# Robby Benson
**Robby Benson** (born Robin David Segal, 1956) is an American actor, director, composer, voice artist, novelist, and professor of film, known in the 1970s as a teenage screen star and to later audiences as the voice of the Beast in Disney's *Beauty and the Beast* (1991)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000913/). In 2025 he appeared as Dr. Mauer in four episodes of the second season of the Apple TV+ series *Severance*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000913/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Robin David Segal, 1956, Dallas, Texas[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000913/bio/) |
| Signature roles | Jeremy in *Jeremy* (1973, Golden Globe nomination), Henry Steele in *One on One* (1977), the Beast in *Beauty and the Beast* (1991)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000913/) • [3](https://movies.disney.com/beauty-and-the-beast) |
| Screenwriter | Co-wrote the screenplay of *One on One* with his father, Jerry Segal, sold to Warner Brothers when he was 18[4](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1977/07/02/one-on-one-an-unhip-hoopster/1f3ff7bb-647f-453b-9062-883f876cb033/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000913/) |
| Health | Born with a congenital heart defect; open-heart surgery in 1984 left him, in his words, uninsurable and pushed him toward writing, composing, and voice work[5](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-oct-12-ca-benson12-story.html) |
| Television directing | Directed many network episodes, including *Friends*, *Ellen*, *Dharma & Greg*, and *Evening Shade*, and the pilot of *Sabrina the Teenage Witch*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000913/) |
| Teaching | Professor of film at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts; nominated for NYU's Distinguished Teaching Award in 2006 and the David Payne-Carter Award for Teaching Excellence in 2010[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000913/) |
| Recent work | Dr. Mauer in *Severance* season 2, 2025, four episodes[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000913/) |
## Early life and name
Benson was born Robin David Segal in Dallas to Gerald Charles Segal and Freda Ann Benson, Jewish parents, and took his stage surname from his mother[6](https://jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Robby_Benson.html) • [7](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/benson-robby-1956). He started in show business at age three, acting in commercials and community theater productions[8](https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/benson-robby). His career began in the theater with *Oliver!* and *The King and I*, followed by Broadway appearances in *Zelda*, *The Rothschilds*, and Joseph Papp's *The Pirates of Penzance*, where he met the singer and actor [Karla DeVito](https://www.edgepedia.org/karla-devito), whom he married in 1982[9](https://robbybenson.com/) • [7](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/benson-robby-1956). In interviews he recounted that early in his career he was typecast in auditions as "that Jewish kid", a disadvantage he feared his birth name reinforced[10](https://www.jta.org/archive/arts-culture-former-teen-heartthrob-finds-peace-in-academia-after-years-in-hollywood).
## The teen-idol years, 1972 to 1978
Benson became a screen star playing adolescents in a run of coming-of-age films: *Jory* (1972), *Jeremy* (1973), and *[Ode to Billy Joe](https://www.edgepedia.org/ode-to-billy-joe-film)* (1976), in which he played Billy Joe McAllister[11](https://www.filmink.com.au/unsung-auteurs-robby-benson/). His second film, *Jeremy*, brought a Golden Globe nomination and won an award at the Cannes Film Festival[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000913/). A parallel series of television movies strengthened his standing as a youth star of the decade, including *The Death of Richie* (1977), in which he played a drug-addicted teenager killed by his father[11](https://www.filmink.com.au/unsung-auteurs-robby-benson/).
Between 1976 and 1978 he starred in three features that fixed his image: *Ode to Billy Joe*, *One on One*, and *Ice Castles*[5](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-oct-12-ca-benson12-story.html). In *One on One* he played a small-town Colorado basketball star overwhelmed by a big university with a high-pressure athletic program; he co-wrote the screenplay with his father, Jerry Segal, and did his own playing on screen[4](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1977/07/02/one-on-one-an-unhip-hoopster/1f3ff7bb-647f-453b-9062-883f876cb033/) • [12](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/one-on-one-1977). *Ice Castles* (1978) cast him opposite skater [Lynn-Holly Johnson](https://www.edgepedia.org/lynn-holly-johnson) as the hockey-player boyfriend of a figure skater who goes blind[13](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/streaming/5-figure-skating-movies-and-shows-that-actually-get-the-sport-right-and-where-to-watch-them).
