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{{Short description|American actor}}
{{for|the Bosnian footballer|Benjamin Tatar (footballer)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2020}}
'''Benjamin Tatar''' (January 23, 1930 – November 29, 2012) was an American film, television, theater, and voice actor who was [[Jackie Gleason]]'s aide and had lived with [[Ava Gardner]].<ref name=ppg>{{cite news|first=Patricia|last=Sabatini |title=Obituary: Benjamin Tatar / Actor was Jackie Gleason's aide, lived with Ava Gardner Jan. 23, 1930 – Nov. 29, 2012 |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/obituaries/obituary-benjamin-tatar-actor-was-jackie-gleasons-aide-lived-with-ava-gardner-664593/ |work=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]] |date=December 2, 2012 |accessdate=December 24, 2012}}</ref>
==Early life==
Tatar was born on January 23, 1930, in [[Pittsburgh]], Pennsylvania to a Jewish-American family.<ref name=ppg/> His interest in acting and entertainment began as a student at [[Schenley High School]] in Pittsburgh; he also began acting at the [[Pittsburgh Playhouse]] and the YM and WHA as a high school student.<ref name=ppg/> Tatar enlisted in the [[United States Army]] during the [[Korean War]].<ref name=ppg/> After his discharge from the Army, he enrolled in the [[University of Pittsburgh]] where he received a [[bachelor's degree]] in drama and English.<ref name=ppg/> He also worked part-time at the Original Hot Dog Shop in East Liberty, which was owned by his uncle.
Following college, Tatar won a scholarship in 1955 to attend an acting-affiliate of the [[American Theatre Wing]] in New York City.<ref name=ppg/> The other scholarship student at that time was [[James Earl Jones]]. The prestige of the school and Ben's solid acting talent won him excellent working relationships with influential theatre folk, and his Pittsburgh connections, including director [[Henry Weinstein]], brought him the social company of [[Marilyn Monroe]] and [[Arthur Miller]].
==Career==
Tatar began his television career behind the scenes, first as a [[cue card]] holder for such shows as ''[[The Kate Smith Show]]'' and ''[[The Jimmie Rodgers Show]]''.<ref name=ppg/> He also read and answered mail sent by fans to those shows and to ''[[The Honeymooners]]'', starring [[Jackie Gleason]]. Working with Jackie Gleason as his personal assistant provided Ben with a working journey to Paris, traveling aboard the {{SS|United States}}, to make the movie ''[[Gigot]]'', directed by [[Gene Kelly]]. His additional film credits included ''[[The Thin Red Line (1964 film)|The Thin Red Line]]'', which was filmed in location in Spain and released in 1964; the 1965 film ''[[Battle of the Bulge (1965 film)|Battle of the Bulge]]''; and ''[[The Wind and the Lion]]'' in 1975.<ref name=ppg/> He was also in ''[[Patton (film)|Patton]]'', and worked as director of the English versions and as dialogue coach for films of Vicente Aranda, whose work included ''[[The Blood-Spattered Bride]]'' and ''[[The Exquisite Cadaver]]'', during which he got to know actress [[Capucine]] and became companion to actress Judy Matheson.Tatar also worked with [[Telly Savalas]].
Tatar worked in Spain throughout the 1960s and 1970s, where he became a language [[Dubbing (filmmaking)|voice dubbing]] director and [[voice-over artist]] for television and film production companies based in the Spain. His fluency in five languages – English, French, German, Italian and Spanish – aided him in the profession.<ref name=ppg/>
He did many advertising commercials, including a [[:de:Wynand Fockink|Fockink]] commercial for Fockink dry gin.
==Pittsburgh==
In 1981, Tatar moved back from New York City to his native Pittsburgh to care for his mother.<ref name=ppg/> He settled in Pittsburgh's [[Highland Park (Pittsburgh)|Highland Park]] neighborhood, where he resided for more than thirty years.<ref name=ppg/> Away from the acting hubs in New York and Los Angeles, Tatar turned his professional attention to local theater, as well as film and television productions filmed on-location in the Pittsburgh area.<ref name=ppg/>
Tatar's return to Pittsburgh benefited Pittsburgh cultural endeavors: he did much acting and directing and also voice-overs. He was a member of the JCC Theatre Club for many years. His later work included productions at the [[Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre]] and for the [[Jewish Theatre of Pittsburgh]]. He also appeared in numerous low-budget horror films produced in Pittsburgh.
In 1995, Tatar appeared in the [[Hallmark Hall of Fame]] television movie, ''[[The Piano Lesson (1995 film)|The Piano Lesson]]'', which was written by playwright, [[August Wilson]], another Pittsburgh native.<ref name=ppg/>
==Personal life==
Tatar authored an unpublished autobiography titled, ''The Dream Never Dies'', in which he wrote of his early career, his work with leading actors on various films, his relationship with Ava Gardner and his voice-over career in Spain. In addition to acting, Tatar created [[word search]]es and compiled [[crossword puzzle]]s for the publishing firm [[Dell Publishing]].<ref name=ppg/>
==Death==
Tatar died from [[chronic pulmonary disease]] at [[University of Pittsburgh Medical Center#UPMC Shadyside|UPMC Shadyside]] in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on November 29, 2012, at the age of 82.<ref name=ppg/> Tatar, who never married, was buried at B'nai Israel Cemetery.<ref name=ppg/>
==Films==
<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ben_tatar/ |title=Ben Tatar |url-status=live |accessdate=February 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723052147/http://www.rottentomatoes.com:80/celebrity/ben_tatar/ |archive-date=July 23, 2010 }}</ref>
1995 ''The Piano Lesson'' – as the watermelon man
1993 ''The Cemetery Club'' – man
1990 ''Two Evil Eyes'' – actor
1975 ''The Wind and the Lion'' – sketch artist
1972 ''Pancho Villa'' – as Private Bates
1969 ''Land Raiders'' – as Loomis
1967 ''Bang, Bang Kid'' – as Leech
1966 ''Battle of the Bulge'' – actor
1965 ''Crack in the World'' – as Indian Ambassador
1964 ''The Thin Red Line'' – actor
==Television==
''Piano Lesson'' (1995) – actor
''Bride in Black'' (1991) – actor
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*{{IMDb name|id=0851063|name=Ben Tatar}}
{{YouTube|sPr9_vI2kyE|Ben Tatar in a commercial}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tatar, Benjamin}}
[[Category:1930 births]]
[[Category:2012 deaths]]
[[Category:American autobiographers]]
[[Category:American expatriates in Spain]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male stage actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American male voice actors]]
[[Category:American voice directors]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of the Korean War]]
[[Category:Crossword creators]]
[[Category:Jewish American male actors]]
[[Category:Male actors from New York City]]
[[Category:Male actors from Pittsburgh]]
[[Category:United States Army soldiers]]
[[Category:University of Pittsburgh alumni]]
[[Category:21st-century American Jews]]
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