P. J. Benjamin

P. J. Benjamin is an American actor born on September 2, 1951, in Chicago, Illinois. His Broadway career spanned from 1971 to 2008, encompassing productions across musical theatre and drama.

Benjamin made his Broadway debut with the 1973 revival of The Pajama Game. He went on to appear in at least seven additional Broadway productions, including Saravá, Charlie and Algernon, Wind in the Willows, Sophisticated Ladies, and the play Torch Song. His stage work also extended to touring, off-Broadway, and regional productions throughout his career.

Among his most prominent roles, Benjamin is recognized for his long-running portrayal of Amos Hart in Chicago and his performance as the Wizard of Oz in Wicked. He performed as Amos Hart in the Broadway production and two national tours of Chicago between 1997 and 2006. The official Chicago musical Facebook page noted that Benjamin had played Amos on Broadway for 1,989 days, a figure described as more than any other actor for any other character in the production as of November 2011. He joined the first North American tour of Wicked as the Wizard in 2006, then took the role to Broadway in 2008. He subsequently returned to the Wicked tour in 2012 and rejoined the Broadway production in both 2015 and 2017.

Beyond the stage, Benjamin has appeared in film and television, with credits including Ice Age, Law & Order, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. He is married to actress Louisa Flaningam.