Richard Benedict

Actor/director 'Richard Benedict' (qv) was born Joseph Sciurba in Sicily. He came to the US with his family when he was seven. He was a prizefighter before journeying to Hollywood to break into the movies. His stocky, somewhat menacing appearance got him tough-guy and henchman roles, although he did get the occasional second lead. His best-known role was as Leo Minosa, the man trapped in an abandoned mineshaft in 'Billy Wilder' (qv)'s tough look at unscrupulous journalism and how legitimate tragedies are turned into a media circus in _Ace in the Hole (1951)_ (qv). In 1962 he began directing, and though he turned out a few features, the majority of his directing work was in series television.::frankfob2@yahoo.com