, The Ox-Bow Incident (1943), Ed Wood's Bride of the Monster (1955), The Sting (1973) and Farewell, My Lovely (1975). Benedict never shook his juvenile image completely, and continued to play messengers and news vendors well into his sixties. He also worked often in television commercials.
Filmography
Series
Lassie
1954
Series
Little House on the Prairie
Reverend Lyman
1974
Series
Ironside
1967
Series
The Rifleman
1958
Series
Dragnet
1951
Series
Wagon Train
Wagon Train Member (uncredited)
1957
Series
Adam-12
Bill White
1968
Series
Charlie's Angels
Emmett Winston, Esq.
1976
Series
Mission: Impossible
Denver
1966
Series
Hill Street Blues
1981
Series
Mannix
1967
Series
The Twilight Zone
Conklin
1959
Series
Emergency!
1972
Series
The Red Skelton Show
1951
Series
Quincy, M.E.
1976
Series
Petticoat Junction
Willie
1963
Series
I Dream of Jeannie
Cleaning Man
1965
Series
The Incredible Hulk
Vic
1977
Series
Highway to Heaven
Bobby Joe
1984
Series
All in the Family
Jimmy McNab
1971
Series
Gunsmoke
Gus
1955
Series
Route 66
1960
Series
Navy Log
1955
Series
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
1964
Series
Here's Lucy
Deliveryman
1968
Series
The Brady Bunch
1969
Series
The Streets of San Francisco
1972
Series
Dennis the Menace
1959
Series
Mayberry R.F.D.
Uncle Whitmore
1968
Series
Mayberry R.F.D.
Pet Shop Owner
1968
Series
Land of the Giants
Villager Peabody
1968
Series
The Monkees
Skywriter
1966
Series
The Monkees
Old Man
1966
Series
Alias Smith and Jones
1971
Series
Alias Smith and Jones
Telegrapher (uncredited)
1971
Series
Police Story
Prescott
1973
Series
Police Story
Bellman
1973
Series
Felony Squad
1966
Series
The Guns of Will Sonnett
Telegrapher
1967
Series
Ellery Queen
1975
Series
Honey West
Farley
1965
Series
Branded
1965
Series
The Barbara Stanwyck Show
Joe
1960
Film
The Sting
Roulette Dealer
1973
Series
The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok
1951
Series
The Adventures of Jim Bowie
1956
Series
Then Came Bronson
Card Player
1969
Series
Hondo
1967
Series
Matt Helm
Scavenger
1975
Film
Hello, Dolly!
News Vendor (uncredited)
1969
Film
The Killing
American Airlines Clerk
1956
Series
The Immortal
1970
Film
Bringing Up Baby
David's Caddy (uncredited)
1938
Film
Funny Girl
Western Union Boy (uncredited)
1968
Series
I'm the Law
1953
Film
Frankie and Johnny
Bum Sleeping on Bench (uncredited)
1966
Film
Libeled Lady
Johnny
1936
Series
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Degnan
1951
Film
The Hallelujah Trail
Simpson
1965
Film
The Hanging Tree
Trapper (uncredited)
1959
Film
Lover Come Back
Musician Exiting Elevator (uncredited)
1961
Film
The Ox-Bow Incident
Greene (uncredited)
1943
Film
After the Thin Man
Newsboy (uncredited)
1936
Film
Story of G.I. Joe
Pvt. Whitey (uncredited)
1945
Film
Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood
Man on Bus
1976
Tramp Trouble
Young Bindlestiff
1937
Film
The Talk of the Town
Western Union Boy (uncredited)
1942
Film
Jim Hanvey, Detective
Copy Boy (uncredited)
1937
Film
There's Always a Woman
Bellboy
1938
Film
The Last Gangster
Freddy the Office Boy
1937
Film
Sherlock Holmes in New York
Telegraph Office Manager
1976
Film
The Kid from Brooklyn
Newsboy (uncredited)
1946
Film
Let's Go Navy!
