Robby Benson

Robby Benson is an American writer, director, composer, lyricist, actor, professor of film, filmmaker and novelist. He began his career in the theater, (Oliver, The King and I); on Broadway (co-starring in Zelda, The Rothschilds and Joseph Papp's The Pirates of Penzance, where he met and fell in love with the great, Karla DeVito!); Benson wrote the libretto and composed the music for the musical that opened in NYC at The Historic Cherry Lane Theatre (Open Heart), and wrote the best-selling novel, "Who Stole The Funny?" (HarperCollins), along with the medical memoir, "I'm Not Dead... Yet". Benson was nominated for a Golden Globe (one of several) for his second film, "Jeremy" which also won an award at the Cannes Film Festival. He sold his first screenplay to Warner Brothers at 18 years-old entitled, "One on One". He has starred in such films as One on One, Ode To Billie Joe, Ice Castles, Jeremy (Golden Globe nominee) Tribute, Harry and Son, Running Brave, The Chosen, Die Laughing (wrote screenplay & music), Walk Proud (scored the film as well), The End, Lucky Lady, Death Be Not Proud (Golden Globe nominee), The Last of Mrs. Lincoln, and Our Town among a few. He also wrote and directed the feature film, 'Modern Love' and composed the score for Straight Outta Tompkins and co-wrote the hit song in The Breakfast Club ("We are Not Alone" - the iconic John Hughes film - the scene where the kids dance in the library) with his wife and loving partner of 40 years, the great Karla DeVito! Benson and DeVito have received RIAA Gold Records, including Nobody Makes Me Crazy, which was covered by Diana Ross; Benson has also written scores for feature films. Benson also voiced 'Beast" in Disney's Academy Award nominated 'Beauty and the Beast." In television, Benson has exec. produced and directed over one hundred episodes of Network shows: from one-hour single camera to 30-minute sitcoms including many top ten shows such as Ellen, Friends, Dharma & Greg, Jesse, The Naked Truth, Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place, Sabrina The Teenage Witch (also directed the pilot), Dream On (nominated Best Director/Single Camera), Muddling Through, Good Advice, Monty, Evening Shade and many more. Robby Benson has been a professor of film production at several universities for 20 years. At NYU's famed Tisch School of the Arts in the Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film and Television, Benson received the honor of being nominated for both NYU's Distinguished Teaching Award in 2006, and the David Payne-Carter Award for Teaching Excellence in 2010. Robby is currently developing his second theatrical musical, "I Hear A Song!"