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Jon T. Benn

Jon T. Benn (30 July 1935 – 9 December 2018)[1] was a businessman, entrepreneur, and actor, who most notably played the mob boss in Way of the Dragon. He was also an adventurer of sorts.

Jon Toby Benn
Born
Jon Toby Benn

July 30, 1935
DiedDecember 9, 2018 (aged 83)
Louisville, Kentucky, United States
NationalityAmerican
Other namesJon Benn
Occupation(s)Businessman, entrepreneur, restaurateur, actor

He wrote a book in reference to Bruce Lee, Remembering Bruce Lee, and subsequently opened a restaurant in Hong Kong, called "the Bruce Lee Cafe".[2]

Background edit

A businessman rather than an actor,[3] Jon T. Benn was the oldest out of five children born to Louis and Florence Benn. He was a tall man, standing at 6.4 who had a liking for fine food, fine drink, fine clothes and pretty women. From his part in Bruce Lee's Way of the Dragon, he had become something of a cult hero. The Hong Kong entrepreneur would get recognition, not only in his country of residence but abroad as well. In many films, Benn has appeared as the cigar smoking Caucasian villain.[4][5]

Benn began a six-shop franchise, the "World's Wurst Sandwich and Sausage".[6] His association with Hong Kong began after having sold 24 gift shops in the United States and wanting to see where he had been buying his goods from, Benn went to Hong Kong in 1971.[7]

Benn played the Mafia boss in Bruce Lee's film, Way of the Dragon which was released in 1973.[8] His getting the part in the movie came about as a result of a cocktail party conversation with Hong Kong film producer Raymond Chow. At the time Benn didn't even know who Bruce Lee was. For his one week of work in the film, he was paid HK$2,000 (US$258). He became friends with Lee and Lee's family would come to his beach house on Lantau Island to go swimming.[6]

Personal life edit

Benn was married at least two times in his life. His first wife was Nancy. They were married in a small church in Carmel, California, July 1959. They kept quiet about the wedding so they could have a larger one some time later with friends and family invited. One of the guests who attended was actress Jayne Mansfield. Benn's marriage with Nancy lasted until 1966.[9] His second wife was Shannon an Asian woman who was thirty years his junior. According to Benn, she was the greatest love of his life.[citation needed] They were married in 1995. Due to the fact that Benn didn't want children, they separated but remained good friends.[10]

Travel and adventures edit

Having studied Spanish in Mexico as a teenager, Benn later ran an English language program there. This was before the nationalization of the media.[6][5]

Film career edit

1960s to 1980s edit

During the 1960s, Benn had either bit parts or double roles in The Magnificent Seven in 1960, John Huston’s Night of the Iguana in 1964. These came about by chance and him happening to be in the right place at the right time.[11][12] Benn appeared as "The Boss" in Way of the Dragon, Bruce Lee's 1972 film which Lee both wrote and directed. It was his role in the film that he got the attention that he is most remembered for.[13][14] In 1980, the Joseph Kong directed Brucesploitation film, The Clones of Bruce Lee was released. Benn played the part of the mad scientist, Professor Lucas who is enlisted by the FBI to create clones of Bruce Lee.[15][16]

1990s to 2000s edit

Benn appeared as a banker in John Derek’s 1990 film which starred Bo Derek, Ghosts Can't Do It.[11][17][18]

In November 1997, Benn was guest of honor at the Brandon Lee Association sponsored convention in England which commemorated the 25th anniversary of Way of the Dragon. Pictures of Benn with Lee and Norris which were taken during the filming of Way of the Dragon appeared in a magazine which covered the silver anniversary event. It appeared that Benn had a popular than ever status as a cult celebrity.[19] Benn was once offered $50 by a Japanese fan for his half smoked cigar.[20] Around that time in the late 90s he was running his Bruce Lee café and sharing his experiences with Lee to patrons.[3]

In 2006, the Ronny Yu directed Fearless which starred Jet Li was released. Benn played the part of the American businessman.[21][22] Benn played a villain in Jakob Montrasio's The Way of the Spur which was released in 2012. Montrasio was thrilled when it was confirmed that Benn would be in the film.[23] Also that year, The Man with the Iron Fists was released. The RZA directed film which starred Russell Crowe, Cung Le, Lucy Liu also featured Pam Grier. Benn played a plantation owner.[24]

