Dirk Benedict

Dirk Benedict, born Dirk Niewoehner on March 1, 1945, in Helena, Montana, is an American actor and author. The son of George Edward Niewoehner, a lawyer, and Priscilla Mella Niewoehner, an accountant, Benedict grew up in White Sulphur Springs, Montana, and graduated from Whitman College in 1967. He is of German extraction and reportedly chose his stage name from a serving of Eggs Benedict prior to launching his acting career.

Benedict's professional stage work brought him to Broadway between 1969 and 1971, where he appeared in two productions: Abelard and Heloise and Butterflies Are Free. Following the New York run of Butterflies Are Free, he was offered the opportunity to reprise his role in Hawaii, performing opposite Barbara Rush. A guest lead appearance on Hawaii Five-O during that period led directly to his being cast in the lead role of the horror film Sssssss in 1973, whose producers had seen his television work. His film debut had come the previous year with the 1972 picture Georgia, Georgia. He subsequently played the husband of Twiggy in her American film debut, W, in 1974, and starred in the short-lived 1974 television series Chopper One.

Benedict's career advanced significantly in 1978 when he was cast as Lieutenant Starbuck in both the film and television versions of Battlestar Galactica. That same year he starred in the television film Cruise into Terror, and in 1979 appeared in the ensemble film Scavenger Hunt. In 1980 he co-starred with Linda Blair in the action-comedy Ruckus. Benedict also made two appearances on Charlie's Angels and appeared on the Donny and Marie variety show during this period.

In 1983, Benedict gained widespread recognition playing con man Templeton "Faceman" Peck in the action television series The A-Team, a role he held from 1982 through 1986, though the series did not air until January 1983 and its final episode was not broadcast until 1987 reruns. A second-season episode titled "Steel" included a scene in which Face encounters a Cylon at Universal Studios, a reference to Benedict's Battlestar Galactica role; the clip was incorporated into the opening credit sequence beginning with the third season. In 1986, Benedict starred in Body Slam as low-life band manager Harry Smilac, alongside Lou Albano and Roddy Piper, with cameo appearances by Freddie Blassie, Ric Flair, and Bruno Sammartino.

In 1987, Benedict took the title role in a production of Shakespeare's Hamlet at the Abbey Theatre in Manhattan, a performance that received negative notices from critics. He starred in the 1989 television film Trenchcoat in Paradise and in 1991 appeared in Blue Tornado, playing an Italian Air Force fighter pilot named Alex, call sign Fireball. He starred in Shadow Force in 1993 and appeared as Jake Barnes in the 1996 action-adventure film Alaska.

Benedict is also an author. He published the autobiography Confessions of a Kamikaze Cowboy, and also wrote And Then We Went Fishing. In 2000, he wrote and directed his first screenplay, Cahoots. In 2006, he appeared in the German film Goldene Zeiten in a dual role, playing both an American former television star and a German lookalike who impersonates him. That same year he published an online essay criticizing the reimagined Battlestar Galactica series, objecting in particular to the casting of a woman in the role of Starbuck. In 2007, he competed on the UK series Celebrity Big Brother 5, finishing in third place, and arrived on launch night in a replica of the A-Team van. In 2010, he starred in a UK stage production of Prescription: Murder for the Middle Ground Theatre Company, playing Lieutenant Columbo, and made a cameo appearance in the film adaptation of The A-Team as Pensacola Prisoner Milt. In 2019, he appeared in the science fiction comedy horror film Space Ninjas, playing an eccentric television host named Jack Strange.

During the 1970s, Benedict survived a prostate tumor, declining conventional medical treatment and crediting his recovery to a macrobiotic diet recommended by actress Gloria Swanson. In 1986, he married actress Toni Hudson, with whom he has two sons; they divorced in 1995. In 1998, Benedict learned he has a third son from an earlier relationship, who had been placed for adoption.