Whitey
1951
Film
Big Daddy
1969
Film
The Glass Key
Farr's Receptionist (uncredited)
1942
Film
Adventures of Captain Marvel
Whitey Murphy
1941
Film
Captain January
Telegram Delivery Boy (uncredited)
1936
Film
Second Chorus
Ticket Taker (uncredited)
1941
Film
Dressed to Kill
Singing Telegram Boy
1941
Film
Young People
Boy (uncredited)
1940
Film
The Over the Hill Gang
Joe, the Telegrapher (as Bill Benedict)
1969
Film
Road to Utopia
Newsboy #2 (uncredited)
1946
Film
Bowery Boy
(uncredited)
1940
Film
The Magnetic Monster
Albert
1953
Film
Dear Heart
Stu
1965
Film
Follow the Boys
Joe (uncredited)
1944
Film
The Whistler
The Deafmute (Uncredited)
1944
Film
Great Guns
Recruit at Corral
1941
Film
Triple Trouble
Whitey, Bowery Boy
1950
Film
Flying Fists
Monk, Tall Kid
1937
Film
Mr. District Attorney
Office Boy
1941
Film
The Country Doctor
The Gawker
1936
Film
Without Reservations
Telegraph Delivery Boy (uncredited)
1946
Film
Computercide
Elderly Man
1982
Film
The Hucksters
Bellboy at Blue Penguin Inn (uncredited)
1947
Film
Live Wires
Whitey (as Billy Benedict)
1946
Film
The Great McGinty
Farm Boy (uncredited)
1940
Film
Gay Blades
Newsboy (uncredited)
1946
Film
Thank Your Lucky Stars
Busboy (uncredited)
1943
Film
The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine
Bellboy
1942
Film
Never Say Goodbye
Messenger Boy (uncredited)
1946
Film
3 Kids and a Queen
Flash
1935
Film
Way Down East
Amos
1935
Film
She Knew All the Answers
Singing Telegraph Boy
1941
Film
Crack-Up
Bunky, Office Boy (uncredited)
1936
Film
I Met My Love Again
Billy (uncredited)
1938
Film
My Little Chickadee
Lem (uncredited)
1940
Film
King of the Newsboys
Squimpy
1938
Film
A Night to Remember
Messenger Boy (uncredited)
1942
Film
The Witness Chair
Benny Ryan
1936
Film
The Dirt Gang
Station Attendant
1972
Film
Your Uncle Dudley
Cyril Church
1935
Film
Call Her Mom
Mr. Feigelbaum
1972
Film
Get Hep to Love
Soda Jerk
1942
Film
The Powers Girl
Powers Agency Office Boy (uncredited)
1943
Film
Rings on Her Fingers
1942
Film
On the Sunny Side
Messenger
1942
Film
The Adventures of Nick Carter
Newsboy
1972
Film
Adventures of Red Ryder
Dan Withers
1940
Film
Adventures of the Flying Cadets
Zombie Parker
1943
Film
Theodora Goes Wild
Henry - Copyboy (uncredited)
1936
Film
College Scandal
'Penny' Parker
1935
Film
Brenda Starr, Reporter
Pesky (uncredited)
1945
Film
Give Us Wings
Link (as Billy Benedict)
1940
Film
The Farmer Takes a Wife
Boy Announcing Dan's Arrival Before Fight
1935
Film
The Pilgrim Lady
Bellboy
1947
Film
Bride of the Monster
Newsboy
1955
Film
Ghosts on the Loose
Benny
1943
Film
Heart of the Golden West
Telegraph Messenger
1942
Film
The Great Mr. Nobody
Jig
1941
Film
The Lottery
Joe Summers
1969
Film
In Old Cheyenne
Train Vendor
1941
Film
Cadet Girl
Soldier at Camp Show (uncredited)
1941
Film
In Fast Company
Whitey (as Billy Benedict)
1946
Film
Night Wind
Irv Bennett
1948
Film
The Gentleman Misbehaves
Bellboy (uncredited)
1946
Film
Steamboat Round the Bend
Breck
1935
Film
Janie
Soda Jerk (uncredited)
1944
Film
Lucky Partners
Delivery Boy (uncredited)
1940
Film
Master Minds
Whitey
1949
Film
That's My Baby!
Office boy
1944
Film
Goldie and the Boxer
Old Man
1979
Film
One More Tomorrow
Stinky
1946
Film
Bowery Buckaroos
Whitey
1947
Film
Melody Ranch
Slim
1940
Film
Junior G-Men of the Air
Whitey
1942
Film
People Are Funny
NBC Usher
1946
Film
Come Out Fighting
Skinny
1945
Film
Hold That Kiss
Delivery Boy
1938
Film
Little Tough Guys in Society
Trouble
1938
Film
The Dead Don't Die
Hotel Desk Clerk
1975
Film
Confessions of Boston Blackie
Ice Cream Man
1941
Film
Fighting Fools
Whitey
1949
Film
Hollywood Hobbies
Tour Guide
1939
Film
Block Busters
Butch
1944
Film
Fun on a Weekend
Hotel Bellboy (uncredited)
1947
Film
Young Fugitives
Jud (as William 'Billy' Benedict)
1938
Film
Bonanza: The Next Generation
Gus Morton
1988
Film
Jesse James at Bay
Young Davis
1941
Film
Home in Wyomin'
Usher (uncredited)
1942
Film
Cop on the Beat
Lennie
1975
Film
Laughing at Trouble
Wilbur
1936
Film
The Mad Doctor
Mickey Barnes (Uncredited)
1940
Film
Bowery Champs
Skinny
1944
Film
Rhythm on the River
Elevator Boy
1940
Film
Secret Service Investigator
Counterman
1948
Film
Show Them No Mercy!
