Benjamin Stewart (actor)

Benjamin Stewart (September 29, 1942 – June 4, 2013) was an American actor.

Stewart was born on Sept. 29, 1942, in Houston, and after graduation from Lamar High School in 1961 he attended Harding College in Searcy, Arkansas for several years. After college, he returned to Houston and decided "to seek his fame in Hollywood Stewart performed in more than 40 ATC productions, including "Tartuffe" in the 1978-79 season in the role of Cleante; "Waiting for Godot" in the 1981-82 season in the role of Pozzo; two productions of "A Christmas Carol" as Ebenezer Scrooge in the 1981-82 and 1982-83 seasons; and "Little Shop of Horrors" in the 1995-96 season as Mushnik. His last role was in "Much Ado About Nothing" as Leonato in the 2002-03 season. He performed in many venues in California before moving to Tucson, and then Phoenix.

He also was recognized for his work in Arizona's professional theaters and for his career, including work with Rex Harrison, Vanessa Redgrave and Peter Ustinov in plays by Shaw, Shakespeare and Ustinov himself at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.

Stewart also appeared in the 1976 Broadway revival of "The Night of the Iguana" as Jake Latta with Richard Chamberlain, Dorothy McGuire and Sylvia Miles, said his niece Sandra Archer.

In 2005, Stewart received the Actors' Equity Association's Arizona Theatre Service Award. He was honored for his "support and service as mentor to many of Arizona's young actors.

He appeared in performances at many regional theaters around the country.

Stewart was preceded in death by his parents, Gertrude and Langston Stewart, and his wife, BJ Stewart.