Harry Benham
Harry Benham was an American silent film actor.
Background
Benham was born in Valparaiso, Indiana. As a child, he and his family moved to Chicago, where he was raised and attended school. Benham had a talent for singing and sang in his local church choir.In 1904, the production Peggy From Paris came to Chicago and, at age 20, Benham became a member of the chorus while earning a living in the wholesale paper business.
Benham was soon selected to play the leading role in the production and remained in that role throughout the production's three-year run. He was subsequently able to garner more roles in other plays, such as The Sultan of Sulu, Woodland, Marrying Mary, The Gay Musician,
H.M.S. Pinafore, Florodora, The Mayoress, and Madame Sherry.
In 1910 Benham joined the Thanhouser Company in New Rochelle, New York, for whom he played the leading role in many of the company's films through 1915. He married actress Ethyle Cooke, and together they had two children, Dorothy and Leland, who also became prominent Thanhouser personalities.
Benham died on July 17, 1969, in Sarasota, Florida, aged 85.
An article about his role in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde appeared in Famous Monsters of Filmland.
Filmography
1910s
The Old Curiosity Shop The Mummy The Regimental Ball Get Rich Quick .... Undetermined RoleThe Rescue of Mr. Henpeck .... Mr. HenpeckThe Smuggler .... The Secret Service ManDavid Copperfield The Satyr and the Lady .... The ArtistTheir Burglar .... JackThe Missing Heir .... The PolicemanThe Lady from the Sea The Tomboy .... The GuardianCinderella .... The PrinceShe The Expert's Report .... The Oil ExpertDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde .... Mr. Hyde Her Ladyship's Page East Lynne The Poacher .... The PoacherNicholas Nickleby .... Nicholas NicklebyAn Easy Mark .... The CrookThe Baby Bride .... The BachelorDora Thorne .... Lord RowlandJilted .... The FiancéHer Secret .... The Loyal Sister's HusbandWhy Tom Signed the Pledge .... Tom, the Deacon's SonIn Blossom Time The Professor's Son .... The ProfessorOut of the Dark Under Two Flags The Finger of Scorn .... The DrummerThe Portrait of Lady Anne .... Lady Anne's Suitor in 1912The Merchant of Venice .... BassanioBig Sister The Wrecked Taxi When a Count Counted .... The Young Law Clerk, Her SweetheartThe Voice of Conscience .... SuitorLetters of a Lifetime .... The BrotherThe Warning .... The FatherMiss Robinson Crusoe .... The AmericanDotty, the Dancer .... Mademoiselle CleoIn a Garden .... The Quarrel MakerThe Ladder of Life .... The Poor Man, as an AdultA Noise Like a Fortune .... The Young FarmerIn Time of Peril .... The EngineerMiss Taku of Tokyo .... Jack, the SonThe Forest Rose A Romance of the U.S.N. .... The SailorAt Liberty—Good Press Agent .... The Press AgentAurora Floyd .... John Mellish, Aurora's Second HusbandBrains vs. Brawn .... Brawn/The Young AthleteThe Repeater .... Jack, the RepeaterThe Star of Bethlehem .... Angel GabrielThe Boomerang .... The FatherSherlock Holmes Solves the Sign of the Four .... Sherlock HolmesJust a Shabby Doll .... The HusbandKing René's Daughter Little Dorrit The Girl of the Cabaret The Medium's Nemesis Robin Hood .... Alan-a-DaleMoths .... CorrezeThe Children's Hour He Couldn't Lose Baby's Joy Ride A Clothes-Line Quarrel What Might Have Been A Beauty Parlor Graduate An Orphan's Romance Pamela Congreve Frou Frou .... Henri de SartorysTheir Golden Wedding The Runaway Princess Coals of Fire Her Love Letters The Elevator Man The Success of Selfishness The Golden Cross The Scientist's Doll The Miser's Reversion When Sorrow Fades Repentance The Musician's Daughter The Infant Heart Snatcher A Woman's Loyalty Was She Right in Forgiving Him? Rivalry The Girl Across the Hall The Man Without Fear The Harlow Handicap .... Harry AllenHarry's Waterloo Stronger Than Death Gold The Mettle of a Man The Harvest of Regrets The Trail of the Love-Lorn The Rescue Zudora .... John StormMrs. Van Ruyter's Stratagem Graft vs. Love The Heart of the Princess Marsari Daughter of Kings The Girl of the Sea A Freight Car Honeymoon The Country Girl .... Belville, Phyllis' LoverMadame Blanche, Beauty Doctor .... Bob; Madame BlancheHis Two Patients .... The DoctorWhen the Fleet Sailed When Hungry Hamlet Fled Helen's Babies The Scoop at Bellville The Man Inside .... HunterThe Path of Happiness .... Merrill Day, the IntruderThe Doll Doctor Mignonette Held for Damages Through Flames to Love The Capital Prize Her Wonderful Secret A College Boomerang The Heart Wrecker Peggy and the Law The Clever Mrs. Carter The Little Grey Mouse .... Jack StanleyLove's Masquerade The Angel of the Attic The Girl Who Didn't Tell The Mischief Maker .... Al TourneyPamela's Past Toto of the Byways Souls United When Thieves Fall Out The Dancer's Peril .... Richard MorainoThe Warfare of the Flesh .... Frank GregoryWhen You and I Were Young .... ArtistThe Last of the Carnabys .... Johnn RandPutting the Bee in Herbert .... Herbert MacklinThe Outsider .... Donald LyttletonThe Victim .... Undetermined RoleConvict 993 .... Rodney TraversCecilia of the Pink Roses .... Harry Twombly- ''The Love Craze''