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William Bendix

Highest Rated: 100% The Web (1947)

Lowest Rated: 40% The Hairy Ape (1944)

Birthday: Jan 14, 1906

Birthplace: New York, New York, USA

A burly New York City native who specialized in playing all manner of lugs, both loveable and dangerous, William Bendix achieved a level of popularity that was almost unheard of for a character actor who proclaimed himself to be "about as handsome as a mud fence." After performing in some unsuccessful plays, he first gained significant notice in the Broadway smash "The Time of Your Life" (1939-1940). That soon led to a movie career, with Bendix appearing in everything from comedies like "Woman of the Year" (1942) and "Who Done It?" (1942), to World War II actioners and thrillers like "The Glass Key" (1942) and Alfred Hitchcock's "Lifeboat" (1944). Bendix's blustery delivery and enduring likeability found a perfect vehicle in the comedy "The Life of Riley," first on radio (ABC/NBC, 1944-1951), then as a 1949 motion picture and, finally, a long-running television series (NBC, 1953-58). Loveable lunkhead Chester A. Riley was the role for which he was best remembered and while the show's formula was mostly set in stone, Bendix's talent helped to keep it fresh and amusing. As was customary with actors who sported something less than matinee idol looks, Bendix was largely restricted to playing certain types of characters, but few did as memorable a job on such a consistent basis, and he ranked as one of TV's archetypal patriarchs.

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Highest-Rated Movies

100% 56% The Web
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100% 72% The Blue Dahlia
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100% 72% The Dark Corner
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90% 87% Lifeboat
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89% 48% Wake Island
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88% 71% The Glass Key
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83% 80% Woman of the Year
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71% 72% Detective Story
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67% 63% The Big Steal
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57% 51% A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
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Filmography

Movies TV Shows
Law of the Lawless 43% 1964 Sheriff Ed Tanner Actor For Love or Money 1963 Joe Fogel Actor The Young and the Brave 1963 Sgt. Peter L. Kane Actor Boys' Night Out 46% 1962 Slattery Actor The Phony American 1962 Sergeant Harrigan Actor Johnny Nobody 1961 James Ronald Mulcahy Actor The Rough and the Smooth 1959 Reg Barker Actor Idle on Parade 1959 Sgt. Lush Actor The Deep Six 14% 1958 "Frenchy" Shapiro Actor Battle Stations 1956 Buck Fitzpatrick Actor Crashout 57% 1955 Van Morgan Duff Actor Dangerous Mission 17% 1954 Chief Ranger Joe Parker Actor Blackbeard, the Pirate 39% 1952 Ben Worley Actor Macao 44% 59% 1952 Lawrence C. Trumble Actor A Girl in Every Port 11% 1952 Timothy Aloysius "Tim" Dunnovan Actor Detective Story 71% 72% 1951 Det. Lou Brody Actor Submarine Command 23% 1951 CPO Boyer Actor Kill the Umpire 62% 1950 Bill "Two Call" Johnson Actor Gambling House 1950 Joe Farrow Actor Streets of Laredo 57% 78% 1949 Reuben "Wahoo" Jones Actor A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court 57% 51% 1949 Sir Sagramore Actor The Big Steal 67% 63% 1949 Capt. Vincent Blake Actor Cover Up 53% 1949 Sheriff Larry Best Actor The Life of Riley 1949 Chester A. Riley Actor Johnny Holiday 1949 Sgt. Walker Actor
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