Robert Benchley Biography

Robert Benchley, Comedian
Occup.Comedian
FromUSA
BornSeptember 15, 1889
DiedSeptember 21, 1945
Aged56 years
Robert Charles Benchley, birthed September 15, 1889, in Worcester, Massachusetts, was a popular American humorist, author, and star. This multitalented artist obtained widespread acknowledgment for his unforgettable contributions to the show business in the very early half of the 20th century. Benchley passed away on November 21, 1945, in New York City, leaving a long lasting legacy in the realms of funny as well as witticism.

Benchley spent his youth in Massachusetts as well as attended the distinguished Phillips Exeter Academy, where he uncovered his flair for composing. Enhancing his education, he went into Harvard University in 1908 where he remained to nurture his creating skills, adding to the Harvard Lampoon and also the Harvard Advocate. After getting his Bachelor's degree in English Literature in 1912, he functioned as a reporter for several various newspapers, including the New York Tribune and The New York Times.

In 1915, Benchley married Gertrude Darling, a New York-based starlet. The pair had two sons, Nathaniel and Robert Benchley Jr. Throughout his career, his wife's steadfast love as well as assistance stayed very useful.

With the access of the United States into World War I in 1917, Benchley functioned as a lieutenant for the U.S. Navy Reserve, proceeding his writing searches throughout the duration. In 1920, he was provided a personnel placement at Life magazine, a role that enabled him to focus on humor writing. Numerous of his very early pieces consisted of the memorable "The Treasurer's Report" and "The Sex Life of the Polyp."

Benchley's creating design contained completely dry wit and also ridiculing observations, capitivating him to numerous visitors. He quickly became one of America's most preferred satirists, contributing to publications such as Vanity Fair, where he dealt with remarkable contemporaries like Dorothy Parker as well as Robert E. Sherwood. While at Vanity Fair, Benchley belonged to the well-known Algonquin Round Table, a team of writers and also critics who assembled consistently for lunch at the Algonquin Hotel in New York City. This group, which included names like Edna Ferber, Alexander Woollcott, as well as George S. Kaufman, traded repartees and also bon mots, earning a substantial online reputation for their wit and also intellect.

In 1925, Benchley and Sherwood both functioned as dramatization doubters for the publication. Nonetheless, in 1929, after the stock market accident as well as occurring economic crisis, Benchley transitioned from created humor to a career in show business.

Throughout the 1930s and also 1940s, Benchley embarked on a successful occupation as a movie star. He starred in a collection of comical movie shorts, consisting of the Academy Award-winning "How to Sleep" (1935) and also the preferred "That Inferior Feeling" (1940). His distinct design of deadpan humor and also sharp wit divided him from other entertainers of his generation. Benchley likewise showed up in function films, significantly Alfred Hitchcock's "Foreign Correspondent" (1940) and "The Majestic" (1943).

Benchley, who had long fought with alcohol addiction, saw his wellness weaken throughout the 1940s. He ultimately succumbed to cirrhosis of the liver as well as passed away in 1945 at the age of 56.

Robert Benchley's keen funny bone and also ridiculing observations made him a popular figure in American culture throughout his life time. With a huge body of job that envelops his talents as a satirist, writer, as well as star, Benchley left an indelible mark on the globes of literary works and also enjoyment. His influence can be seen in the jobs of comedic titans like Woody Allen, James Thurber, as well as S.J. Perelman, ensuring his legacy endures throughout generations.

Our collection contains 35 quotes who is written / told by Robert, under the main topics: Funny - Travel - Pet.

Related authors: Woody Allen (Director), Peter Benchley (Author), Robert E. Sherwood (Playwright), Edna Ferber (Novelist), James Thurber (Comedian), Alexander Woollcott (Critic), Lawrence Taylor (Athlete), Don Herold (Writer), George S. Kaufman (Dramatist), Alfred Hitchcock (Director)

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35 Famous quotes by Robert Benchley