Critics of the period were often harsh. The *Washington Post* review of *One on One* called it a "wobbly attempt at junior division *Rocky*" and judged Benson more talented as a comic stooge than as the romantic lead he wrote for himself[4](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1977/07/02/one-on-one-an-unhip-hoopster/1f3ff7bb-647f-453b-9062-883f876cb033/). A *Newsweek* line by David Ansen famously called him "cute as Bambi and twice as smarmy"[5](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-oct-12-ca-benson12-story.html). His best critical notices came later, for playing a Hasidic Jew in Jeremy Kagan's *[The Chosen](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-chosen-potok-novel)* (1981), adapted from Chaim Potok's novel[14](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/robby-benson/).
## The Beast and a voice career
In 1992 Benson provided the voice of the Beast in Disney's *Beauty and the Beast*, opposite [Paige O'Hara](https://www.edgepedia.org/paige-ohara) as Belle[3](https://movies.disney.com/beauty-and-the-beast). The film, released November 13, 1991, was the first animated feature in the history of the Oscars nominated for Best Picture[3](https://movies.disney.com/beauty-and-the-beast). Critics noted the range the role displayed: Roger Ebert described his voice as "electronically lowered", and the *Los Angeles Times* credited the performance with reviving his acting career by revealing to casting directors the roily, thunderous bass behind his wispy speaking voice[15](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/beauty-and-the-beast-1991) • [16](https://www.deseret.com/1993/11/5/19074933/robby-benson-working-in-hollywood-and-teaching-at-the-u/).
The Beast role opened a durable sideline as an in-demand voice actor[14](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/robby-benson/). He went on to voice roles in projects including *The Legend of Prince Valiant*, *Exosquad*, *Batman: The Animated Series*, and *PJ Sparkles*[17](https://parade.com/entertainment/70s-teen-idol-robby-benson-where-he-is-now) • [16](https://www.deseret.com/1993/11/5/19074933/robby-benson-working-in-hollywood-and-teaching-at-the-u/). Disney television animation voice director Ginny McSwain described him as an actor who "knows how to perform on the microphone technically"[16](https://www.deseret.com/1993/11/5/19074933/robby-benson-working-in-hollywood-and-teaching-at-the-u/).
## Heart surgery and a redirected career
Benson was born with a weak heart valve and underwent open-heart surgery in 1984[5](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-oct-12-ca-benson12-story.html). The surgery rendered him uninsurable, in his account, and he could not walk onto a set; he turned to writing music and gradually left lead acting roles behind[5](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-oct-12-ca-benson12-story.html) • [14](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/robby-benson/). After several more surgeries, he credited a surgeon at the [Cleveland Clinic](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleveland-clinic), whose operation he described as "a miracle on me", and in 2012 called himself the healthiest he had ever been, while continuing to wrestle with cardiac depression[18](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2012-jul-20-la-et-robby-benson-20120720-story.html).
He wrote about the experience directly. His medical memoir *I'm Not Dead... Yet!* recounts what he went through medically and professionally, including his observation that work stress made his symptoms measurably worse, and a scene of open-heart patients trading their experiences with depression that he called one of the most helpful moments of his life[18](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2012-jul-20-la-et-robby-benson-20120720-story.html). The experience also shaped his creative work: the musical *Open Heart*, for which he wrote the libretto and music, opened at New York's Historic Cherry Lane Theatre[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000913/).
## Directing, music, and writing
After recovering from surgery Benson moved behind the camera. His first feature as director was the independently financed *White Hot* (1988), released direct to video the next year, followed by *Modern Love* (1990), which cast his wife Karla DeVito[14](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/robby-benson/). From 1993 he built a television-directing career, beginning with eight episodes of [Burt Reynolds](https://www.edgepedia.org/burt-reynolds)' *Evening Shade*, and through the decade he helmed episodes of *Friends*, *Dharma & Greg*, *8 Simple Rules*, and an entire season of *Ellen*, among other series[14](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/robby-benson/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000913/). IMDb credits him with 32 directing credits overall[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000913/).
