Biography

Robert Benchley

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Although by his own account Benchley was not quite a writer and not quite an actor, he managed to become one of the best-known humorists and comedians of his time. As a Harvard undergraduate, Benchley gave his first comic performance, impersonating a befuddled after-dinner speaker. The act made him a campus celebrity -- and remained in Benchley's repertoire for the rest of his life. (Landing the position of editor of the Harvard Lampoon was the other highlight of his college career.) As a post-graduate journalist, between frequent firings and other disruptions, Benchley made his mark as a theater critic and as writer of whimsical musings on the vagaries of modern life. He served briefly as managing editor of the magazine Vanity Fair, where his lieutenants were Dorothy Parker and Robert E. Sherwood, but he quit to protest Parker's firing. (Benchley, Parker and Sherwood were among the regulars at the so-called Algonquin Round Table, a social circle of New York wits that also included Harpo Marx and George S. Kaufman). Benchley was among the first contributors to The New Yorker, where his work influenced other writers -- such as E.B. White and James Thurber
- IMDb mini biography by: David S. Smith

Proposed the following epitaph for his tombstone although it was not ultimately used: "This is all above my head.".
Grandfather of Nat Benchley and Peter Benchley, author of "Jaws.".
The town of Benchley, Texas, is named after his grandfather, who founded it.
Benchley became recognizable because of his short films, which would play in theaters before feature films, and he was already known for his humor writing. Once he became well-known, therefore, people would often approach him at parties and at other social gatherings and greet him with, "Say something funny, Mr. Benchley.".
Father of Nathaniel Benchley, who wrote the novel "The Off-Islanders", which became the film The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming (1966).

Drawing on my fine command of language, I said nothing.
Tell us your phobias, and we'll tell you what you are afraid of.
Every boy should have a dog, for a dog teaches a boy three valuable traits: fidelity, perseverance and to turn around three times before lying down.
In America there are two classes of travel - First Class, and with children. Traveling with children corresponds roughly to traveling third class in Bulgaria.
In Milwaukee last month a man died laughing over one of his own jokes. That's what makes it so tough for us outsiders: we have to fight home competition.