Editing Richard Benjamin (section)

===Supporting actor===
Benjamin supported [[Walter Matthau]] and [[George Burns]] in the film adaptation of [[Neil Simon]]'s ''[[The Sunshine Boys (1975 film)|The Sunshine Boys]]'' (1975), for which he won a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture|Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture]]. He starred with Prentiss in ''[[The Norman Conquests]]'' (1975–76) on Broadway, which went for 76 performances. The couple went to Australia to make ''[[No Room to Run]]'' (1978). In Hollywood, Benjamin supported Matthau and [[Glenda Jackson]] in ''[[House Calls (1978 film)|House Calls]]'' (1978).

In 1978, he starred in the ambitious but short-lived television series ''[[Quark (TV series)|Quark]]''.<ref>{{cite web|work=[[The New York Times]]|title=A Space Garbage Man and His Eclectic Crew|first=Frank|last=Decaro|date=December 24, 2008|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/28/arts/television/28deca.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=RICHARD BENJAMIN: in the 'Get Smart' of sci-fi|author=Simmons, Charitey|work=Chicago Tribune|date=March 19, 1978|page=j3}}</ref> The same year he appeared in a TV film ''[[Fame (1979 film)|Fame]]'', written by [[Arthur Miller]]. Benjamin played a frustrated fiancé of a woman who falls for the vampire Count Dracula in the surprise box-office smash ''[[Love at First Bite]]'' (1979) starring [[George Hamilton (actor)|George Hamilton]] and [[Susan Saint James]].<ref>{{cite web|work=[[The New York Times]]|title=Love At First Bite (1979) Screen: 'Love at First Bite,' Dracula's 'Plaza Suite': Full-Blooded Humor|author-link=Janet Maslin|first=Janet|last=Maslin|date=April 13, 1979|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9E07E0DC1739E732A25750C1A9629C946890D6CF}}</ref>

Benjamin has hosted ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' twice, once by himself on April 7, 1979 and the other nearly a year later on April 5, 1980 with his wife [[Paula Prentiss]].<ref>{{Citation|last1=Wilson|first1=Dave|title=Richard Benjamin/Rickie Lee Jones|date=1979-04-07|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0694926/|type=Comedy, Music|others=Richard Benjamin, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Jane Curtin|publisher=NBC Productions|access-date=2020-12-28|last2=Signorelli|first2=James|last3=Slesin|first3=Aviva}}</ref> He was top billed in ''[[Scavenger Hunt (film)|Scavenger Hunt]]'' (1979), an ensemble film.

Benjamin had directed in theatre and was keen to do it in film. In 1979, Benjamin directed for the first time, creating a pilot for a sitcom spin-off of the film ''[[Where's Poppa?]]'' by Carl Reiner. "The pilot turned out really well," said Benjamin. "But I don't think ABC ever quite 'got' it. They never did put the show on the air... At least I could prove that I wasn't nuts, that I really had actually directed something."<ref>{{cite news|title=It's no act: Benjamin happiest as a director|edition=MET|author=Rob Salem|work=TORONTO STAR|date=August 26, 1994|page=B1}}</ref> He directed one episode of the 1980 TV series ''[[Semi-Tough (TV series)|Semi-Tough]]''.

Benjamin had supporting roles in ''[[The Last Married Couple in America]]'' (1980), ''[[How to Beat the High Co$t of Living]]'' (1980), ''[[Witches' Brew (film)|Witches' Brew]]'' (1980), and ''[[First Family (film)|First Family]]'' (1980). He and Prentiss played the leads in ''[[Saturday the 14th]]'' (1981). They also began hosting corporate videos.