Brenda Benet (August 14, 1945 (Hollywood, California) - April 7, 1982 (West Hollywood, California)) was an American actress. She is best remembered for her roles on the television soap operas The Young Marrieds and Days of our Lives and in the original Walking Tall film. She also appeared in three episodes of the 1960s sitcom, Hogan's Heroes.
Benet was born Brenda Ann Nelson in Hollywood, California, on August 14th, 1945. This came a day before Japan surrendered and a month before World War II ended. After attending UCLA for a time, majoring in language, she went into acting. Her first acting roles occured in 1964 when she made guest appearances on the television shows Shindig! and Wendy and Me before performing her breakthrough role as Jill McComb on the soap opera, The Young Married. She would become an actress much in demand by episodic prime time television shows in the 1960s and 1970s, appearing in such TV shows as I Dream of Jeannie, Mannix, Hogan's Heroes, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, My Three Sons, Love, American Style and It Takes a Thief. She would also have an important role in the film, Walking Tall, playing a kind-hearted prostitute.
Although most of her roles would have her playing characters who were either sweet or seductive, Benet would become best known for her recurring role as scheming villainess Lee Dumonde on the popular daytime serial Days of our Lives, a role she would play from 1979 until her death in 1982, as her character was constantly trying to break up one of the show's popular couples, Doug and Julie, thus outraging the show's fans.
Benet would be married twice, the first time to The Donna Reed Show star, Paul Petersen in 1967. Their marriage would last until 1971, when they got a divorce. Two years before, in 1969, Benet had already left Petersen for actor Bill Bixby, marrying him after she had gotten her divorce from Petersen. She and Bixby would have a son, Christopher, in 1974, but they would later divorce in 1980. A year later, in 1981, Benet's son Christopher, during a skiing vacation, would go into cardiac arrest and later die. It is believed that both his death and her divorce from Bixby would lead her to commit suicide via a self-inflicted gun wound, on April 7, 1982 at the young age of 36. At the time of her death, she was in a relationship with future pundit Tammy Bruce.
Filmography[]
- Days of our Lives (1965) (TV Series) (1979-1982)
- Walking Tall (1973)
- The Horror at 37,000 Feet (1973) (TV)
- Wednesday Night Out (1972) (TV)
- Where the Heart Is (1969) (TV Series)
- Track of Thunder (1967)
- The Young Marrieds (1964) (TV Series) (1965-1966)
- Harem Scarum (1965)
- Beach Ball (1965)
Notable TV Guest Appearances[]
- Father Murphy playing "Rachel Hansen" in episode: "The Heir Apparent" (episode # 1.15) 23 February 1982
- The Incredible Hulk playing "Annie Caplan" (as Brenda Benét) in episode: "The Psychic" (episode # 3.18) 22 February 1980
- The Hollywood Squares playing "Herself" in episode: "Episode dated 3 December 1979" 3 December 1979
- Carter Country playing "Natalya" in episode: "The Russians Are Coming" (episode # 2.11) 13 January 1979
- Fantasy Island playing "Ginny Winthrop" (as Brenda Benét) in episode: "Charlie's Cherubs/Stalag 3" (episode # 2.12) 9 December 1978
- Wonder Woman playing "Morgana" (as Brenda Benét) in episode: "Diana's Disappearing Act" (episode # 2.15) 3 February 1978
- The Love Boat playing "Maureen Mitchell" in episode: "Message for Maureen/Gotcha/Acapulco Connection" (episode # 1.4) 15 October 1977
- Spencer's Pilots playing "Marie del Gardo" in episode: "The Hunted" (episode # 1.8) 5 November 1976
- Mannix playing "Edie" in episode: "A World Called Courage" (episode # 8.13) 5 January 1975