Benn's last film role was as the Big Boss in the Scott McQuaid directed sci-fi B film Space Ninjas that was released in 2019. The film starred Dirk Benedict.[25][26] His last film was a documentary short, The Big Boss Remembered. Actor and filmmaker Michael Worth spent several days with Benn and his family in Kentucky for documentary on Bruceploitation. This short film came about as a result of Worth putting it together with an interview that Benn insisted on and Benn's brother Rick organizing the shoot. Benn who had been diagnosed with blood cancer and wasn't sure how long he had left to live and said that Worth should come out to see him as soon as possible. Benn and Worth had actually met 20 years prior to this. He died several weeks later.[27]

Filmography edit

Selective list
Title Year Role Director Notes #
The Magnificent Seven 1960 Horseman John Sturges Uncredited bit part
The Night of the Iguana 1964 John Huston Extra[11][6]
The Way of the Dragon 1972 The mob boss Bruce Lee [28]
Enter Three Dragons 1978 Joseph Kong Bruceploitation film[citation needed]
The Clones of Bruce Lee 1980 Professor Lucas Joseph Kong Bruceploitation film
Challenge of the Tiger 1980 Head of the agency Bruce Le Uncredited, Bruceploitation film [28]
The Unwritten Law 1985 Ng See-yuen [citation needed]
Ghosts Can't Do It 1989 Banker John Derek Uncredited[11][17][18]
Death by Misadventure: The Mysterious Life of Bruce Lee 1993 Himself Toby Russell Documentary
Bruce Lee: The Legend Lives On 1999 Himself James Harker, Ray Santilli TV movie, documentary [28]
Century Hero 1999 Kai-Keung Sze Documentary
Aka Bruce Lee: Century Hero
aka Chin hei goeu lung[citation needed]
The Jon Benn Interview 2001 Himself /Thug's boss
(segment Way of the Dragon)
Short
Phoenix Films production
Fearless 2006 The American Businessman Ronny Yu
Swat Chicks: Shanghai 2020 2009 Severin Bonnichon, Xu Li
Gianpaolo Lupori, Juan Vargas
Short
Bruce Lee: In Pursuit of the Dragon 2009 Himself John Little Documentary
East Wind Rain 2010 Priest Yunlong Liu
Goodbye Shanghai 2010 Mac Donald Adam Christian Clark Voice, Short
Kang: The New Legend Begins 2010 Mafia Boss Richard Chung Short
The Man with the Iron Fists 2012 Master John RZA As Jon Benn
The Way of the Spur 2012 Weilong Jakob Montrasio aka Shangdown: The Way of the Spur
Space Ninjas 2019 Big Boss Scott McQuaid (final film role)[28]
Jon Benn – "The Big Boss Remembered" 2019 Himself Michael Worth [27]

Literature edit

  • Remembering Bruce Lee: And Jon Benn's Other Adventures by Jon T. Benn - Blacksmith Books - ISBN 988161399X
  • Impact August 1998 (Interviews with Benny Urquidez pt.2, Jon Benn etc.)
  • Bruce Lee Review No. 6 (Special Appearance by Jon Benn)

