Daniel Benzali (born January 20, 1946)[1][2] is a Brazilian-American stage, television and film actor.
Early life
Benzali was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the son of Lee, a cook, and Carlo Benzali, a salesman who had also been an actor in Brazilian theatre[3] and Yiddish theatre.[4] His family are Brazilian Jews.[3] Daniel Benzali is the middle son of three. The family moved to the United States in 1953, and the boys were raised in Brooklyn, New York City.
In 2019 Benzali was slated to play the lead role in the London staging of Bianca Bagatourian's The Time Of Our Lies.[5][6] He withdrew on opening night due to unforeseen circumstances.[7][8]
Subsequently, he began appearing in guest-starring roles on television series such as Strong Medicine, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The X-Files, and in recurring roles in NYPD Blue and L.A. Law.[4][9]NYPD Blue and L.A. Law creator Steven Bochco was so impressed with Benzali's performances that Bochco later cast him in the lead role of his 1995 series Murder One, playing attorneyTed Hoffman. For his performance, Benzali was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. The series was not especially successful (though highly regarded later), and Benzali left after its first season. Bochco later revealed that he fired Benzali because he refused to leave his home before he completed his morning bowel movement and was perpetually late to the set.[11][12]
In December 2010, Benzali joined ABC's General Hospital.[13] Benzali played a character named Theodore Hoffman, a reference to his role on the mid-1990s television series Murder One.[9]
Personal life
Benzali married Worcestershire potter Lynda Medwell in 1979 while acting in Great Britain. They were married six years.[14][15]
Benzali and fiancée Kim Cattrall had a three year relationship. Benzali (then 51) and Cattrall broke up in 1997, just prior to her role in Sex and the City (1998–2004).[1][16]
Benzali has been living in London and divides his time between England and the United States.[17]