Benjamin Huntington Wright (5 May 1915 – 2 July 1989) was an English actor. He was best known for playing Herr Zeller in ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. ...

''. He also played numerous roles in famous films and worked as voice actor, having roles in animated films by Disney Studios.

Early life

Ben Wright was born on 5 May 1915 in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

to an American father and an English mother. At the age of 16, he entered the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central London ...

. Upon graduating, he acted in several West End stage productions. When

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

broke out, he enlisted and served in the

King's Royal Rifle Corps The King's Royal Rifle Corps was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army that was originally raised in British North America as the Royal American Regiment during the phase of the Seven Years' War in North America known in the United Sta ...

. He came to the U.S. in 1946 to attend a cousin's wedding and settled in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

Radio

Wright worked as the radio incarnation of

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...

(1949–1950) and Inspector Peter Black on ''Pursuit'' (1951–1952). He played

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n servant Tulku on '' The Green Lama'', Chinese bellhop Hey Boy on the radio version of '' Have Gun Will Travel'', various

dialect A dialect is a Variety (linguistics), variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standard language, standardized varieties as well as Vernacular language, vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardize ...

roles on '' Night Beat'', and the

anthology series An anthology series is a written series, radio, television, film, or video game series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a different ca ...

, '' Escape'', on which his roles ranged from the

Cockney Cockney is a dialect of the English language, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by Londoners with working-class and lower middle class roots. The term ''Cockney'' is also used as a demonym for a person from the East End, ...

protagonist of ''The Man Who Worked Miracles'' to the famed

Arabian The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...

hero of ''The Voyages of Sinbad''. His other radio credits included ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

'', '' Crime Classics'', and ''

Suspense Suspense is a state of anxiety or excitement caused by mysteriousness, uncertainty, doubt, or undecidedness. In a narrative work, suspense is the audience's excited anticipation about the plot or conflict (which may be heightened by a viol ...

''.

Film and television

He achieved worldwide attention when he was seen as the

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

Herr Zeller in ''

'' (1965), and he had small roles in ''

Judgment at Nuremberg ''Judgment at Nuremberg'' is a 1961 American epic legal drama film directed and produced by Stanley Kramer, and written by Abby Mann. It features Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Maximilian Schell, Werner Klemperer, Marlene Dietr ...

'' (1961), ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical theatre, musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story, based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion (play), Pygmalion'' and on the Pygmalion (1938 film), 1938 film ...

'' (1964), and

Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an American filmmaker and screenwriter. His career in Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and ver ...

's ''

The Fortune Cookie ''The Fortune Cookie'' (alternative United Kingdom, British title: ''Meet Whiplash Willie'') is a 1966 American black comedy film directed, produced and co-written by Billy Wilder. It is the first film in which Jack Lemmon collaborated with Wal ...

'' (1966). On television, he was a guest star on such series as ''

My Three Sons ''My Three Sons'' is an American television sitcom that aired from September 29, 1960, to April 13, 1972. The series was filmed in black-and-white and broadcast on ABC during its first five seasons, before moving to CBS for the remaining seve ...

'', ''

Hogan's Heroes ''Hogan's Heroes'' is an American television sitcom created by Bernard Fein and Albert S. Ruddy which is set in a Prisoner-of-war camp, prisoner-of-war (POW) camp in Nazi Germany during World War II, and centers around a group of Allied prisoner ...

'' (as various Nazi officers), ''

McHale's Navy ''McHale's Navy'' is an American sitcom starring Ernest Borgnine that aired 138 half-hour episodes over four seasons, from October 11, 1962, to April 12, 1966, on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network. The series was filmed i ...

'', '' Combat!'', ''

Get Smart ''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the Spy fiction, secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s with the release of the ''James Bond'' films. It was created by Mel Brooks and Bu ...

'', ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...