References edit

  1. ^ The Bruceploitation Blog, December 10, 2018 - The “Big Boss”, Jon Benn, of Bruce Lee’s classic film, passes away at 83
  2. ^ Simon Yam - Jon Benn
  3. ^ a b The Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb 2019 - LEE Continued from Fl
  4. ^ China.org.cn, (Shanghai Daily) March 19, 2009 - Always the wicked laowai - mafioso, magnate, spy
  5. ^ a b The Courier-Journal, January 3, 1998 - Page 28 'BIG BOSS' By JUDITH EGERTON
  6. ^ a b c d China.org.cn, (Shanghai Daily) March 19, 2009 - Always the wicked laowai - mafioso, magnate, spy
  7. ^ Eastern Film Fans - Jon T Benn Interview By econdor
  8. ^ BBC - Way of the Dragon (aka Return of the Dragon) DVD (1973) Reviewed by Almar Haflidason
  9. ^ Remembering Bruce Lee And John Benn's Other Adventures, by Jon T. Benn - ISBN 978-988-16139-9-8 - Pages 165 to 170
  10. ^ Remembering Bruce Lee And John Benn's Other Adventures, by Jon T. Benn - ISBN 978-988-16139-9-8 - FOR THE LOVE OF A BEIJING BEAUTY Pages 271 to 278
  11. ^ a b c d Yes! Weekly, September 16, 2015 - Star struck: Heroes of the silver screen
  12. ^ China.org.cn, (Shanghai Daily) March 19, 2009 - Always the wicked laowai - mafioso, magnate, spy
  13. ^ DVD Talk, July 3, 2001 - Bruce Lee: The Master Collection
  14. ^ ABS-CBN, Feb 21 2011 - Italian seeks kung-fu stardom in Shanghai By D'Arcy Doran, Agence France-Presse
  15. ^ '80s Action Movies on the Cheap: 284 Low Budget, High Impact Pictures, By Daniel R. Budnik - Page 8
  16. ^ Kung Fu Cult Masters, By Leon Hunt - Page 79 Cloning the Dragon
  17. ^ a b Blu-ray.com - Actor, Jon T. Benn
  18. ^ a b Videospace - Ghosts Can't Do It (1989), (Show all credits), Cast
  19. ^ The Courier-Journal, January 3, 1998 - Page 28 'BIG BOSS' By JUDITH EGERTON
  20. ^ CNN, Asiaweek - ALIVE AND KICKING
    25 years after his death, Bruce Lee still hypnotizes movie fans
    By Ajay Singh Hong Kong
  21. ^ Irish Examiner, Friday, June 23, 2006 - Jet Li gets the chop after Fearless film
  22. ^ ComingSoon.net, September 20, 2006 - Jet Li’s Fearless By Joshua Starnes
  23. ^ Lostlaowai.com, January 13, 2011 - Shangdown — Interview with Shanghai spaghetti western director Jakob Montrasio
  24. ^ Screen Rant, Nov 02, 2012 - 'The Man with the Iron Fists' Review By Kofi Outlaw
  25. ^ The Fan Carpet, 15 July 2019 - Plastic Monkey Films’ Debut Feature SPACE NINJAS Featuring Battlestar Galactica Legend is Dirk Benedict is NOW Available On Amazon Prime
  26. ^ The Echo, 14th November 2018 - News, Southend-born filmmaker to screen debut Malaysian film at town's horror festival By Ellis Whitehouse
  27. ^ a b The Bruceploitation Blog, January 10, 2019 - Jon Benn – “The Big Boss Remembered”, Short Film
  28. ^ a b c d IMDb - Jon T. Benn, Filmography

External links edit

  • Jon T. Benn at IMDb
  • Jon Benn Q&A
  • Interview in Smartshanghai 05.2013
  • Kenton Public Library - Images of Jon Toby Benn

