Please Rewind Talent Wall

Ben Hammer

Ben Hammer was an American actor whose work encompassed television, film and the stage. Born in Brooklyn on December 8, 1924, he belonged to a generation of performers for whom acting was not confined to one format. His professional life is associated with all three major branches of the craft, with character acting providing the clearest description of his place in the business. That designation matters. Character actors are often the performers who give a story its texture, stepping into supporting parts rather than relying on a single kind of leading role. Hammer’s association with stage acting also places live performance alongside his screen work, while his film and television credits establish him as an actor able to move between different forms of storytelling. With no Ben Hammer movie currently connected to the Please Rewind archive, his Talent Wall profile begins with the broad shape of that career: a Brooklyn-born performer who worked as a stage, film and television actor. It is a concise record, but one that reflects the varied working life suggested by the term character actor—a profession built around inhabiting roles and serving the needs of each production. Hammer died in 2017, at the age of 92. His life stretched across decades of change in American entertainment, from the continuing importance of theatre to the expanding reach of film and television. On the Talent Wall, he is remembered as an actor whose career crossed those boundaries rather than remaining within just one of them.