Dirk Benedict

Dirk Benedict(bornDirk Niewoehner; March 1, 1945) is an American film, television and stage actor, and author. He is best known for playing the charactersLieutenant Starbuckin the originalBattlestar Galacticafilm and television series andTempleton "Face" PeckinThe A-Teamtelevision series. He is the author ofConfessions of a Kamikaze CowboyandAnd Then We Went Fishing.
Benedict was born Dirk Niewoehner inHelena, Montana,the son of George Edward Niewoehner, a lawyer, and his wife  Priscilla Mella (née Metzger), an accountant.He grew up inWhite Sulphur Springs, Montana. He graduated fromWhitman Collegein 1967.Benedict allegedly chose his stage name from a serving ofEggs Benedicthe had prior to his acting career. He is of German extraction.
Benedict's film debut was in the 1972 filmGeorgia, Georgia. When the New York run forButterflies Are Freeended, he received an offer to repeat his performance in Hawaii, oppositeBarbara Rush. While there, he appeared as a guest lead onHawaii Five-O. The producers of a horror film calledSssssss(1973) saw Benedict's performance inHawaii Five-Oand promptly cast him as the lead in that movie. He next played the psychotic wife-beating husband ofTwiggyin her American film debut,W(1974). Benedict starred in the television seriesChopper One, which aired for one season in 1974. He made two appearances inCharlie's Angels. He also appeared on theDonny & Marievariety show.
Benedict's career break came in 1978 when he appeared asLieutenant Starbuckin the movie and television seriesBattlestar Galactica. The same year, Benedict starred in the TV film,Cruise into Terror, and appeared in the ensemble movie,Scavenger Huntthe following year.
In 1980, Benedict starred alongsideLinda Blairin an action-comedy movie calledRuckus. In 1983, Dirk gained further popularity as con man Templeton "Faceman" Peck in 1980s action television seriesThe A-Team. He played "Face" from 1982(1982)to 1986(1986), although the series didn't air until January 1983, and the final episode wasn't shown until 1987 rebroadcasts. Thesecond seasonepisode "Steel" includes a scene atUniversal Studioswhere Face is seen looking bemused as aCylonwalks by him as an in-joke to his previous role inBattlestar Galactica. The clip is incorporated into the series' opening credit sequence from season 3 onward.
In 1986, Benedict starred as low-life band manager Harry Smilac in the movieBody Slamalong withLou Albano,Roddy Piper, and cameo appearances byFreddie Blassie,Ric Flair, andBruno Sammartino. His character Smilac ends up managing the pro-wrestler "Quick Rick" Roberts (Piper) and faces opposition by Captain Lou Murano (Albano) and his wrestling tag-team "the Cannibals".
In 1987, Benedict took the title role of Shakespeare'sHamletat theAbbey Theatrein Manhattan. Both his performance and the entire production were lambasted by critics.Benedict starred in the 1989 TV filmTrenchcoat in Paradise.
In 1991, Benedict starred inBlue Tornado,playing Alex,call signFireball, anItalian Air Forcefighter pilot. Benedict published an autobiography,Confessions of a Kamikaze Cowboy: A True Story of Discovery, Acting, Health, Illness, Recovery, and Life(Avery PublishingISBN0895294796). In 1993, Benedict starred inShadow Force.
Benedict also appeared as Jake Barnes in the 1996 action-adventure filmAlaska.
In 2000, Benedict wrote and directed his first screenplay,Cahoots.Benedict appeared in the 2006 German filmGoldene Zeiten("Golden Times") in a dual role, playing an American former TV star as well as a German lookalike who impersonates him.
In 2006, he wrote an online essay criticizing the then-airingBattlestar Galacticare-imagined series and, especially, its casting of a woman as his character, Starbuck, writing that "the war against masculinity has been won" and that "a television show based on hope, spiritual faith, and family is unimagined and regurgitated as a show of despair, sexual violence and family dysfunction".
He appeared as a contestant on the 2007 UK series ofCelebrity Big Brother 5, in which he placed third. He arrived on launch night in a replica of theA-Teamvan, smoking a cigar and accompanied by theA-Teamtheme tune.
In 2010, Benedict starred in a stage production ofPrescription: MurderplayingLieutenant Columbofor theMiddle Ground Theatre Companyin the UK. Benedict also made acameo appearancein the2010 film adaptationofThe A-Teamas Pensacola Prisoner Milt.
In 2019, Benedict took on the role of Jack Strange in the B movieSpace Ninjas, written and directed by Scott McQuaid. Dirk plays an eccentric TV host of a show calledStranger Than Fiction, which is like a hybrid ofThe Twilight ZoneandThe X-Files. The movie is a sci-fi comedy horror that follows a bunch of high school students trying to survive the night of a Space Ninja invasion.
In the 1970s, Benedict survived a prostatetumor, which he refused to have tested for malignancy. Having rejected conventional medical treatment, he credited his survival to the adoption of amacrobiotic dietrecommended to him by actressGloria Swanson.
In 1986, he marriedToni Hudson, an actress with whom he has two sons, George and Roland.  Hudson had previously appeared as Dana in the fourth seasonA-Teamepisode titled"Blood, Sweat and Cheers". They divorced in 1995.
In 1998, Benedict learned that he also has another son from an earlier relationship, who was placed for adoption.