His music work runs through the same period. He co-wrote "We Are Not Alone" with DeVito, the song played in the library dance scene of John Hughes' *The Breakfast Club* (1985)[5](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-oct-12-ca-benson12-story.html) • [11](https://www.filmink.com.au/unsung-auteurs-robby-benson/). Benson and DeVito have received RIAA Gold Records, including for "Nobody Makes Me Crazy", which [Diana Ross](https://www.edgepedia.org/diana-ross) covered[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000913/). As a writer he published the Hollywood novel *Who Stole the Funny?* ([HarperCollins](https://www.edgepedia.org/harpercollins), 2007) and the memoir *I'm Not Dead... Yet!*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000913/). In 2008 he directed *Billy: The Early Years*, a film about the young evangelist [Billy Graham](https://www.edgepedia.org/billy-graham), accepting the job after a call from producer Larry Mortoff while living on a small farm in North Carolina with DeVito and their children, Lyric and Zephyr[5](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-oct-12-ca-benson12-story.html).
## Teaching
Benson has taught film production at several universities for two decades, including New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in the Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film and [Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/television) and, earlier, the [University of Utah](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-utah)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000913/) • [16](https://www.deseret.com/1993/11/5/19074933/robby-benson-working-in-hollywood-and-teaching-at-the-u/). At NYU he was nominated for the Distinguished Teaching Award in 2006 and the David Payne-Carter Award for Teaching Excellence in 2010[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000913/). He has called teaching college for two decades his most-valued professional accomplishment[19](https://cinema.indiana.edu/academics/program%20books/2016%20Spring%20Program.pdf).
## Return to acting
After stepping back from lead roles and keeping a low profile, Benson continued working across acting, voice-over, and directing[17](https://parade.com/entertainment/70s-teen-idol-robby-benson-where-he-is-now). His most prominent recent screen role is Dr. Mauer in *Severance*, appearing in four episodes of the show's second season in 2025[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000913/). Casting the former teen idol and Disney voice in a sinister role drew wide attention from viewers who knew him from *Beauty and the Beast* or his 1970s films[17](https://parade.com/entertainment/70s-teen-idol-robby-benson-where-he-is-now).
## References
1. [Robby Benson, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000913/)
2. [Robby Benson Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000913/bio/)
3. [Beauty and the Beast, Official Site, Disney Movies](https://movies.disney.com/beauty-and-the-beast)
4. [Gary Arnold, "'One on One': An Unhip Hoopster", The Washington Post, July 2, 1977](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1977/07/02/one-on-one-an-unhip-hoopster/1f3ff7bb-647f-453b-9062-883f876cb033/)
5. [Tom Roston, "The odd career twist of a former screen heartthrob", Los Angeles Times, October 12, 2008](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-oct-12-ca-benson12-story.html)
6. [Robby Benson, Jewish Virtual Library](https://jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Robby_Benson.html)
7. ["Benson, Robby 1956", Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/benson-robby-1956)
8. ["Benson, Robby", Encyclopedia.com (religious biography)](https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/benson-robby)
9. [About, Robby Benson official website](https://robbybenson.com/)
10. ["Former Teen Heartthrob Finds Peace in Academia After Years in Hollywood", Jewish Telegraphic Agency](https://www.jta.org/archive/arts-culture-former-teen-heartthrob-finds-peace-in-academia-after-years-in-hollywood)
11. ["Unsung Auteurs: Robby Benson", FilmInk](https://www.filmink.com.au/unsung-auteurs-robby-benson/)
12. [Roger Ebert, "One on One" review, Chicago Sun-Times, 1977](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/one-on-one-1977)
13. ["5 figure skating movies and shows that actually get the sport right", Tom's Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/streaming/5-figure-skating-movies-and-shows-that-actually-get-the-sport-right-and-where-to-watch-them)
14. [Richard Harland Smith, Robby Benson biography, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/robby-benson/)
15. [Roger Ebert, "Beauty and the Beast" review, Chicago Sun-Times, 1991](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/beauty-and-the-beast-1991)
16. ["ROBBY BENSON: WORKING IN HOLLYWOOD AND TEACHING AT THE U.", Deseret News, November 5, 1993](https://www.deseret.com/1993/11/5/19074933/robby-benson-working-in-hollywood-and-teaching-at-the-u/)
17. [Lucille Barilla, "'70s Teen Idol Robby Benson: Where He Is Now?", Parade](https://parade.com/entertainment/70s-teen-idol-robby-benson-where-he-is-now)
18. ["Robby Benson opens up about his heart in many ways in iBook", Los Angeles Times, July 20, 2012](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2012-jul-20-la-et-robby-benson-20120720-story.html)
19. ["One on One with Robby Benson", Indiana Cinema 2016 Spring Program](https://cinema.indiana.edu/academics/program%20books/2016%20Spring%20Program.pdf)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames Be to Bo*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 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