'', ''

'' (in a recurring role as billiard parlor owner “Dan Binney”, later as town barber “Birger Engdohl”, as Sgt. Pickens in “Wagon Girls”, as priest “Father Tom” in “Friend”, as storekeeper “Mr. Ross” in “Father’s Love” and finally as a dishonest land claim agent in “Two of a Kind” (S8E27), ''

The Wild Wild West ''The Wild Wild West'' is an American Western (genre), Western, spy film, spy, and science fiction on television, science fiction television series that ran on the CBS television network for four seasons from September 17, 1965, to April 11, 19 ...

'', ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television series created by Rod Serling in which characters find themselves dealing with often disturbing or unusual events, an experience described ...

'', '' Mr. Adams and Eve'', '' The Tab Hunter Show'', '' Straightaway'', ''

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea ''Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' is a 1961 American science fiction disaster film, produced and directed by Irwin Allen, and starring Walter Pidgeon and Robert Sterling. The supporting cast includes Peter Lorre, Joan Fontaine, Barbara Eden ...

'', '' It Takes a Thief'', '' Mission: Impossible'', as Mr. Rudolpho on the final episode of the 1964 series ''

The Addams Family The Addams Family is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 standalone single-panel comics, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' between 193 ...

'', and ''

The Rockford Files ''The Rockford Files'' is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner, aired on NBC from September 13, 1974, to January 10, 1980. Garner portrays Los Angeles private investigator Jim Rockford, with Noah Beery Jr. in th ...

''. Wright made three guest appearances on '' Perry Mason'', starring

Raymond Burr Raymond William Stacy Burr (May 21, 1917September 12, 1993) was a Canadian actor who had a lengthy Hollywood film career and portrayed the title roles in the television dramas '' Perry Mason'' and '' Ironside''. Burr's early acting career inclu ...

. He played Walter Lumis in the 1958 episode "The Case of the Terrified Typist", in the 1960 episode, "The Case of the Bashful Burro", he played assay agent and murderer Crawford Wright, who speaks with a Welsh-sounding accent and he played Clarence Keller in the 1961 episode "The Case of the Guilty Clients". Wright played Governor José María de Echeandía in the 1960 episode "Forbidden Wedding" of the syndicated anthology series ''

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American Western (genre), Western anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was ...

'', hosted by

Stanley Andrews Stanley Martin Andrews (born Andrzejewski; August 28, 1891 – June 23, 1969) was an American actor perhaps best known as the voice of Daddy Warbucks on the radio program ''Little Orphan Annie'' and later as "The Old Ranger", the first host of ...

. Wright made a guest appearance on the television series ''

The Monkees The Monkees were an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. The band consisted of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones (musician), Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. Spurred by the success of ''The Monkees (TV series), Th ...

,'' in the episode "The Success Story". He had appearances on

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

and Dragnet 1967. In 1971 Wright appeared as the desk clerk on "The Men From Shiloh" (rebranded name of the TV western '' The Virginian'') in the episode titled "The Town Killer." Ben Wright also appeared in the first season of Barnaby Jones; episode titled, "Twenty Million Alibis" (6 May 1973). Wright also worked as a voice actor. He was often heard on '' The Outer Limits'' as various alien voices, and he also appeared on camera. Other voice work included the narrator in ''

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...

'' (1963) with

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was an English and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 19 ...

, the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

announcer in the film version of '' The Diary of Anne Frank'' (1959) and featured

animation Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...

roles in several Disney films: ''

One Hundred and One Dalmatians ''One Hundred and One Dalmatians'' (also known as ''101 Dalmatians'') is a 1961 American Animated film, animated adventure film, adventure comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions with distribution by Buena Vista Distribution. Adapted fr ...

'' (1961) as songwriter Roger Radcliffe, ''

The Jungle Book ''The Jungle Book'' is an 1894 collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, who ...

'' (1967) as Mowgli's wolf father, Rama, and ''

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" (), sometimes translated in English as "The Little Sea Maid", is a fairy tale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. Originally published in 1837 as part of a collection of fairy tales for children, the story foll ...

