This page uses content from the Larry Drake biography page on the English version of Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. This list of authors can be seen in the page history. Rotten Tomatoes disclaims any and all warranties as to the accuracy or reliability of the content.

Larry Drake (born on February 21, 1950 in Tulsa, Oklahoma) is an Emmy Award winning American actor.

Drake is most renowned for his portrayal of Benny Stulwicz on the television show L.A. Law from 1987 until the show's end in 1994, for which he won two consecutive Emmy Awards (1988, 1989). Benny was a developmentally disabled man who first came into the show when he was ordered to rob a shop, which he immediately did. Because of his mental impairment and a trusting nature, he was at the mercy of unscrupulous people. Benny was then offered a job at McKenzie Brackman (the firm featured in L.A. Law) as a messenger, delivering mail between court and the firm and working in the office organising files and case studies. Later, he had a steady girlfriend, also with a disability, played by Amanda Plummer. He also came back to the part of Benny in L.A. Law: The Movie, a "reunion" movie aired on NBC in 2002.

As a result of his role as Benny, Drake has said that strangers would often treat him like he is actually like Benny Stulwicz: "People were always coming up to me and treating me like I was slow. I would have to tell them 'I'm not really retarded, the character I play on TV is retarded.' It was actually pretty flattering because it showed that these people thought my acting was really that convincing."

Drake also appeared in Time Quest, Dark Asylum, Paranoid, Bean, Overnight Delivery, The Beast, The Journey of August King, Murder in New Hampshire, Dr. Giggles, Darkman, Darkman II: The Return of Durant, The Taming of the Shrew (1983) and The Dark Night of the Scarecrow. He was also a regular on the 1998 science-fiction TV show Prey. He also provided the voiceover for Pops on Johnny Bravo.

Guest appearances

Drake has made guest appearances in several television programs, including:

• Tales from the Crypt ("And All Through the House" and "The Secret")
• Superman: The Animated Series
• Fantasy Island ("Estrogen")
• Star Trek: Voyager ("Critical Care")
• Stargate SG-1 ("Beast of Burden")
• Six Feet Under ("The Last Time")
• Justice League ("Maid of Honor")
• Firefly ("Shindig")
• "Nero Wolfe", an A&E TV series.

He also appeared on the L.A. Law special of The Weakest Link in May 2002, along with Michele Greene (Abby Perkins), Conchata Ferrell (Susan Bloom) and Sheila Kelley (Gwen Taylor).

External links

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