Jay Benedict obit

Aliens star Jay Benedict has died at the age of 68 after contracting COVID-19.

He was not on the list.

Aliens star Jay Benedict has died at the age of 68 after contracting COVID-19.

The American actor, who also appeared in The Dark Knight Rises, passed away on Saturday, according to a statement posted on his official website.

“It is with profound sorrow that we must announce Jay’s death on the 4th of April due to complications arising from a COVID-19 infection,” the statement read.

Benedict played Russ Jordan in Aliens, a character who only appeared in a significant role in the Special Edition release of the film, but was a well known face on British TV, having appeared in shows including the soap opera Emmerdale, and the mystery drama Jonathan Creek.

His best known role, however, came as John Kieffer, a U.S. Army officer and friend of Michael Kitchen’s Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle in two episodes of the ITV period drama Foyle’s War.

Benedict was married to actress Phoebe Scholfield, with whom he had two sons, and together they ran Sync or Swim, a company providing post-production Automated Dialogue Replacement services to film and TV productions, including Downton Abbey. He also had a daughter from a previous marriage.

After news of his death, several British TV stars paid tribute to him on Twitter, with ‘Allo ‘Allo actress Vicki Michelle and Only Fools and Horses stalwart John Challis among those mourning his passing.

Benedict was born in Burbank, California. He lived and worked in Europe from the 1960s onwards. His theatrical credits include The Rocky Horror Show in the Kings Road in the early 1970s, Harold Pinter's production of Sweet Bird of Youth, The Reverend Lee in The Foreigner and Riccardo in Franco Zeffirelli's production of Filumena in which he played opposite Pierce Brosnan in the latter's first stage role, and Bill Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, in a touring production of "One Day at a Time". In 2013 he appeared opposite Steven Berkoff and Andree Bernard in the world premiere of the former's one act play An Actor's Lament at The Berkoff Performing Arts Centre at Alton College, followed by a second performance at The Sinden Theatre, Homewood School, Tenterden in Kent, two nights at The Maltings Theatre & Cinema in Berwick-upon-Tweed and then a three-week run at the Assembly Hall in Edinburgh as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In May 2014, it was revived with a short run at the Theatre Royal, Margate with a further one-week run scheduled at The Gaiety Theatre, Dublin, in September 2014.

In August 2014, he returned to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to play Archie Bellows in the world premiere of Terry Jastrow's "The Trial of Jane Fonda", opposite Anne Archer, playing World War II veteran Archie Bellows.

He also appeared widely on television, most notably as Frank Crowe in an episode of the BBC's award-winning 2003 docudrama television miniseries Seven Wonders of the Industrial World, John E. Jones III in Nova's Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial, Alan Kalanak in the 2001 Christmas Special edition of Jonathan Creek and Yves Houdet in Thames Television's mini-series of Angus Wilson's Anglo-Saxon Attitudes. Other television appearances include Lilyhammer as Agent Becker, Queen Victoria's Men (Lord Melbourne), Sharpe's Honour (General Verigny), Bergerac (Martin Colley), Emmerdale (Doug Hamilton), Death Train (Halloran), Harnessing Peacocks (Eli Drew) and Only Love (Roger). He provided the voice for Shiro Hagen in Star Fleet, the English adaptation of the Japanese X-Bomber.

His first film role, at the age of 11, was in the 1963 Tony Saytor film La Bande à Bobo. In 1977, he played Deak in the Tosche Station scenes in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, which were deleted from the film before release. Subsequent film appearances include the extended, "Special Edition" version of Aliens (Russ Jorden), The Dirty Dozen: Next Mission (Didier le Clair), Icon (Carey Jordan), The White Knight (Turkish Ambassador), The Russia House (Spikey), Saving Grace (the MC) and Rewind. In 2003 he was third lead in Vicente Aranda's version of Carmen, playing Don Prospero.

In addition to English, he also worked in French and Spanish, and performed widely on the continent, appearing as Paul Matthiews in the French day-time soap opera Cap des Pins and William Wilbur in Le Grand Charles (a French mini series on Charles De Gaulle), among many other roles.

He was married to actress Phoebe Scholfield and together they ran Sync or Swim, an ADR/Loop group (see dubbing). They also translated and wrote movies together - such as The Card Player (Il Cartaio) - which they translated into English. They had two sons: Leopold Benedict (Before the Rains, Azur & Asmar: The Princes' Quest) and Freddie Benedict (Planet 51, Azur & Asmar: The Princes' Quest). He also had a daughter from a previous marriage.

Filmography

Film

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1963      La bande à Bobo                              

1977      Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope           Deak      (scenes deleted)

1979      Winterspelt        Sergeant             

1979      Hanover Street Corporal Daniel Giler     

1979      Licensed to Love and Kill               Mad Professor

1982      Victor Victoria   Guy Langois       

1983      The Lonely Lady                Dr. Sloan             

1986      Project A-Ko       Captain                 1992, English version, Voice

1986      Aliens    Russ Jorden, Newt's Father         

1989      La Révolution française Clerc      (segment "Années Terribles, Les")

1989      Jeniec Europy     Capt. Henry Fox               

1989      Dark Obsession aka Diamond Skulls          Joe Dimandino

1990      The Russia House             Spikey  

1992      Shining Through                Wisecracker in War Room           

1993      Genghis Cohn    Dr. Burkhardt    

1994      The Patriots        Colleague NSA  

1996      Beaumarchais    L'homme en gris              

1997      Double Team     Brandon              

1998      Rewind Blondin                

1999      RKO 281               Darryl Zanuck     TV movie

2000      Saving Grace      Master of Ceremonies  

2000      Vatel      King's Commode Valet  

2002      Pets       Francois - the duck          Voice

2003      The Petersburg-Cannes Express                

2003      Carmen                Próspero             

2004      Secret Agents    L'Américain        

2006      The White Knight             Turkish Ambassador      

2007      The Apocalypse Code     Rayli     

2010      Chico and Rita                   Voice

2012      The Dark Knight Rises     Rich Twit             

2013      The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared        French Foreign Minister                

2015      Moonwalkers    Colonel Dickford              

2016      I.T.          Detective Unrein             

2016      Demain tout commence                Médecin             

2017      Madame              Doctor Schurman            

2017      Hostile Wounded Man

Television

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1980-1981          Ekkusu Bonbā    Shiro Hagen (voice)         25 episodes

1985      The Dirty Dozen: Next Mission    Didier Le Clair    TV movie

1998-2000          Cap des Pins       Paul Matthiews                 Unknown episodes

2001      Jonathan Creek (Christmas Special)          Alan Kalanak      Episode: "Satan's Chimney"

2003      Seven Wonders of the Industrial World Frank Crowe       Episode: "The Hoover Dam"

2005      Icon       Carey Jordan      TV movie

2006      Foyle's War         Maj. / Captain John Kieffer           2 episodes

2007      Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial              Judge John Jones              Documentary

2008      Queen Victoria's Men     Lord Melbourne               TV movie documentary

2011      Page Eight           Master of the College     TV movie

2012      Lilyhammer        Agent Becker     Episode: "Reality Check"