'' (1989) as Grimsby, which was his final role.

Death

On 2 July 1989, at the age of 74, Wright died in Saint Joseph Medical Center in

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...

, after undergoing

heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...

surgery.

Selected filmography

* '' Well Done, Henry'' (1936) – (uncredited) * '' The Avenging Hand'' (1936) – Lift Boy (uncredited) * ''

Sahara The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...

'' (1943) – (uncredited) * ''

The Exile ''The eXile'' was a Moscow-based English-language biweekly free tabloid newspaper, aimed at the city's expatriate community, which combined outrageous, sometimes satirical, content with investigative reporting. In October 2006, co-editor Jake ...

'' (1947) – Milbanke * '' Kiss the Blood Off My Hands'' (1948) – Cockney Tout (uncredited) * ''

The Fighting O'Flynn ''The Fighting O'Flynn'' is a 1949 American adventure film directed by Arthur Pierson. The film's screenplay by Douglas Fairbanks Jr. is based on the novel of the same name by Justin Huntly McCarthy. Fairbanks stars, along with Helena Carter. ...

'' (1949) – Lieutenant (uncredited) * '' Sword in the Desert'' (1949) – Radio Man (uncredited) * ''

Botany Bay Botany Bay (Dharawal language, Dharawal: ''Kamay'') is an open oceanic embayment, located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, south of the Sydney central business district. Its source is the confluence of the Georges River at Taren Point a ...

'' (1952) – Deck Officer Green * ''

The Desert Rats The 7th Armoured Division (Desert Rats) was an armoured warfare, armoured division (military), division of the British Army. It was formed as the Mobile Division (Egypt) on 27 September 1938, after increased tensions between Britain and the Ax ...

'' (1953) – Mick * ''

Man in the Attic ''Man in the Attic'' is a 1953 American horror film directed by Hugo Fregonese and starring Jack Palance, Constance Smith and Byron Palmer. The screenplay was by Barré Lyndon and Robert Presnell Jr. based on the 1913 novel '' The Lodger'' ...

'' (1953) – Detective in Theatre Box (uncredited) * '' Hell and High Water'' (1954) – BBC Announcer (uncredited) * ''

Prince Valiant ''Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur'', often simply called ''Prince Valiant'', is an American comic strip created by Hal Foster in 1937. It is an epic adventure that has told a continuous story during its entire history, and the full s ...

'' (1954) – Seneschal (uncredited) * '' Prince of Players'' (1955) – Horatio in 'Hamlet' (uncredited) * '' The Racers'' (1955) – Dr. Seger (uncredited) * '' A Man Called Peter'' (1955) – Mr. Findlay (uncredited) * '' Jump Into Hell'' (1955) – Captain Pluen (uncredited) * '' Moonfleet'' (1955) – Officer (uncredited) * '' Desert Sands'' (1955) – Commandant Captain (uncredited) * '' 23 Paces to Baker Street'' (1956) – Simmons – Hotel Porter (uncredited) * ''

D-Day the Sixth of June ''D-Day the Sixth of June'' is a 1956 American DeLuxe Color CinemaScope romance war film made by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Henry Koster and produced by Charles Brackett from a screenplay by Ivan Moffat and Harry Brown, based on the ...

'' (1956) – General Millensbeck (uncredited) * '' Johnny Concho'' (1956) – Benson * '' The Power and the Prize'' (1956) – Mr. Chutwell * '' Pharaoh's Curse'' (1957) – Walter Andrews * '' Until They Sail'' (1957) – Defense Attorney (uncredited) * '' Kiss Them for Me'' (1957) – Peters, RAF Pilot (uncredited) * '' Witness for the Prosecution'' (1957) – Barrister Reading Charges (uncredited) * '' Villa!!'' (1958) – Francisco Madero * '' These Thousand Hills'' (1959) – Frenchy (uncredited) * '' The Wreck of the Mary Deare'' (1959) – Mike * ''

Journey to the Center of the Earth ''Journey to the Center of the Earth'' (), also translated with the variant titles ''A Journey to the Centre of the Earth'' and ''A Journey into the Interior of the Earth'', is a classic science fiction novel written by French novelist Jules Ve ...

