Please answer the following question: What key details about paul benjamin can be extracted from the following bio? Bio: paul benjamin -lrb- born 1938 -rrb- is an american actor . benjamin was born in pelion , south carolina . he made his film debut in 1969 as a bartender in '' midnight cowboy '' . after a small role in sidney lumet 's '' the anderson tapes '' , he did extensive television work in the 1970s . a few notable exceptions were a major role in barry shear 's '' across 110th street '' , and smaller parts in gordon parks ' biopic '' lead belly '' , arthur marks ' '' friday foster '' , and don siegel 's prison film '' escape from alcatraz '' . he gave exceptional performances in the tv adaptations of '' i know why the caged bird sings '' and '' gideon 's trumpet '' . he later starred in the hbo movie '' the man who broke 1,000 chains '' , based on the novel by robert e. burns . on the big screen in the 1990s , benjamin worked with some well known directors . he acted in spike lee 's '' do the right thing '' , robert townsend 's '' the five heartbeats '' , bill duke 's '' hoodlum '' , and john singleton 's '' rosewood '' . on television , he appeared in the 1994 pilot episode of '' er '' , which led to his recurring role of homeless man al ervin during the next few seasons . benjamin also worked on the american masters documentary of pulitzer prize-winning author ralph ellison , which aired on pbs . he also acted in an episode of '' the shield '' . after 2000 , he acted mainly in independent films like '' stanley 's gig '' , '' the station agent '' , '' deacons for defense '' , and james hunter 's 2005 drama '' back in the day '' .
Answer:
- birth date is 1938- name is paul benjamin- occupation is film , television actor- birth place is pelion , south carolina , u.s.- yearsactive is 1969-present