Ben Piazza (July 30, 1933 – September 7, 1991) was an American actor.A prolific television and film character actor, Piazza is perhaps most widely recognized as the wealthy restaurant patron in The Blues Brothers from whom John Belushi offers to purchase his wife and daughter. Prior to that, he also played the violent boyfriend who scars Liza Minelli's face in Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon. He was once married to actress Dolores Dorn.
Was a playwright on the side. His 1969 play "Khaki Blue" co-starred one-time wife actress Dolores Dorn. Also the author of the novel, "The Exact and Very Strange Truth", which was published in 1964.
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Attended Princeton University and was a member of the Actor's Studio.
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Debuted on stage as a Venetian Senator in "Othello" in 1952, and won the Theatre World Award in 1959 for his role in "Kataki."
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Came to Hollywood and was given the co-starring role opposite Gary Cooper in The Hanging Tree (1959) on the strength of his Canadian film debut in A Dangerous Age (1957).
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Died of AIDS-related cancer and was survived by his companion of 18 years, Wayne Tripp.
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Judgment: The Court Martial of the Tiger of Malaya - General Yamashita
1974
TV Movie
The Waltons
1974
TV Series
George Reed
Griff
1973
TV Series
Henry Pizer
The Candy Snatchers
1973
Avery
Mod Squad
1973
TV Series
Dr. Ed Chase
The Outside Man
1972
Desk clerk
Mannix
1972
TV Series
Harry
Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon
1970
Jesse
The Fugitive
1965
TV Series
Blaine Hagerman
The Defenders
1962-1965
TV Series
Mike Knox / Morton Leverton / Jack Powers
Ben Casey
1964
TV Series
Dr. Mike Rogers
Stoney Burke
1962
TV Series
Dayton Hill
Sinners Go to Hell
1962
Camarero
The Dick Powell Theatre
1962
TV Series
Naked City
1961
TV Series
Nino Licosa
Zane Grey Theater
1959
TV Series
Coley Goad
The Hanging Tree
1959
Rune
Kraft Theatre
1957
TV Series
Ray
A Dangerous Age
1957
David
Studio One in Hollywood
1957
TV Series
David
Love of Life
1951
TV Series
Jonas Falk (1965)
Never Forget
1991
TV Movie
Speaker
Guilty by Suspicion
1991
Darryl Zanuck
Dragnet
1991
TV Series
Charles Degman
Rocky V
1990
Doctor (uncredited)
The Bakery
1990
TV Movie
Captain Gleason
Beauty and the Beast
1990
TV Series
Richards
Matlock
1987-1989
TV Series
Martin Landers / Dr. David Westlake
Jake and the Fatman
1989
TV Series
Judge David Steiner
Generations
1989
TV Series
Judge (1989)
Dynasty
1988-1989
TV Series
Dr. Charles Hampton
Clean and Sober
1988
Kramer
Moonlighting
1988
TV Series
Captain Renault
Marblehead Manor
1988
TV Series
Nigel Smedley
Ohara
1988
TV Series
Max Sherman
Mr. Belvedere
1987
TV Series
Mr. Dawson / Judge L. Nathan
Billionaire Boys Club
1987
TV Movie
Mr. Cody
The Facts of Life
1987
TV Series
Dean Howard Jones
Family Ties
1984-1987
TV Series
Mr. Wertz / Ed Nelson / John Adams
St. Elsewhere
1986-1987
TV Series
Josiah Bartlett / Dr. Josiah Bartlett
Outlaws
1987
TV Series
Joseph Conlan
Santa Barbara
1986
TV Series
Dr. Rawlings
Cagney & Lacey
1986
TV Series
Hornby
Benson
1981-1986
TV Series
Arthur Duffy / Mr. Grunning
The Twilight Zone
1985
TV Series
Dr. Vaughn Heilman (segment "Chameleon")
Scene of the Crime
1985
TV Series
Phillip Bingham
Mask
1985
Mr. Simms
Consenting Adult
1985
TV Movie
Dr. Mark Waldo
T.J. Hooker
1984
TV Series
Peter Weston
Cover Up
1984
TV Series
Tabbles
The A-Team
1984
TV Series
City Councilman Michael Prescott
Too Close for Comfort
1984
TV Series
Supervisor Helms
The Winter of Our Discontent
1983
TV Movie
Louis Brock
The Mississippi
1983
TV Series
Lowery
Dallas
1982-1983
TV Series
Walt Driscoll
Grace Kelly
1983
TV Movie
The Winds of War
1983
TV Mini-Series
Aloysius Whitman
Waltz Across Texas
1982
Bill Wrather
The Wall
1982
TV Movie
Janta
Blind Tom: The Story of Thomas Bethune
1981
Short
Barney Miller
1980-1981
TV Series
Arthur Minch / David Shulton / John Essex
Hart to Hart
1981
TV Series
Caine
The Five of Me
1981
TV Movie
Neurologist
Nero Wolfe
1981
TV Series
Harlan Davidson
A Matter of Life and Death
1981
TV Movie
Dr. Laurie
The Last Song
1980
TV Movie
Ken Pentoff
The Children of An Lac
1980
TV Movie
Dr. Wayne R. McKinney
The Blues Brothers
1980
Father
Battles: The Murder That Wouldn't Die
1980
TV Movie
Dr. John Spencer
The Chisholms
1980
TV Mini-Series
John Sutter / Sutter
The Rockford Files
1980
TV Series
Stan Belding
Paris
1980
TV Series
The Concorde... Airport '79
1979
Associate (TV version) (uncredited)
Nightwing
1979
Roger Piggott
Salvage 1
1979
TV Series
Sanborne
Lou Grant
1979
TV Series
Jim McCrea
Bender
1979
TV Series
Farragut
The Critical List
1978
TV Movie
Dr. Henry de Jong
When Every Day Was the Fourth of July
1978
TV Movie
Herman Grasser
Kojak
1978
TV Series
Irving Abernathy
The Waverly Wonders
1978
TV Series
George Benton
Forever Fernwood
1977
TV Series
Bob Truss
Kill Me If You Can
1977
TV Movie
Bill Edmunds
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden
1977
Jay Blake
Kingston: Confidential
1977
TV Series
Once an Eagle
1976
TV Mini-Series
Capt. Jerome
The Bad News Bears
1976
Bob Whitewood
The Bionic Woman
1976
TV Series
Warren Rayker
Switch
1976
TV Series
Ernie Riker
Fear on Trial
1975
TV Movie
Harry
Barnaby Jones
1975
TV Series
Eugene Armstrong
Gunsmoke
1975
TV Series
Fifer
Harry O
1975
TV Series
Frank Cabot
Judgment: The Court Martial of Lieutenant William Calley