'' (1959) – Paisley (uncredited) * '' The Lost World'' (1960) – BBC Field Reporter Ted Bottomley (uncredited) * ''

'' (1961) – Roger Radcliffe (voice) * ''

Operation Bottleneck ''Operation Bottleneck'' is a 1961 war film. Plot During the Burma Campaign, a detachment of American paratroopers are aided by a group of local women in their mission against the Japanese. Six paratroopers undertake an extremely dangerous miss ...

'' (1961) – Manders the Englishman * ''

'' (1961) – Herr Halbestadt, Haywood's butler * ''

Mutiny on the Bounty The mutiny on the ''Bounty'' occurred in the South Pacific Ocean on 28 April 1789. Disaffected crewmen, led by acting-Lieutenant Fletcher Christian, seized control of the ship, , from their captain, Lieutenant (navy), Lieutenant William Bli ...

'' (1962) – Graves (uncredited) * ''

'' (1963) – Narrator (voice, uncredited) * '' A Gathering of Eagles'' (1963) – Leighton. S.A.C. Observer * '' The Prize'' (1963) – British Reporter (uncredited) * ''

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 a ...

'' (1963) (Season 2 Episode 1: "A Home Away from Home") - Dr. Jerry Norton * ''

'' (1964) (Season 2 Episode 19: "Murder Case") - Tony Niles * ''

'' (1964) – Footman at Ball (uncredited) * ''

'' (1965) (Season 3 Episode 22: "Thou Still Unravished Bride") - Mr. Sutherland * ''

'' (1965) – Herr Zeller * '' My Blood Runs Cold'' (1965) – Lansbury * '' Munster Go Home'' (1966) – Hennesy * ''

'' (1966) – Specialist #4 * '' The Sand Pebbles'' (1966) – Englishman (uncredited) * ''

'' (1967) – Rama, the Wolf (voice) * ''

The Rat Patrol ''The Rat Patrol'' is an American action and adventure television series that aired on ABC between 1966 and 1968. The show follows the exploits of four Allied soldiers – three Americans and one British – who are part of a long-range deser ...

'' - Season 2 - Episode 13 (1967) - Colonel Jameson * ''

Topaz Topaz is a silicate mineral made of aluminium, aluminum and fluorine with the chemical formula aluminium, Alsilicon, Sioxygen, O(fluorine, F, hydroxide, OH). It is used as a gemstone in jewelry and other adornments. Common topaz in its natural ...

'' (1969) – French Officer (uncredited) * ''

Raid on Rommel ''Raid on Rommel'' is a 1971 American war film directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Richard Burton, John Colicos, Clinton Greyn, Danielle De Metz and Wolfgang Preiss. The film centers on a British commando attempting to destroy German gun empl ...

'' (1971) – Admiral * ''

The Virginian (TV series) ''The Virginian'' (later renamed ''The Men from Shiloh'' in its final year) is an American Westerns on television, Western television series starring James Drury in the title role, along with Doug McClure, Lee J. Cobb, and others. It originall ...

'' (1971) – Desk Clerk, Season 9 episode 22 (''The Town Killer'') * ''Chandar, the Black Leopard of Ceylon'' (1972) – Narrator * '' Terror in the Wax Museum'' (1973) – First Constable * '' Arnold'' (1973) – Jonesy * ''

'' (1989) – Grimsby (voice) (final film role, released posthumously)

References

External links

*
Ben Wright
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

Ben Wright's voice credits
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Ben 1915 births 1989 deaths 20th-century English male actors Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art British Army personnel of World War II English expatriate male actors in the United States English male film actors English male radio actors English male television actors English male voice actors English people of American descent King's Royal Rifle Corps soldiers Male actors from London Military personnel from London