Robin David Segal was born on 21 January 1956, in Dallas, Texas USA, of Jewish descent. Robby is a director, singer, teacher, and actor, perhaps best known for being part of the animated film “Beauty and the Beast”, voicing Beast. He uses the stage name Robby Benson – his mother’s maiden name – and all of his endeavors have helped put his net worth to where it is today.
How rich is Robby Benson? As of late-2016, sources estimate a net worth that is at $2 million, mostly earned through success in his various endeavors. He’s had an acting career dating back to the 1960s, including on the stage, and writing work, all of these achievements having ensured the position of his wealth.
Robby Benson Net Worth $2 million
Robby made his film debut in 1967’s “Wait Until Dark”, in which he had an uncredited role. Three years later, he would make his first appearance on Broadway in the production entitled “The Rothschilds”. In 1971, he was cast in “Search for Tomorrow” and would then make a string of coming-of-age films, including “Jeremy”, “Jory”, and “Ode to Billy Joe”. In 1977 he starred in “One on One” which he co-wrote, and then appeared in “The Death of Richie”, “Ice Castles”, and “The End”. For “Ice Castles”, Robby had to learn how to ice skate since he had never done so before. Three years later, he would star in the film “Die Laughing” and “Tribute” which he appeared alongside Jack Lemmon. His continued work helped his net worth rise constantly.
In 1981, Benson starred in the film adaptation of “The Chosen” which had mixed reviews though many praised his acting ability. Two years later he would portray running gold medalist Billy Mills in “Running Brave” before getting one of his most popular roles as Beast in “Beauty and the Beast”. His popularity would increase and open more opportunities for him, increasing his net worth further. Three years later, he was cast in the series “American Dreams” as Professor Witt, and around this time he also directed episodes of several television shows, including “The Naked Truth” and “Ellen”.
He’s also been nominated several times in his career, including a Golden Globe award nomination in 1974 for Most Promising Newcomer. In 1983, he was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV.
In 2007, he released a novel entitled “Who Stole the Funny? A Novel of Hollywood”. The book became part of the LA Times Bestseller list. Five years later, he released a memoir entitled “I’m Not Dead… Yet!”, adding to his net worth.
Robby retired from the entertainment world in 2011, and is now a professor at the New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and also teaches at the University of South Carolina and the University of Utah. In 2013, he served as a professor of Practice at Indiana University.
For his personal life, it is known that Robby has been married to actress Karla DeVito since 1982, and they have two children. Aside from this, Benson does charity work and is an activist as well. He has done fundraisers for heart research which also led him to write the book entitled “Open Heart”, which would become an off-Broadway play in which he also starred. He also practices transcendental meditation.
Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television, Golden Globe Award for Best New Star of the Year – Actor
Movies
Beauty and the Beast, Ice Castles, Ode to Billy Joe, One on One, Running Brave, Harry & Son, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas, Die Laughing, The Death of Richie, Walk Proud, Jeremy, Dragonheart: A New Beginning, Lucky Lady, MXP: Most Extreme Primate, The Chosen, Billy: The Early Years, ...
TV Shows
Disney's House of Mouse, Exosquad, The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible, Search for Tomorrow, The Bell Telephone Hour, Tough Cookies
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Trademark
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Long hair and goatee
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Soft, blue eyes
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Perhaps best known for his role as The Beast in Beauty and the Beast (1991) and its spinoffs.
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Rich mellow voice
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Quote
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[Discussing his love of basketball in a magazine interview when the movie, One on One (1977), was released] It's like the call of the wild when I hear a dribble.
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[on "the Beast" in Disney's Beauty and the Beast (1991)] One of my favorite things to say is that he's a tortured soul. There's so much going on inside of him that he's very complicated. He wants to try and do what's right and he's angry at himself a lot.
Teaching film acting at Appalachian State University. [August 2003]
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Lives with his family in Asheville, North Carolina. [November 2007]
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Bloomington, IN: Indiana University announced Appointment beginning Fall 2013 as a professor at Department of Telecommunications in the College of Arts and Sciences. [March 2013]
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Teaches at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts - Film and Television [September 2006]
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Appeared opposite Jane Withers in one of her Josephine the Plumber commercials for Comet Cleanser in the late 1960s.
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He has worked in television or on a movie every year of his life from 1971-2004.
performer: "WHAT PLANET ARE YOU FROM?", "BANG MY DRUM...SLOWLY" / producer: "WHAT PLANET ARE YOU FROM?", "BANG MY DRUM...SLOWLY" / writer: "WHAT PLANET ARE YOU FROM?", "BANG MY DRUM...SLOWLY", "THE HARD WAY", "LOVE I CAN TASTE"
The Breakfast Club
1985
lyrics: "We Are Not Alone" / music: "We Are Not Alone"
Die Laughing
1980
performer: "Mr. Weinstein", "All I Want is Love", "Far Side of a Dream" / writer: "Mr. Weinstein", "All I Want is Love", "Far Side of a Dream"
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
TV Series performer - 3 episodes, 1979 - 1980 writer - 3 episodes, 1979 - 1980
New American Bandstand 1965
TV Series performer - 1 episode, 1979 writer - 1 episode, 1979