Biography
Ben Wright was born on May 5, 1915, in London, England, to an English mother and an American father. At 16, he enrolled at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, where his classmates included future stars like Ida Lupino. After graduating, he performed in several West End stage productions. When World War II began, he enlisted in the King's Royal Rifle Corps. In 1946, he traveled to America for a cousin's wedding and decided to settle in Hollywood. He launched his American acting career in radio, gaining recognition for his skill with dialects, notably portraying Hey Boy, the Chinese servant, on "Have Gun, Will Travel" alongside John Dehner. His dialect expertise also led to numerous roles in WWII-related films and TV shows during the 1950s and '60s, where he portrayed many Germans, Frenchmen, and various English characters, ensuring authentic regional accents. After years of work in radio, television, stage, and film, he moved into semi-retirement in the late 1970s, taking on occasional voice roles and small guest appearances on TV. On June 16, 1989, after completing his final role as the voice of Grimsby in Disney's The Little Mermaid, he was admitted to St. Joseph's Hospital in Burbank for quadruple bypass surgery. He never recovered and passed away from heart failure on July 2, 1989.