Small: In America there are two classes of travel - first class, and with children
"In America there are two classes of travel - first class, and with children"
Small: Great literature must spring from an upheaval in the authors soul. If that upheaval is not present then
"Great literature must spring from an upheaval in the author's soul. If that upheaval is not present then it must come from the works of any other author which happens to be handy and easily adapted"
Small: A real hangover is nothing to try out family remedies on. The only cure for a real hangover is death
"A real hangover is nothing to try out family remedies on. The only cure for a real hangover is death"
Small: A great many people have come up to me and asked how I manage to get so much work done and still keep l
"A great many people have come up to me and asked how I manage to get so much work done and still keep looking so dissipated"
Small: Dachshunds are ideal dogs for small children, as they are already stretched and pulled to such a length
"Dachshunds are ideal dogs for small children, as they are already stretched and pulled to such a length that the child cannot do much harm one way or the other"
Small: There is a note in the front of the volume saying that no public reading may be given without first get
"There is a note in the front of the volume saying that no public reading may be given without first getting the author's permission. It ought to be made much more difficult to do than that"
Small: I know Im drinking myself to a slow death, but then Im in no hurry
"I know I'm drinking myself to a slow death, but then I'm in no hurry"
Small: Even nowadays a man cant step up and kill a woman without feeling just a bit unchivalrous
"Even nowadays a man can't step up and kill a woman without feeling just a bit unchivalrous"
Small: Anyone who tries to keep track of what is happening in China is going to end up by wearing all the skin
"Anyone who tries to keep track of what is happening in China is going to end up by wearing all the skin of his left ear from twirling around on it"
Small: We call ourselves a free nation, and yet we let ourselves be told what cabs we can and cant take by a m
"We call ourselves a free nation, and yet we let ourselves be told what cabs we can and can't take by a man at a hotel door, simply because he has a drum major's uniform on"
Small: The surest way to make a monkey of a man is to quote him
"The surest way to make a monkey of a man is to quote him"
Small: The biggest obstacle to professional writing is the necessity for changing a typewriter ribbon
"The biggest obstacle to professional writing is the necessity for changing a typewriter ribbon"
Small: In a house where there are small children the bathroom soon takes on the appearance of the Old Curiosit
"In a house where there are small children the bathroom soon takes on the appearance of the Old Curiosity Shop"
Small: Anyone can do any amount of work, provided it isnt the work he is supposed be doing at that moment
"Anyone can do any amount of work, provided it isn't the work he is supposed be doing at that moment"
Small: Drawing on my fine command of the English language, I said nothing
"Drawing on my fine command of the English language, I said nothing"
Small: A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down
"A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down"
Small: I have tried to know absolutely nothing about a great many things, and I have succeeded fairly well
"I have tried to know absolutely nothing about a great many things, and I have succeeded fairly well"
Small: An ardent supporter of the hometown team should go to a game prepared to take offense, no matter what h
"An ardent supporter of the hometown team should go to a game prepared to take offense, no matter what happens"
Small: After an author has been dead for some time, it becomes increasingly difficult for his publishers to ge
"After an author has been dead for some time, it becomes increasingly difficult for his publishers to get a new book out of him each year"
Small: Why dont you get out of that wet coat and into a dry martini?
"Why don't you get out of that wet coat and into a dry martini?"
Small: We are constantly being surprised that people did things well before we were born
"We are constantly being surprised that people did things well before we were born"
Small: A boy can learn a lot from a dog: obedience, loyalty, and the importance of turning around three times
"A boy can learn a lot from a dog: obedience, loyalty, and the importance of turning around three times before lying down"
Small: Other men wear white suits in summer and it doesnt seem to bother them. But my white suit seems to be a
"Other men wear white suits in summer and it doesn't seem to bother them. But my white suit seems to be a little whiter than theirs. I think also that it may have something written on the back of it, although I can't find it when I take the suit off"
Small: I have been told by hospital authorities that more copies of my works are left behind by departing pati
"I have been told by hospital authorities that more copies of my works are left behind by departing patients than those of any other author"
Small: For a nation which has an almost evil reputation for bustle, bustle, bustle, and rush, rush, rush, we s
"For a nation which has an almost evil reputation for bustle, bustle, bustle, and rush, rush, rush, we spend an enormous amount of time standing around in line in front of windows, just waiting"
Small: Behind every argument is someones ignorance
"Behind every argument is someone's ignorance"
Small: If Mr. Einstein doesnt like the natural laws of the universe, let him go back to where he came from
"If Mr. Einstein doesn't like the natural laws of the universe, let him go back to where he came from"
Small: I do most of my work sitting down thats where I shine
"I do most of my work sitting down; that's where I shine"
Small: Drinking makes such fools of people, and people are such fools to begin with that its compounding a fel
"Drinking makes such fools of people, and people are such fools to begin with that it's compounding a felony"
Small: At fifteen one is first beginning to realize that everything isnt money and power in this world, and is
"At fifteen one is first beginning to realize that everything isn't money and power in this world, and is casting about for joys that do not turn to dross in one's hands"
Small: Tell us your phobias and we will tell you what you are afraid of
"Tell us your phobias and we will tell you what you are afraid of"
Small: The freelance writer is a man who is paid per piece or per word or perhaps
"The freelance writer is a man who is paid per piece or per word or perhaps"
Small: Nothing makes a man feel older than to hear a band coming up the street and not to have the impulse to
"Nothing makes a man feel older than to hear a band coming up the street and not to have the impulse to rush downstairs and out on to the sidewalk"
Small: Most of the arguments to which I am party fall somewhat short of being impressive, owing to the fact th
"Most of the arguments to which I am party fall somewhat short of being impressive, owing to the fact that neither I nor my opponent knows what we are talking about"
Small: It took me fifteen years to discover I had no talent for writing, but I couldnt give it up because by t
"It took me fifteen years to discover I had no talent for writing, but I couldn't give it up because by that time I was too famous"