In Remembrance: John Bennett

     John Bennett, the prolific British character actor who has appeared in films like A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (1966) and Minority Report (2002), has passed away on Monday, April 11, 2005 in London, England. He was 75.

     Born on May 8, 1928 in Beckenham, Kent, England, Bennett originally had wanted to be an architect. However, he became interested in acting and began studying at the Central School of Speech and Drama. He made his stage debut at the Croydon Hippodrome in 1949 in a production of The Man From The Ministry. He worked for several more years on stage before landing his first film role in 1960’s The Challenge (US title- It Takes A Thief) starring Jayne Mansfield.

     Although he never achieved great notoriety, Bennett did work steadily for through the next four decades of his career, appearing in small character roles in such films as The Curse Of The Werewolf (1961, directed by Terence Fisher), Lawrence Of Arabia (1962), The House That Dripped Blood (1970), Watership Down (1978), Eye Of The Needle (1981), Tai-Pan (1986), Priest (1994), The Fifth Element (1997) and The Pianist (2002). He also appreaed in such seminal British television series as Z Cars, The Saint, The Avengers, Dixon Of Dock Green and Doctor Who.

     His last film was 2003’s Chaos And Cadavers.