Daniel Benzali

Acting

Daniel Benzali

Born

1946-01-20 (80)

Place of birth

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Known for

Acting

Credits

57 titles

Daniel Benzali (born January 20, 1946) is a Brazilian-American stage, television and film actor. Benzali was a theatre actor before making guest-starring roles on television series such as Star Trek: The Next Generation, The X-Files, NYPD Blue and L.A. Law. L.A. Law creator Steven Bochco was so impressed with Benzali's performance that he cast him in the lead role of his 1995 series Murder One, playing attorney Ted Hoffman. For this role he was nominated for a Golden Globe award. More recently, Benzali starred on the series The Agency, and in films such as By Dawn's Early Light (1990), Murder at 1600 (1997) and The Grey Zone (2001). He also appeared in the post-apocalyptic CBS series Jericho…

Known for

Law & Order poster
7.3

In cases ripped from the headlines, police investigate serious and often deadly crimes, weighing the evidence and questioning the suspects until someone is taken into custody. The district attorney's office then builds a case to convict the perpetrator by proving the person guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Working together, these expert teams navigate all sides of the complex criminal justice system to make New York a safer place.

Law & Order

1990

The X-Files poster
8.4

The exploits of FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully who investigate X-Files: marginalized, unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena. Mulder believes in the existence of aliens and the paranormal while Scully, a skeptic, is assigned to make scientific analyses of Mulder's discoveries that debunk Mulder's work and thus return him to mainstream cases.

The X-Files

1993

Star Trek: The Next Generation poster
8.4

Follow the intergalactic adventures of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard and his loyal crew aboard the all-new USS Enterprise NCC-1701D, as they explore new worlds.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

1987

NYPD Blue poster
7.1

Police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwined several plots involving an ensemble cast.

NYPD Blue

1993

Nip/Tuck poster
7.2

Hotshot plastic surgeons Dr. Sean McNamara and Dr. Christian Troy experience full-blown midlife crises as they confront career, family and romance problems.

Nip/Tuck

2003

Californication poster
7.6

A self-loathing, alcoholic writer attempts to repair his damaged relationships with his daughter and her mother while combating sex addiction, a budding drug problem, and the seeming inability to avoid making bad decisions.

Californication

2007

Film credits

2000s · 7 titles

The Grey Zone poster
6.6

The story of Auschwitz's twelfth Sonderkommando — one of the thirteen consecutive "Special Squads" of Jewish prisoners placed by the Nazis in the excruciating moral dilemma of assisting in the extermination of fellow Jews in exchange for a few more months of life.

The Grey Zone

2001

Screwed poster
5.5

A chauffeur kidnaps his rich boss's dog to hold it for ransom, but when she accidentally gets the dog back, she thinks that it's the chauffeur who's been kidnapped.

Screwed

2000

Boss of Bosses poster
5.9

The story of the rise and fall of the powerful New York City organized crime boss, Paul Castellano.

Boss of Bosses

2001

Dead Heat poster
5.5

Boston cop Pally is forced into early retirement, putting a strain on his marriage. Pally's stepbrother, Ray, attempts to lift his spirits by tipping him off to a sure-bet racehorse. But their attempts to secure the champion equine are thwarted by a local mob boss, who steals the horse as repayment for a gambling debt. With their investment on the line, Pally and Ray become entangled in a web of underworld crime and murder.

Dead Heat

2002

If I Had Known I Was a Genius poster
4.1

A teenager with a high I.Q. who decides to become an actor. When his TV show gets cancelled, he is faced with a difficult career choice.

If I Had Known I Was a Genius

2007

Vegas, City of Dreams poster
3.4

When the body of Gabrielle Garrett is found on Lake Mead on a Christmas day, the coroner rules it as suicide. However, her three sisters begin their own investigation, which leads them to Byron Lord and the dark Las Vegas underworld.

Vegas, City of Dreams

2001

Believers poster
4.6

Two paramedics responding to an emergency call find themselves kidnapped by a religious sect whose great obsession is to stop the end of the world by committing suicide and killing people.

Believers

2007

1990s · 14 titles

Murder at 1600 poster
6.1

A secretary is found dead in a White House bathroom during an international crisis, and Detective Harlan Regis is in charge of the investigation. Despite resistance from the Secret Service, Regis partners with agent Nina Chance. As political tensions rise, they learn that the crime could be part of an elaborate cover-up. Framed as traitors, the pair, plus Regis' partner, break into the White House in order to expose the true culprit.

Murder at 1600

1997

The Distinguished Gentleman poster
6.0

A Florida con man uses the recent death of the long time Congressman from his district, who he just happens to share a last name with, to get elected to his version of paradise, the U.S. Congress, where the money flows from lobbyists.

