Profile Text
Birth Name: Paul Bernard Benedict
Date of Birth: September 17, 1938
Place of Birth: Silver City, New Mexico, U.S.
Date of Death: December 1, 2008
Place of Death: Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, U.S.
Ethnicity: * father – Sicilian Italian * mother – English, Scottish
Paul Benedict was an American actor. His roles included the films Cold Turkey (1971), They Might Be Giants , The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight , Deadhead Miles , Jeremiah Johnson , Up the Sandbox , The Front Page , Mandingo , Smile (1975), The Goodbye Girl (1977), The Man with Two Brains , This Is Spinal Tap , The Freshman , The Addams Family (1991), Waiting for Guffman , and A Mighty Wind ; and the shows Sesame Street and The Jeffersons .
He was the son of Alma Marie/Maria (Loring), a journalist, and Mitchell Michael DiBenedetto/Benedict, a doctor. His father was born in Agrigento, Sicily, Italy. His mother was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Paul was raised in Massachusetts, and served in the U.S. Marine Corps. He had acromegaly, resulting in several oversized facial features.
Paul’s maternal grandfather was Claude Sylvanus Loring (the son of Benjamin Loring and Fanny/Fannie M. Humphrey). Claude was born in Yarmouth, Cumberland County, Maine. Benjamin was the son of Levi Hayes Loring and Lucy McCloud. Fanny was the daughter of Sylvanus B. Humphrey and Elizabeth J. Lawrence.
Paul’s maternal grandmother was Mary L. McKenzie/McKenzy (the daughter of James F. McKenzie/McKenzy and Ellen R. Powers). Mary was born in Massachusetts. James was born in Nova Scotia, Canada, the son of John McKenzie and Mary Clark. Ellen was the daughter of John Cambridge and Ellen McKirn.
Sources: Genealogy of Paul Benedict – https://www.findagrave.com
Paul Benedict on the 1940 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Paul’s mother on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Marriage record of Paul’s maternal grandparents, Claude Sylvanus Loring and Mary L. McKenzie – https://www.familysearch.org
Genealogy of Paul’s mother (focusing on her father’s side) – https://gw.geneanet.org