Dirk Benedict: Five (5) Quick Facts

The journey of Dirk Benedict in Hollywood is enviable. Check his film credits and all that he has achieved aside of the screen you would know that the actor was born to scale heights. Here are five quick facts about the actor and author.

1. Dirk Benedict was born in Montana

Dirk Benedict was born to George Edward Niewoehner, and Priscilla Mella on March 1, 1945, in Helena Montana. Dirk had an older brother, Roy, and a younger sister, Ramona. The thespian was raised in a middle-class family as his father worked as a lawyer while the mother balanced the books as an accountant.

Dirk’s interest in acting did not actually start from his early years. In his teens, he was a gravedigger but acquiring education was still in his life’s plan. He proceeded to Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington, United States where he bagged a BA in Theatre in the year 1967.

See Billy Magnussen bio

After his graduation, all he wanted to make out of his life was to become a theater actor, however, some people who have seen him perform on stage had other ideas for him and he was soon wooed in the world of TV series and films. But first he had to change his surname “Niewoehner” to Benedict, a name his agent suggested to him after they ate breakfast at American restaurant Egg Benedict.

2. He suffered a permanent partial hearing loss in his left ear

Dirk put his life in danger when he was 12 years old flirting with adventure. While climbing a barbed wire fence, the gun he was carrying went off next to his head, leading to the loss of 50 percent of his hearing ability. Dirk has also been diagnosed with prostate cancer, but instead of going for surgery as recommended by Doctors, he adopted a macrobiotic diet recommended by his Butterflies Are Free costar Gloria Swanson. Reports say he still follows his diets religiously.

3. Dirk Benedict made his acting debut in 1972

Dirk made his acting debut in the Swedish-American dram film “Georgia, Georgia” as Michael Winters. The film was written by Maya Angelou. While he was defiant that he preferred appearing in theater productions than films and TV series, the roles he landed after his debut shaped his acting journey.

Dirk also made a guest appearance in the CBS police-procedural drama “Hawaii Five-O”. Later, he appeared in the horror movie Sssssss as David Blake. He left the acting industry for a while and focused on his writings when he returned in 1977, he appeared in an episode of the ‘ABC’ crime drama ‘Charlie’s Angels.’

The science-fiction series ‘Battlestar Galactica,’ where he portrayed the role of  Lieutenant Starbuck expanded his fame. The series was aired on ABC, and later, he reprised the role in its movie version. He continued to play the character of Lieutenant Starbuck till 1980 when the series was revived as “Galactica 1980.”

Another notable film Dirk starred was in the ‘NBC’ action-adventure project ‘The A-Team.’ Where he portrayed the character of  Lt. Templeton “Faceman” Peck. Dirk played the character in 96 episodes. Dirk has starred in other films and to add to the list, he is a published author.

Karla Souza biography

He has written two books, “And Then We Went Fishing: A Story of Fatherhood, Fate and Forgiveness’ (and “Confessions of a Kamikaze Cowboy: A True Story of Discovery, Acting, Health, Illness, Recovery, and Life”.

4. His marriage with Toni Hudson ended in divorce

Dirk Benedict married actress Toni Hudson in 1986. Toni Hudson is popularly known for her appearance in the soap opera “Capitol”. From their union, they welcomed two sons Toni, George (born in 1988) and Roland (born in 1991). The couple divorced in 1995 and the court granted Dirk the custody of his sons. Dirk also has another child named John Talbert from another woman whose identity has not been made public. He didn’t even know he planted a seed somewhere that made it into adulthood until John’s foster family contacted him.

5. Dirk Benedict was a housemate in celebrity big brother

Dirk loves adventure and at some point in his life, he made it to the Celebrity Big Brother, where he, however, washed the family’s dirty linen. As a housemate, he narrated how his brother shot their father when he found him beating their mother. He said the incidence happened when he was 18 years of age after his parents got divorced with the court barring the father from visiting the family.

The court did not charge Dirk’s brother for murder, he was given a clean-chit but now works as a carpenter in a forest lodge near the lakeside town of Bigfork, Montana, a place he has made a home.

Image Source: Youtube