Benjamin Bernard Hoffman (February 17, 1913 – December 15, 1979) was an American film, television and theatre actor. He was perhaps best known for playing "Earthquake McGoon" in ''

Li'l Abner ''Li'l Abner'' was a satirical American comic strip that appeared in multiple newspapers in the United States, Canada, and Europe. It featured a fictional clan of hillbillies living in the impoverished fictional mountain village of Dogpatch, ...

'', both in the Broadway play and in the 1959 film.

Life and career

Hoffman was born in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, the son of Rose Hoffman. He had a brother and a sister. Hoffman attended

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

, where he studied

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

, and also attended Loyola College, where he studied

explosives engineering Explosives engineering is the field of science and engineering which is related to examining the behavior and usage of explosive materials. Topics Some of the topics that explosives engineers study, research, and work on include: * Developmen ...

. Hoffman left college to help out and support his family. Hoffman began his career in 1937, when he appeared in two films, '' Meet the Missus'' and '' Forty Naughty Girls'', playing the uncredited role of the "Orchestra Leader" in both films. Hoffman made his theatre debut in 1944, appearing in the Broadway play titled '' Catherine Was Great''. He also played the role of "Joey Biltmore" in ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical theater, musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Run ...

'', during its first production. Hoffman later played the role of " Pawnee Bill" in the Broadway play '' Annie Get Your Gun''. Hoffman later moved to

North Hollywood, California North Hollywood is a neighborhood and district in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, El Portal Theater, several art galleries, and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Th ...

with his family. He played the role of " Earthquake McGoon" in the film version of the Broadway play ''

''. Hoffman’s film and television credits include, '' On The Town'', ''

Tombstone Territory ''Tombstone Territory'' is an American Western television series starring Pat Conway and Richard Eastham. The first two seasons aired on ABC from 1957 to 1959. The first season was sponsored by Bristol-Myers (consumer products) and the seco ...

'', '' The Man Who Understood Women'', ''

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 ...

'', '' Ironside'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

The Phil Silvers Show ''The Phil Silvers Show'', originally titled ''You'll Never Get Rich'', is a sitcom which ran on the CBS Television Network from 1955 to 1959. A pilot titled "Audition Show" was made in 1955, but it was never broadcast. 143 other episodes wer ...

'', '' Somebody Up There Likes Me'', ''

Rawhide Rawhide may refer to: *Rawhide (material), a hide or animal skin that has not been tanned * Whip made from rawhide Entertainment * ''Rawhide'' (1926 film), a Western directed by Richard Thorpe * ''Rawhide'' (1938 film), a Western starring baseball ...

'', '' The Outfit'' and ''

The Streets of San Francisco ''The Streets of San Francisco'' is an American television crime drama filmed on location in San Francisco and produced by Quinn Martin, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros. Television (QM produced the show on its ow ...

''. He played Marcus in "The Jarbo Pierce Story" S8 E26 of "Wagon Train", 1965.

Death

Hoffman died in December 1979 at the Sherman Oaks Hospital in

Sherman Oaks, California Sherman Oaks (founded in 1927) is a neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles, California within the San Fernando Valley region. The neighborhood includes a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains, which gives Sherman Oaks a lower population density ...

, at the age of 66. He was buried in Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery.

Television

References

External links

* *
Rotten Tomatoes profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoffman, Bern 1913 births 1979 deaths Actors from Maryland Male actors from Maryland American male film actors American male television actors American male stage actors 20th-century American male actors Explosives engineers Johns Hopkins University alumni Western (genre) television actors Burials at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery