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William Benedict (April 16, 1917 – November 25, 1999) was an American actor, perhaps best known for playing "Whitey" in Monogram Pictures' The Bowery Boys series.
Born in Haskell, Oklahoma, he took part in school theatricals, and on leaving school he made his way to Hollywood. His first film was $10 Raise (1935) starring Edward Everett Horton, which launched Benedict on a busy career. The blond-haired Benedict almost always played juvenile roles, such as newsboys, messengers, office boys, and farmhands.
In 1939, when Universal Pictures began its Little Tough Guys series to compete with the popular Dead End Kids features, Billy Benedict was recruited into the cast. These films led him into the similar East Side Kids movies (usually playing a member of the East Side gang, but occasionally in villainous roles). The East Side Kids became The Bowery Boys in 1946, and Benedict stayed with the series (as "Whitey") through the end of 1951.
Other films included My Little Chickadee (1940) starring W. C. Fields and Mae West, The Ox-Bow Incident (1943), Ed Wood's Bride of the Monster (1955), The Sting (1973) and Farewell, My Lovely (1975). Benedict never shook his juvenile image completely, and continued to play messengers and news vendors well into his sixties. He also worked often in television commercials.
Known For
The Sting
(1973)
Roulette Dealer
The Killing
(1956)
American Airlines Clerk
Bringing Up Baby
(1938)
David's Caddy (uncredited)
Hello, Dolly!
(1969)
News Vendor (uncredited)
The Ox-Bow Incident
(1943)
Greene (uncredited)
Funny Girl
(1968)
Western Union Boy (uncredited)
After the Thin Man
(1936)
Newsboy (uncredited)
The Talk of the Town
(1942)
Western Union Boy (uncredited)
The Hanging Tree
(1959)
Trapper (uncredited)
The Hallelujah Trail
(1965)
Simpson
Libeled Lady
(1936)
Joe
Lover Come Back
(1961)
Musician Exiting Elevator (uncredited)
Frankie and Johnny
(1966)
Bum Sleeping on Bench (uncredited)
Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood
(1976)
Man on Bus
My Little Chickadee
(1940)
Lem (uncredited)
Bride of the Monster
(1955)
Newsboy
Full Filmography
Acting
Doubting Thomas
(1935)
Caddie
Way Down East
(1935)
Amos
College Scandal
(1935)
'Penny' Parker
$10 Raise
(1935)
Jimmy
Show Them No Mercy!
(1935)
Willie (uncredited)
Your Uncle Dudley
(1935)
Cyril Church
3 Kids and a Queen
(1935)
Flash
Steamboat Round the Bend
(1935)
Breck
Can This Be Dixie?
(1936)
Shenandoah Peachtree (uncredited)
After the Thin Man
(1936)
Newsboy (uncredited)
Theodora Goes Wild
(1936)
Henry - Copyboy (uncredited)
Captain January
(1936)
Telegram Delivery Boy
The Country Doctor
(1936)
The Gawker
Crack-Up
(1936)
Bunky, Office Boy (uncredited)
Libeled Lady
(1936)
Joe
The Witness Chair
(1936)
Benny Ryan
Laughing at Trouble
(1936)
Wilbur
Ramona
(1936)
Joseph Hyar
M'Liss
(1936)
Archer Morpher
They Wanted to Marry
(1937)
Freckles
Tramp Trouble
(1937)
Flying Fists
(1937)
Monk, Tall Kid
Tim Tyler's Luck
(1937)
Spud
That I May Live
(1937)
Kurt Plivens
The Last Gangster
(1937)
Freddy the Office Boy
Rhythm in the Clouds
(1937)
Bellboy
Hold That Kiss
(1938)
Delivery Boy
Young Fugitives
(1938)
Jud (as William 'Billy' Benedict)
Hold That Co-ed
(1938)
Sylvester
I Met My Love Again
(1938)
Billy (uncredited)
Bringing Up Baby
(1938)
David's Caddy (uncredited)
Walking Down Broadway
(1938)
Eddie
Little Tough Guys in Society
(1938)
Trouble
Say It in French
(1938)
Midget Car Driver
There's Always a Woman
(1938)
Bellboy
King of the Newsboys
(1938)
Squimpy
Newsboys' Home
(1938)
Trouble
Pack Up Your Troubles
(1939)
Office Boy
Code of the Streets
(1939)
Trouble
Hollywood Hobbies
(1939)
Tour Guide
The Mad Doctor
(1940)
Mickey Barnes (Uncredited)
Lucky Partners
(1940)
Delivery Boy
Bowery Boy
(1940)
(uncredited)
And One Was Beautiful
(1940)
Delivery Man
Rhythm on the River
(1940)
Elevator Boy
Young People
(1940)
Boy (uncredited)
Stage to Chino
(1940)
Happy (uncredited)
The Great McGinty
(1940)
Farm Boy (uncredited)
My Little Chickadee
(1940)
Lem (uncredited)
Give Us Wings
(1940)
Link (as Billy Benedict)
Melody Ranch
(1940)
Slim
Legion of the Lawless
(1940)
Eddie
Adventures of Red Ryder
(1940)
Dan Withers
Grand Ole Opry
(1940)
Newsboy (uncredited)
Great Guns
(1941)
Recruit at Corral
The Man Who Lost Himself
(1941)
Telegram Delivery Boy
Jesse James at Bay
(1941)
Young Davis
The Great Mr. Nobody
(1941)
Jig
Second Chorus
(1941)
Ticket Taker (uncredited)
Confessions of Boston Blackie
(1941)
Ice Cream Man
She Knew All the Answers
(1941)
Singing Telegraph Boy
Mr. District Attorney
(1941)
Office Boy
Adventures of Captain Marvel
(1941)
Whitey Murphy
Dressed to Kill
(1941)
Singing Telegram Boy
Cadet Girl
(1941)
Soldier at Camp Show (uncredited)
Scattergood Baines
(1941)
Lafe Hopper (uncredited)
Tuxedo Junction
(1941)
Thomas 'Piecrust' Murphy (as Billy Benedict)
Time Out for Rhythm
(1941)
Messenger (uncredited)
In Old Cheyenne
(1941)
Train Vendor
Get Hep to Love
(1942)
Soda Jerk
On the Sunny Side
(1942)
Messenger
The Glass Key
(1942)
Farr's Receptionist (uncredited)
Wildcat
(1942)
Bud Smithers
Perils of Nyoka
(1942)
Red Davis
A Night to Remember
(1942)
Messenger Boy
I Live on Danger
(1942)
Bellboy (uncredited)
Home in Wyomin'
(1942)
Usher (uncredited)
The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine
(1942)
Bellboy
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch
(1942)
Theatre Usher
Rings on Her Fingers
(1942)
The Talk of the Town
(1942)
Western Union Boy (uncredited)
Heart of the Golden West
(1942)
Telegraph Messenger
Junior G-Men of the Air
(1942)
Whitey
Moonlight in Vermont
(1943)
Abel
The Ox-Bow Incident
(1943)
Greene (uncredited)
Nobody's Darling
(1943)
Sammy (uncredited)
The Powers Girl
(1943)
Powers Agency Office Boy (uncredited)
Whispering Footsteps
(1943)
Jerry Murphy
Adventures of the Flying Cadets
(1943)
Zombie Parker
Ghosts on the Loose
(1943)
Benny
Clancy Street Boys
(1943)
Butch
Mr. Muggs Steps Out
(1943)
Pinky
Aerial Gunner
(1943)
Jackson 'Sleepy' Laswell
All by Myself
(1943)
Telegraph Messenger
I Won't Play
(1944)
Florida
That's My Baby!
(1944)
Office boy
Follow the Leader
(1944)
Spider O'Brien
Million Dollar Kid
(1944)
Skinny
The Whistler
(1944)
The Deafmute (Uncredited)
Janie
(1944)
Soda Jerk (uncredited)
Bowery Champs
(1944)
Skinny
Block Busters
(1944)
Butch
They Live in Fear
(1944)
Thomas 'Mack' Knight (uncredited)
Brenda Starr, Reporter
(1945)
Pesky (uncredited)
Docks of New York
(1945)
Skinny
Hollywood and Vine
(1945)
Joe the Newsboy
Story of G.I. Joe
(1945)
Pvt. Whitey (uncredited)
Come Out Fighting
(1945)
Skinny
Mr. Muggs Rides Again
(1945)
Skinny
One More Tomorrow
(1946)
Stinky
Gay Blades
(1946)
Newsboy (uncredited)
Never Say Goodbye
(1946)
Messenger Boy (uncredited)
Live Wires
(1946)
Whitey (as Billy Benedict)
Without Reservations
(1946)
Telegraph Delivery Boy (uncredited)
The Gentleman Misbehaves
(1946)
Bellboy (uncredited)
Mr. Hex
(1946)
Whitey (as Billy Benedict)
Bowery Bombshell
(1946)
Whitey
In Fast Company
(1946)
Whitey (as Billy Benedict)
Spook Busters
(1946)
Whitey (as Billy Benedict)
Do You Love Me
(1946)
Singing Western Union Boy (uncredited)
People Are Funny
(1946)
NBC Usher
The Kid from Brooklyn
(1946)
Newsboy
Road to Utopia
(1946)
Second Newsboy (uncredited)
News Hounds
(1947)
Whitey (as Billy Benedict)
Merton of the Movies
(1947)
Von Strutt's Assistant (uncredited)
Hard Boiled Mahoney
(1947)
Whitey
The Pilgrim Lady
(1947)
Bellboy
Bowery Buckaroos
(1947)
Whitey
Fun on a Weekend
(1947)
Hotel Bellboy (Uncredited)
Secret Service Investigator
(1948)
Counterman
Smuggler's Cove
(1948)
Whitey
Trouble Makers
(1948)
Whitey (as Billy Benedict)
Angels' Alley
(1948)
Whitey
Night Wind
(1948)
Irv Bennett
Jinx Money
(1948)
Whitey (as Billy Benedict)
Riders of the Pony Express
(1949)
Eddie Lund
Fighting Fools
(1949)
Whitey
Master Minds
(1949)
Whitey
Hold That Baby!
(1949)
Whitey
Angels in Disguise
(1949)
Whitey
Blonde Dynamite
(1950)
Whitey
Lucky Losers
(1950)
Whitey
Triple Trouble
(1950)
Whitey, Bowery Boy
Blues Busters
(1950)
Whitey (as William Benedict)
Let's Go Navy!
(1951)
Whitey
Ghost Chasers
(1951)
Whitey
Crazy Over Horses
(1951)
Whitey (as William Benedict)
Bowery Battalion
(1951)
Whitey
The Magnetic Monster
(1953)
Albert
Bride of the Monster
(1955)
Newsboy
The Killing
(1956)
American Airlines Clerk
Mobs, Inc.
(1956)
Telegraph Boy
The Hanging Tree
(1959)
Trapper (uncredited)
Lover Come Back
(1961)
Musician Exiting Elevator (uncredited)
The Hallelujah Trail
(1965)
Simpson
Dear Heart
(1965)
Stu
Frankie and Johnny
(1966)
Bum Sleeping on Bench (uncredited)
What Am I Bid?
(1967)
Clem (as Bill Benedict)
Rogue's Gallery
(1968)
Jocko (as William Benedict)
Funny Girl
(1968)
Western Union Boy (uncredited)
The Over the Hill Gang
(1969)
Joe, the Telegrapher (as Bill Benedict)
The Lottery
(1969)
Joe Summers
Big Daddy
(1969)
Hello, Dolly!
(1969)
News Vendor (uncredited)
The Adventures of Nick Carter
(1972)
Newsboy
Call Her Mom
(1972)
Mr. Feigelbaum
The Dirt Gang
(1972)
Station Attendant
The Sting
(1973)
Roulette Dealer
Cop on the Beat
(1975)
Lennie
The Dead Don't Die
(1975)
Hotel Desk Clerk (uncredited)
Sherlock Holmes in New York
(1976)
Telegraph Office Manager
Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood
(1976)
Man on Bus
Born Again
(1978)
Leon Jaworski
Goldie and the Boxer
(1979)
Old Man
Computercide
(1982)
Elderly Man
Bonanza: The Next Generation
(1988)
Gus Morton