- Celebrity Sweepstakes playing "Herself" in episode: "Episode dated 24 June 1974" 24 June 1974
- The Magician playing "Joanna Marsh/Osborne" in episode: "Illusion in Terror" (episode # 1.3) 23 October 1973
- Search playing "Carol Lesco" (as Brenda Benét) in episode: "The Adonis File" (episode # 1.9) 15 November 1972
- Love, American Style playing "Actress" in episode: "Love and the Test of Manhood" (episode # 3.20d) 11 February 1972
- This Is Your Life playing "Herself" in episode: "Bill Bixby" 7 November 1971
- The Virginian playing "Susan Masters" in episode: "The Town Killer" (episode # 9.22) 10 March 1971
- The Courtship of Eddie's Father playing "Brenda" (as Brenda Benét) in episode: "The Lonely Weekend" (episode # 2.20) 17 February 1971
- Mannix playing "Helen Parish" in episode: "The Judas Touch" (episode # 4.16) 16 January 1971
- The Most Deadly Game playing "Mindy" in episode: The Lady from Praha" (episode # 1.11) 9 January 1971
- Love, American Style playing "Sydney Carson" in episode: "Love and the Young Executive" (episode # 2.9) 20 November 1970
- Hogan's Heroes playing "Marie Bizet" in episode: "Cuisine à la Stalag 13" (episode # 6.1) 20 September 1970
- Paris 7000 playing "Actress" in episode: "Call Me Ellen" (episode # 1.10) 26 March 1970
- My Three Sons playing "Maureen Morgan" in episode: "Double Jealousy" (episode # 10.15) 17 January 1970
- Death Valley Days playing "Chela" in episode: "The King of the Uvalde Road" (episode # 18.10) 1 January 1970
- It Takes a Thief playing "Angela Peters" (as Brenda Benét) in episode: "The Scorpio Drop" (episode # 3.14) 25 December 1969
- Love, American Style playing "Lila" in episode: "Love and the Bachelor" (episode # 1.12a) 22 December 1969
- Hogan's Heroes playing "Janine Robinet" in episode: "The Antique" (episode # 5.12) 12 December 1969
- The F.B.I. playing "Stewardess" in episode: "Flight" (episode # 5.7) 26 October 1969
- To Rome with Love playing "Tina" in episode: "Pilot" (episode # 1.1) 28 September 1969
- The High Chaparral playing "Anita de Santiago y Armistad" in episode: "The Lion Sleeps" (episode # 2.25) 28 March 1969
- It Takes a Thief playing "Nicole" in episode: "A Matter of Royal Larceny" (episode # 1.15) 23 April 1968
- Hogan's Heroes playing "Janine Robinet" in episode: "Is There a Doctor in the House?" (episode # 3.18) 6 January 1968
- The Green Hornet playing "Girl" in episode: "Alias the Scarf" (episode # 1.22) 24 February 1967
- The Iron Horse playing "Kitty Clayborne" in episode: "Banner with a Strange Device" (episode # 1.22) 6 February 1967
- I Dream of Jeannie playing "Eleanor" in episode: "Jeannie Goes to Honolulu" (episode # 3.14) 26 December 1967
- My Three Sons playing "Elyse" in episode: "Happy Birthday, World" (episode # 7.9) 17 November 1966
- Daniel Boone playing "Princess Little Fawn" (as Brenda Benét) in episode: "The Matchmaker" (episode # 3.7) 27 October 1966
- The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. playing "Gizelle" in episode: "The Prisoner of Zalamar Affair" (episode # 1.2) 20 September 1966
- McHale's Navy playing "Karema" in episode: "Will the Real Admiral Please Stand Up?" (episode # 3.29) 6 April 1965
- Wendy and Me playing "Actress" in episode: "How Not to Succeed in Stealing" (episode # 1.24) 1 March 1965
- Wendy and Me playing "Shamir" in episode: "East Is East and West Is Wendy" (episode # 1.13) 7 December 1964
- Shindig! playing "Dancer" in episode: "Episode #1.2" (episode # 1.2) 23 September 1964
- Shindig! playing "Herself - Dancer" in episode: "Episode #1.1" (episode # 1.1) 16 September 1964
- The New Steve Allen Show playing "Herself" in episode: "Episode dated 28 November 1963" 28 November 1963