benn, july, 1935, december, 2018, businessman, entrepreneur, actor, most, notably, played, boss, dragon, also, adventurer, sorts, toby, bennbornjon, toby, bennjuly, 1935new, york, city, united, statesdieddecember, 2018, aged, louisville, kentucky, united, stat. Jon T Benn 30 July 1935 9 December 2018 1 was a businessman entrepreneur and actor who most notably played the mob boss in Way of the Dragon He was also an adventurer of sorts Jon Toby BennBornJon Toby BennJuly 30 1935New York City United StatesDiedDecember 9 2018 aged 83 Louisville Kentucky United StatesNationalityAmericanOther namesJon BennOccupation s Businessman entrepreneur restaurateur actorHe wrote a book in reference to Bruce Lee Remembering Bruce Lee and subsequently opened a restaurant in Hong Kong called the Bruce Lee Cafe 2 Contents 1 Background 2 Personal life 3 Travel and adventures 4 Film career 4 1 1960s to 1980s 4 2 1990s to 2000s 5 Filmography 6 Literature 7 References 8 External linksBackground editA businessman rather than an actor 3 Jon T Benn was the oldest out of five children born to Louis and Florence Benn He was a tall man standing at 6 4 who had a liking for fine food fine drink fine clothes and pretty women From his part in Bruce Lee s Way of the Dragon he had become something of a cult hero The Hong Kong entrepreneur would get recognition not only in his country of residence but abroad as well In many films Benn has appeared as the cigar smoking Caucasian villain 4 5 Benn began a six shop franchise the World s Wurst Sandwich and Sausage 6 His association with Hong Kong began after having sold 24 gift shops in the United States and wanting to see where he had been buying his goods from Benn went to Hong Kong in 1971 7 Benn played the Mafia boss in Bruce Lee s film Way of the Dragon which was released in 1973 8 His getting the part in the movie came about as a result of a cocktail party conversation with Hong Kong film producer Raymond Chow At the time Benn didn t even know who Bruce Lee was For his one week of work in the film he was paid HK 2 000 US 258 He became friends with Lee and Lee s family would come to his beach house on Lantau Island to go swimming 6 Personal life editBenn was married at least two times in his life His first wife was Nancy They were married in a small church in Carmel California July 1959 They kept quiet about the wedding so they could have a larger one some time later with friends and family invited One of the guests who attended was actress Jayne Mansfield Benn s marriage with Nancy lasted until 1966 9 His second wife was Shannon an Asian woman who was thirty years his junior According to Benn she was the greatest love of his life citation needed They were married in 1995 Due to the fact that Benn didn t want children they separated but remained good friends 10 Travel and adventures editHaving studied Spanish in Mexico as a teenager Benn later ran an English language program there This was before the nationalization of the media 6 5 Film career edit1960s to 1980s edit During the 1960s Benn had either bit parts or double roles in The Magnificent Seven in 1960 John Huston s Night of the Iguana in 1964 These came about by chance and him happening to be in the right place at the right time 11 12 Benn appeared as The Boss in Way of the Dragon Bruce Lee s 1972 film which Lee both wrote and directed It was his role in the film that he got the attention that he is most remembered for 13 14 In 1980 the Joseph Kong directed Brucesploitation film The Clones of Bruce Lee was released Benn played the part of the mad scientist Professor Lucas who is enlisted by the FBI to create clones of Bruce Lee 15 16 1990s to 2000s edit Benn appeared as a banker in John Derek s 1990 film which starred Bo Derek Ghosts Can t Do It 11 17 18 In November 1997 Benn was guest of honor at the Brandon Lee Association sponsored convention in England which commemorated the 25th anniversary of Way of the Dragon Pictures of Benn with Lee and Norris which were taken during the filming of Way of the Dragon appeared in a magazine which covered the silver anniversary event It appeared that Benn had a popular than ever status as a cult celebrity 19 Benn was once offered 50 by a Japanese fan for his half smoked cigar 20 Around that time in the late 90s he was running his Bruce Lee cafe and sharing his experiences with Lee to patrons 3 In 2006 the Ronny Yu directed Fearless which starred Jet Li was released Benn played the part of the American businessman 21 22 Benn played a villain in Jakob Montrasio s The Way of the Spur which was released in 2012 Montrasio was thrilled when it was confirmed that Benn would be in the film 23 Also that year The Man with the Iron Fists was released The RZA directed film which starred Russell Crowe Cung Le Lucy Liu also featured Pam Grier Benn played a plantation owner 24 Benn s last film role was as the Big Boss in the Scott McQuaid directed sci fi B film Space Ninjas that was released in 2019 The film starred Dirk Benedict 25 26 His last film was a documentary short The Big