--- name: "Robert Benchley" canonical: "https://film.one/person/robert-benchley" roles: ["Actor"] born: "14 September 1889" died: "21 November 1945" reviewed_on_fi1m: 1 average_as: "actor" average_over: 1 updated: "2026-09-20T00:17:05.173620+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Robert Benchley Actor. Born 14 September 1889 in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. Died 21 November 1945. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 14 September 1889, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA - **Died:** 21 November 1945 - **Also known as:** Роберт Бенчли, Robert Charles Benchley - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Benchley, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1790472, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0070361/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/94433 ## Streaming the US now - **Hulu:** [*Foreign Correspondent*](https://film.one/film/foreign-correspondent.md) (76) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Biography Robert Benchley was an American actor, writer and humorist. Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, he attended Harvard University and began his career as a journalist and columnist before moving into film. He appeared in numerous feature films, including *Dancing Lady* (1933), *China Seas* (1935), *Foreign Correspondent* (1940) as Stebbins (for which he also contributed dialogue), *The Reluctant Dragon* (1941), *I Married a Witch* (1942) and *You'll Never Get Rich* (1941). Benchley died in New York City in 1945. *Sources: imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org, britannica.com.* ## On Fi1m (1) - *Foreign Correspondent* (1940), Fi1m 76, as Stebbins — [page](https://film.one/film/foreign-correspondent.md) ## Complete filmography (103) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *The Pixar Story* (2007), as Robert Benchley (archive footage) - *Walt Disney's Fables - Vol.6* (2004), as Robert Benchley (voice) (archive sound) (uncredited) - *Showbiz Goes to War* (1982), as (archive footage) - *That's Entertainment, Part II* (1976), as (archive footage) - *The Big Parade of Comedy* (1964), as Joseph Doakes in 'That Inferior Feeling' (archive footage) - *Janie Gets Married* (1946), as John Van Brunt - *The Bride Wore Boots* (1946), as Uncle Todd Warren - *Road to Utopia* (1946), as Narrator (uncredited) - *The Stork Club* (1945), as Tom P. Curtis - *Snafu* (1945), as Ben Stevens - *Week-End at the Waldorf* (1945), as Randy Morton - *Kiss and Tell* (1945), as George Archer - *Hollywood Victory Caravan* (1945), as Robert Benchley - *Duffy's Tavern* (1945), as Robert Benchley - *Boogie Woogie* (1945), as Frederick Stumplefinger · Writer - *It's in the Bag!* (1945), as Parker - *Pan-Americana* (1945), as Charlie Corker - *I'm a Civilian Here Myself* (1945), as Joe Doakes · Writer - *Practically Yours* (1944), as Judge Robert Simpson - *The National Barn Dance* (1944), as J.B. Mitcham - *Janie* (1944), as John Van Brunt - *Her Primitive Man* (1944), as Martin Osborne - *Why Daddy?* (1944), as Joseph A. Doakes · Story, Writer - *Important Business* (1944), as Joseph A. Doakes · Original Story, Screenplay - *See Here, Private Hargrove* (1944), as Mr. Holliday - *Song of Russia* (1944), as Hank Higgins - *No News Is Good News* (1943), as Answer Man · Original Story, Screenplay - *My Tomato* (1943), as Joseph A. Doakes - *Flesh and Fantasy* (1943), as Doakes - *The Sky's the Limit* (1943), as Philip 'Phil' Harriman - *Young and Willing* (1943), as Arthur Kenny - *I Married a Witch* (1942), as Dr. Dudley White - *The Major and the Minor* (1942), as Mr. Osborne - *Keeping in Shape* (1942), as Joe Doakes - *Syncopation* (1942), as Doakes (scenes deleted) - *Take a Letter, Darling* (1942), as G.B. Atwater - *Nothing But Nerves* (1942), as Mr. Benchley - *The Witness* (1942), as Joe Doakes · Writer - *Bedtime Story* (1941), as Eddie Turner - *Three Girls About Town* (1941), as Wilburforce Puddle · hotel manager - *How to Take a Vacation* (1941), as Husband - *You'll Never Get Rich* (1941), as Martin Cortland - *The Reluctant Dragon* (1941), as Robert Benchley - *The Forgotten Man* (1941), as Joe Doakes / Father - *Crime Control* (1941), as Sgt. Benchley / Joe Doakes · Writer - *Nice Girl?