Ben Welden

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Ben Welden was born Benjamin Weinblatt in Toledo, Ohio on 12 June, 1901. He was an American character actor who played a wide variety of Damon Runyon-type gangsters (Damon Runyon) in various movies and television shows.

Short, balding and somewhat rotund, he often literally played a "heavy", frequently in a somewhat comical or slightly dim-witted way, offsetting the sinister nature of his character's actions.

Fans of Adventures of Superman remember him well, as he appeared in eight episodes, always as a different character and yet really the same character, in a way. His best-known Superman episode might be "Flight to the North", in which he tries (and fails) to outwit a country-bumpkin type (played by Chuck Connors).

In his later years Welden owned a confection company called Nutcorn, which supplemented his acting income. Weldon died 17 October, 1997 at the Motion Picture Retirement Home (Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital) in Woodland Hills, California.