Boss Remembered Actor and filmmaker Michael Worth spent several days with Benn and his family in Kentucky for documentary on Bruceploitation This short film came about as a result of Worth putting it together with an interview that Benn insisted on and Benn s brother Rick organizing the shoot Benn who had been diagnosed with blood cancer and wasn t sure how long he had left to live and said that Worth should come out to see him as soon as possible Benn and Worth had actually met 20 years prior to this He died several weeks later 27 Filmography editSelective list Title Year Role Director Notes The Magnificent Seven 1960 Horseman John Sturges Uncredited bit partThe Night of the Iguana 1964 John Huston Extra 11 6 The Way of the Dragon 1972 The mob boss Bruce Lee 28 Enter Three Dragons 1978 Joseph Kong Bruceploitation film citation needed The Clones of Bruce Lee 1980 Professor Lucas Joseph Kong Bruceploitation filmChallenge of the Tiger 1980 Head of the agency Bruce Le Uncredited Bruceploitation film 28 The Unwritten Law 1985 Ng See yuen citation needed Ghosts Can t Do It 1989 Banker John Derek Uncredited 11 17 18 Death by Misadventure The Mysterious Life of Bruce Lee 1993 Himself Toby Russell DocumentaryBruce Lee The Legend Lives On 1999 Himself James Harker Ray Santilli TV movie documentary 28 Century Hero 1999 Kai Keung Sze DocumentaryAka Bruce Lee Century Heroaka Chin hei goeu lung citation needed The Jon Benn Interview 2001 Himself Thug s boss segment Way of the Dragon ShortPhoenix Films productionFearless 2006 The American Businessman Ronny YuSwat Chicks Shanghai 2020 2009 Severin Bonnichon Xu LiGianpaolo Lupori Juan Vargas ShortBruce Lee In Pursuit of the Dragon 2009 Himself John Little DocumentaryEast Wind Rain 2010 Priest Yunlong LiuGoodbye Shanghai 2010 Mac Donald Adam Christian Clark Voice ShortKang The New Legend Begins 2010 Mafia Boss Richard Chung ShortThe Man with the Iron Fists 2012 Master John RZA As Jon BennThe Way of the Spur 2012 Weilong Jakob Montrasio aka Shangdown The Way of the SpurSpace Ninjas 2019 Big Boss Scott McQuaid final film role 28 Jon Benn The Big Boss Remembered 2019 Himself Michael Worth 27 Literature editRemembering Bruce Lee And Jon Benn s Other Adventures by Jon T Benn Blacksmith Books ISBN 988161399X Impact August 1998 Interviews with Benny Urquidez pt 2 Jon Benn etc Bruce Lee Review No 6 Special Appearance by Jon Benn References edit The Bruceploitation Blog December 10 2018 The Big Boss Jon Benn of Bruce Lee s classic film passes away at 83 Simon Yam Jon Benn a b The Los Angeles Times 10 Feb 2019 LEE Continued from Fl China org cn Shanghai Daily March 19 2009 Always the wicked laowai mafioso magnate spy a b The Courier Journal January 3 1998 Page 28 BIG BOSS By JUDITH EGERTON a b c d China org cn Shanghai Daily March 19 2009 Always the wicked laowai mafioso magnate spy Eastern Film Fans Jon T Benn Interview By econdor BBC Way of the Dragon aka Return of the Dragon DVD 1973 Reviewed by Almar Haflidason Remembering Bruce Lee And John Benn s Other Adventures by Jon T Benn ISBN 978 988 16139 9 8 Pages 165 to 170 Remembering Bruce Lee And John Benn s Other Adventures by Jon T Benn ISBN 978 988 16139 9 8 FOR THE LOVE OF A BEIJING BEAUTY Pages 271 to 278 a b c d Yes Weekly September 16 2015 Star struck Heroes of the silver screen China org cn Shanghai Daily March 19 2009 Always the wicked laowai mafioso magnate spy DVD Talk July 3 2001 Bruce Lee The Master Collection ABS CBN Feb 21 2011 Italian seeks kung fu stardom in Shanghai By D Arcy Doran Agence France Presse 80s Action Movies on the Cheap 284 Low Budget High Impact Pictures By Daniel R Budnik Page 8 Kung Fu Cult Masters By Leon Hunt Page 79 Cloning the Dragon a b Blu ray com Actor Jon T Benn a b Videospace Ghosts Can t Do It 1989 Show all credits Cast The Courier Journal January 3 1998 Page 28 BIG BOSS By JUDITH EGERTON CNN Asiaweek ALIVE AND KICKING25 years after his death Bruce Lee still hypnotizes movie fansBy Ajay Singh Hong Kong Irish Examiner Friday June 23 2006 Jet Li gets the chop after Fearless film ComingSoon net September 20 2006 Jet Li s Fearless By Joshua Starnes Lostlaowai com January 13 2011 Shangdown Interview with Shanghai spaghetti western director Jakob Montrasio Screen Rant Nov 02 2012 The Man with the Iron Fists Review By Kofi Outlaw The Fan Carpet 15 July 2019 Plastic Monkey Films Debut Feature SPACE NINJAS Featuring Battlestar Galactica Legend is Dirk Benedict is NOW Available On Amazon Prime The Echo 14th November 2018 News Southend born filmmaker to screen debut Malaysian film at town s horror festival By Ellis Whitehouse a b The Bruceploitation Blog January 10 2019 Jon Benn The Big Boss Remembered Short Film a b c d IMDb Jon T Benn FilmographyExternal links editJon T Benn at IMDb Jon Benn Q amp A Interview in Smartshanghai 05 2013 Kenton Public Library Images of Jon Toby Benn Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Jon T Benn amp oldid 1190256500, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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