* (1941), as Prof. Oliver Wendel Holmes Dana - *Waiting for Baby* (1941), as Joe Doakes · Writer - *The Trouble with Husbands* (1940), as Joe Doakes · Writer - *Hired Wife* (1940), as Roger Van Horn - *Foreign Correspondent* (1940), as Stebbins · Dialogue — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/foreign-correspondent.md) - *Home Movies* (1940), as Joe Doakes · Writer - *That Inferior Feeling* (1940), as Joseph H. 'Joe' Doakes · Writer - *See Your Doctor* (1939), as Lecturer / Joseph H. Doakes · Producer, Screenplay - *The Day of Rest* (1939), as Joe Doakes - *How to Eat* (1939), as Lecturer / Joe Doakes - *Home Early* (1939), as Joe Doakes · Screenplay - *Dark Magic* (1939), as Joe Doakes · Writer - *An Hour for Lunch* (1939), as Lecturer / Joe - *How to Sub-Let* (1939), as Joe Doakes · Writer - *Mental Poise* (1938), as Psychoanalyst / Mr. Ostegraf · Writer - *Opening Day* (1938), as City Treasurer Benchley - *How to Watch Football* (1938), as Football Fan · Writer - *How to Read* (1938), as Lecturer · Writer - *The Courtship of the Newt* (1938), as Zoology Lecturer · Writer - *How to Raise a Baby* (1938), as Lecturer Father · Writer - *An Evening Alone* (1938), as Joe Doakes · Writer - *Music Made Simple* (1938), as Robert Benchley · Writer - *How to Figure Income Tax* (1938), as Joe Doakes · Writer - *How to Start the Day* (1937), as Lecturer - *A Night at the Movies* (1937), as Husband · Writer - *Live, Love and Learn* (1937), as Oscar - *Sunday Night at the Trocadero* (1937), as Robert Benchley - *Broadway Melody of 1938* (1937), as Duffy - *The Romance of Digestion* (1937), as Joe Doakes · Writer - *How to Be a Detective* (1936), as Mr. Benchley · Writer - *How to Vote* (1936), as Mr. Robert Benchley · Writer - *Piccadilly Jim* (1936), as Bill Macon - *How to Train a Dog* (1936), as Lecturer / Dog Owner - *How to Behave* (1936), as Mr. Benchley · Writer - *Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs* (1936), Actor - *How to Sleep* (1935), as Host / Narrator - *China Seas* (1935), as Charlie McCaleb - *How to Break 90 at Croquet* (1935), as Joe Doakes · Writer - *Murder on a Honeymoon* (1935), Screenplay - *David O. Selznick: Your New Producer* (1935), as Master of Ceremonies - *Social Register* (1934), as Robert Benchley - *Dancing Lady* (1933), as Ward King - *Rafter Romance* (1933), as Hubbell - *Blind Adventure* (1933), Additional Dialogue - *Headline Shooter* (1933), as Radio Announcer - *Your Technocracy and Mine* (1933), Writer - *The Sport Parade* (1932), as Radio Announcer · Additional Dialogue - *Sky Devils* (1932), Writer - *Stewed, Fried and Boiled* (1929), as Lecturer · Writer - *Lesson No. 1* (1929), as Lecturer · Writer - *Furnace Trouble* (1929), as Robert Benchley · Writer - *The Spellbinder* (1928), as Robert Benchley · Writer - *The Sex Life of the Polyp* (1928), as Lecturer · Writer - *The Treasurer's Report* (1928), as Treasurer · Writer - *You'd Be Surprised* (1926), Dialogue - *The American Venus* (1926), Title Graphics - *Second Youth* (1924), Title Designer - *The Causes Of The Depression*, as Mr. Benchley ## Gallery - ![Robert Benchley](https://film.one/media/person/1231460/gallery-4b48395fa87d.jpg) Robert Benchley — Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/Robert_Benchley.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Robert Benchley](https://film.one/media/person/1231460/gallery-f0e8c59f2d4c.jpg) Robert Benchley — Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/16/Foreign_Correspondent_trailer_22.jpg/1280px-Foreign_Correspondent_trailer_22.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Joyce Compton and Robert Benchley in the American film Bedtime Story (1941) - publicity still (cropped : see source)](https://film.one/media/person/1231460/gallery-954fd6ea0f62.jpg) Joyce Compton and Robert Benchley in the American film Bedtime Story (1941) - publicity still (cropped : see source) — unknown (Columbia Pictures), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Joyce_Compton-Robert_Benchley_in_Bedtime_Story.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Robert Benchley](https://film.one/media/person/1231460/gallery-a9258f34a73c.jpg) Robert Benchley — Image via TMDB - ![Robert Benchley](https://film.one/media/person/1231460/gallery-092376b757fe.jpg) Robert Benchley — Image via TMDB --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/robert-benchley