# Paul Ben-Victor
**Paul Ben-Victor** (born 1965) is an American character actor best known for his portrayal of the Greek mobster Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos on the HBO series *The Wire* and for his recurring role as Alan Gray on the HBO comedy *Entourage*.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1965, Brooklyn, New York City, New York[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/paul_benvictor) |
| Signature role | Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos on *The Wire*, 17 episodes, 2003–2008[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0070115) |
| Longest series role | Robert "Bobby" Hobbes on *The Invisible Man*, 45 episodes, 2000–2002[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/paul_benvictor) |
| Other notable series | Stan McQueen on *In Plain Sight*, 37 episodes, 2008–2010; recurring Alan Gray on *Entourage*[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/paul_benvictor) • [3](https://www.dailyactor.com/interview/interview-paul-ben-victor-shouldve-been-romeo/) |
| Screen debut | 1987, in the television film *Blood Vows: The Story of a Mafia Wife*, followed by an episode of *Cagney & Lacey* the same year[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/paul_benvictor) |
| Recent work | Ilan Roklov in Netflix's *Nobody Wants This* (2024–2025); Antaan in HBO's *Lanterns* (2026)[4](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/nobody-wants-this-cast/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0070115) |
| Credits | 174 credited screen appearances listed by TV Guide; 201 acting credits on IMDb[5](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/paul-ben-victor/credits/3030127681/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0070115) |
## Early life
He was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1965[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/paul_benvictor). According to his IMDb biography, his parents are Victor Friedman and Leah Kornfeld-Friedman, and reference sources including NNDB list his birth name as Paul Friedman[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0070115/bio/) • [7](https://www.nndb.com/people/008/000030915/). His biography notes a deep, gravelly voice as a performing trademark[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0070115/bio/).
## Television roles
He made his screen debut in 1987 on the television film *Blood Vows: The Story of a Mafia Wife* and appeared the same year in an episode of *Cagney & Lacey*[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/paul_benvictor). During the 1990s he built a steady career in guest and recurring parts, with credits on series such as *The X-Files*, *Brooklyn South*, *The Practice*, and *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit*[8](https://www.topstrem.com/person/85142-paul-ben-victor).
In 2000 he began the most consistent role of his career to that point, starring as Robert "Bobby" Hobbes on the Sci-Fi Channel series *The Invisible Man* for 45 episodes from 2000 to 2002[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/paul_benvictor). Also in 2000, he portrayed comedian [Moe Howard](https://www.edgepedia.org/moe-howard) in the made-for-television film *The Three Stooges*[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/paul_benvictor).
His most prominent part followed: Vondas, second-in-command of the port-trafficking operation run by "The Greek," on HBO's Baltimore-set crime drama *The Wire*, appearing in 17 episodes between 2003 and 2008[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0070115). In the same period he played the studio executive Alan Gray on *Entourage* and Palaka on *John from Cincinnati*; an interview published around 2010 noted that he had been cast in important roles on those three HBO shows simultaneously[3](https://www.dailyactor.com/interview/interview-paul-ben-victor-shouldve-been-romeo/). He then took a starring role as Stan McQueen on the [USA Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/usa-network) series *In Plain Sight*, appearing in 37 episodes from 2008 to 2010[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/paul_benvictor).
## Film work and recent series
His film credits include *True Romance* (1993), *Houseguest* (1995), *Daredevil* (2003), *[Get Hard](https://www.edgepedia.org/get-hard)* (2015), *The Banker* (2020), *Plane* (2023), and *Emancipation* (2022), in which he played Major G. Halstead[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/paul_benvictor). In Martin Scorsese's *The Irishman* (2019) he played Jake Gottlieb; a CBS New York interview around that release described him as a Brooklyn-born veteran recognized for *Entourage*, *Vinyl* with [Ray Romano](https://www.edgepedia.org/ray-romano) and Scorsese, and *The Wire*[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0070115) • [9](https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/it-was-incredible-paul-ben-victor-on-feast-of-the-seven-fishes-the-irishman/).
In recent years his television work has expanded. He plays Noah's father Ilan Roklov in the Netflix comedy *Nobody Wants This*, whose ensemble cast earned the series a 2024 Golden Globe nomination for Best Comedy Series[4](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/nobody-wants-this-cast/) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0070115/bio/). He also voices Coach Thurman in *Everybody Still Hates Chris* on [Comedy Central](https://www.edgepedia.org/comedy-central), appears in *Bookie* and *The Lincoln Lawyer*, and plays New Jersey mob boss Phil Russo in the Starz series *Power Book III: Raising Kanan*[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0070115/bio/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0070115). Upcoming projects listed by IMDb include the role of Antaan in *Lanterns*, HBO's series based on the Green Lantern DC comic, opposite [Kyle Chandler](https://www.edgepedia.org/kyle-chandler) and Aaron Pierre, and the role of Boris Federov in Peacock's *M.I.A.*[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0070115).
## Reception profile
On Rotten Tomatoes, his filmography ranges from *Another Day in America* (2024) at 100 percent to *Any Day* (2015) at 0 percent[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/paul_benvictor). A GoodWatch aggregate of his catalog, 94 titles spanning 1990 to 2025, reports an average score of 53 out of 100, with *Plane* the highest rated at 77, and identifies crime, drama, and thriller as his dominant genres[10](https://goodwatch.app/person/85142-paul-ben-victor).
## References
1. [Paul Ben-Victor Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/paul_benvictor)
2. [Paul Ben-Victor, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0070115)
3. [Interview: Paul Ben-Victor 'Should've Been Romeo', Daily Actor](https://www.dailyactor.com/interview/interview-paul-ben-victor-shouldve-been-romeo/)
4. [The Cast of 'Nobody Wants This': Who Plays Who, Marie Claire](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/nobody-wants-this-cast/)
5. [Paul Ben-Victor List of Movies and TV Shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/paul-ben-victor/credits/3030127681/)
6. [Paul Ben-Victor Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0070115/bio/)
7. [Paul Ben-Victor, NNDB](https://www.nndb.com/people/008/000030915/)
8. [Paul Ben-Victor: Movies and TV Shows, TopStrem](https://www.topstrem.com/person/85142-paul-ben-victor)
9. ['It Was Incredible': Paul Ben-Victor On 'Feast Of The Seven Fishes' & 'The Irishman', CBS New York](https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/it-was-incredible-paul-ben-victor-on-feast-of-the-seven-fishes-the-irishman/)
10. [Paul Ben-Victor: Movies and TV Shows, GoodWatch](https://goodwatch.app/person/85142-paul-ben-victor)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Be to Bl*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license