Willie (uncredited)
1935
Film
Rhythm in the Clouds
Bellboy
1937
Film
Nobody's Darling
Sammy (uncredited)
1943
Film
The Man Who Lost Himself
Telegram Delivery Boy
1941
Film
Angels' Alley
Whitey
1948
Film
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch
Theatre Usher
1942
Film
Code of the Streets
Trouble
1939
Film
All by Myself
Telegraph Messenger
1943
Film
Born Again
Leon Jaworski
1978
Film
Merton of the Movies
Von Strutt's Assistant (uncredited)
1947
Film
Grand Ole Opry
Newsboy (uncredited)
1940
Film
Smuggler's Cove
Whitey
1948
Film
Blonde Dynamite
Whitey
1950
Film
Lady in a Jam
Barker (uncredited)
1942
Film
Can This Be Dixie?
Shenandoah Peachtree (uncredited)
1936
Film
Bad Boy
Grocery Clerk
1935
Film
Tim Tyler's Luck
Spud
1937
Film
Pack Up Your Troubles
Office Boy
1939
Film
Follow the Leader
Spider O'Brien
1944
Film
Stage to Chino
Happy (uncredited)
1940
Film
And One Was Beautiful
Delivery Man
1940
Film
$10 Raise
Jimmy
1935
Film
Wildcat
Bud Smithers
1942
Film
Two Yanks in Trinidad
Messenger (uncredited)
1942
Film
I Live on Danger
Bellboy (uncredited)
1942
Film
Jinx Money
Whitey (as Billy Benedict)
1948
Film
They Wanted to Marry
Freckles
1937
Film
Perils of Nyoka
Red Davis
1942
Film
Bowery Battalion
Whitey
1951
Film
Scattergood Baines
Lafe Hopper (uncredited)
1941
Film
Walking Down Broadway
Eddie
1938
Film
Say It in French
Midget Car Driver
1938
Film
Legion of the Lawless
Eddie
1940
Film
Hold That Co-ed
Sylvester
1938
Film
Hold That Baby!
Whitey
1949
Film
Newsboys' Home
Trouble
1938
Film
Mr. Muggs Rides Again
Skinny
1945
Film
Lucky Losers
Whitey
1950
Film
Ramona
Joseph Hyar
1936
Film
Do You Love Me
Singing Western Union Boy (uncredited)
1946
Film
Aerial Gunner
Jackson 'Sleepy' Laswell
1943
Film
Ghost Chasers
Whitey
1951
Film
Time Out for Rhythm
Messenger (uncredited)
1941
Film
Bowery Bombshell
Whitey
1946
Film
Mr. Hex
Whitey (as Billy Benedict)
1946
The Secret Sharer
Mr. Burns
1973
Film
Spook Busters
Whitey (as Billy Benedict)
1946
Film
Blues Busters
Whitey (as William Benedict)
1950
Film
News Hounds
Whitey (as Billy Benedict)
1947
Film
Riders of the Pony Express
Eddie Lund
1949
Film
Rogue's Gallery
Jocko (as William Benedict)
1968
Film
Doubting Thomas
Caddie
1935
Film
Clancy Street Boys
Butch
1943
Film
Crazy Over Horses
Whitey (as William Benedict)
1951
Film
Mr. Muggs Steps Out
Pinky
1943
Film
Docks of New York
Skinny
1945
Film
I Won't Play
Florida
1944
Film
Million Dollar Kid
Skinny
1944
Film
Trouble Makers
Whitey (as Billy Benedict)
1948
Film
Mobs, Inc.
Telegraph Boy
1956
Film
Moonlight in Vermont
Abel
1943
Film
Whispering Footsteps
Jerry Murphy
1943
Film
Hollywood and Vine
Joe the Newsboy
1945
Film
Angels in Disguise
Whitey
1949
Film
Hard Boiled Mahoney
Whitey
1947
Film
The Bowery Boys: Legends of Laughter
Himself
2020
Film
M'Liss
Archer Morpher
1936
Film
Tuxedo Junction
Thomas 'Piecrust' Murphy (as Billy Benedict)
1941
Film
That I May Live
Kurt Plivens
1937
Film
They Live in Fear
Thomas 'Mack' Knight (uncredited)
1944
Film
What Am I Bid?
Clem (as Bill Benedict)
1967