The Distinguished Gentleman

1992

By Dawn's Early Light poster
6.5

A nuclear warhead launched by Soviet insurgents protesting the waning Cold War destroys the Ukrainian city of Donetsk. The destruction sets off a race between American and Soviet politicians to prevent a nuclear holocaust. While the U.S. president feverishly works to keep the military and political machine from going into overdrive, various subordinates panic. When the president is believed to be killed in a helicopter crash, zealous advisers take over.

By Dawn's Early Light

1990

The End of Violence poster
5.4

In Hollywood, the lives of a successful film producer, his wife, a police detective and a surveillance agent intersect after a botched abduction.

The End of Violence

1997

Her Married Lover poster
3.1

Film editor Katie and suspense novelist Richard share an erotically charged moment during a hostage crisis, before embarking on a rapturous affair. When Richard’s wife is killed in a suspicious accident, the lovers are accused of murder.

Her Married Lover

1999

The Rockford Files: I Still Love L.A. poster
6.4

Detective Jim Rockford works to uncover facts of the death of a wealthy socialite whose two grown children are accused of murdering her. Complicating matters are Rockford's omnipresent "friend" Angel, and Rockford's ex-wife Kit, a lawyer who represents the children.

The Rockford Files: I Still Love L.A.

1994

The Last of His Tribe poster
7.0

Ishi, the last Yahi Indian of California, must leave his homeland and learn to navigate the world of the white man in order to survive.

The Last of His Tribe

1992

All the Little Animals poster
6.0

An emotionally challenged young man named Bobby runs away from home in order to escape his abusive stepfather who has killed his pets. He meets an old man, Mr. Summers, who spends his time traveling and giving burials to animals that have been killed by cars. Bobby, also having an affinity for animals, becomes friends with the old man and aids him in his task.

All the Little Animals

1999

Afterburn poster
4.2

Based on a true story, one woman takes on the U.S. military and General Dynamics; maker of the F-16, thought to be the very best tactical fighter in the world. Air Force Captain Theodore T. Harduvel was one of the best F-16 pilots the U.S. had to offer. After much digging, Janet Harduvel discovers a joint military and General Dynamic cover-up. She proves to be unwavering in her search for the truth to clear his name.

Afterburn

1992

Suckers poster
5.7

A fiercely dishonest car salesman hires a new employee who owes a serious debt to loan sharks.

Suckers

1999

A Child's Cry for Help poster
7.5

A recently widowed doctor moves with her daughter to start at a new hospital. While there a loving mother brings her son in for treatment. The doctor suspects that there is something wrong, and theorizes that the mother is deliberately making her son sick so that she could bring him to the hospital for the attention that it gives her. When the doctor decides to restrict the mother's access to her son and is reporting her to child services, the mother in turn decides to sue the doctor and the hospital. And some of the hospital board don't agree with her diagnosis or think that she's over-reacting. And even while the mother's not allowed access to her son, he is still sick, so is the doctor right or wrong?

A Child's Cry for Help

1994

Citizen Cohn poster
6.3

As lawyer and power broker Roy Cohn lies dying of AIDS in a private hospital room, ghosts from his past visit him as he reflects on his life and loves.

Citizen Cohn

1992

A Day in October poster
4.5

During the month of October 1943, the Danish resistance movement and just plain ordinary citizens joined together in staging a mass exodus by fishing boats to neutral Sweden of their Jewish countrymen, practically on the eve of the Nazi's planned round-up and delivery to concentration camps of all Jews. Story is told from the point of view of one Jewish family.

A Day in October

1991

Heist poster
9.0

Four ruthless career criminals are brought together by desperation and greed in a devious attempt to sing a rival underworld boss. Dipper is the contact man for Caz, a cold blooded murderer who will let nothing stand in his way. With the deal set and the exchange for the merchandise complete, the criminals will meet to divide the money, only to discover that someone is holding out.

Heist

1998

1980s · 10 titles

A View to a Kill poster
6.3

A newly-developed microchip designed by Zorin Industries for the British Government that can survive the electromagnetic radiation caused by a nuclear explosion has landed in the hands of the KGB. James Bond must find out how and why. His suspicions soon lead him to big industry leader Max Zorin who forms a plan to destroy his only competition in Silicon Valley by triggering a massive earthquake in the San Francisco Bay.

A View to a Kill

1985

White Nights poster
6.7

After his plane crashes in Siberia, a Russian dancer, who defected to the West, is held prisoner in the Soviet Union. The KGB keeps him under watch and tries to convince him to become a dancer for the Kirov Academy of Ballet again. Determined to escape, he befriends a black American expatriate and his pregnant Russian wife, who agree to help him escape to the American Embassy.

White Nights

1985

The Last Days of Patton poster
6.4

Gen. George S. Patton now works a desk job for the U.S. military after World War II. In the midst of dealing with the difficulty of adapting to his dramatic change of lifestyle, Patton is involved in an auto wreck that leaves him in critical condition. While his body fails him, Patton introspectively reminisces about his relationship with his spouse, Beatrice; his childhood; and his days on the WWI battlefields.

The Last Days of Patton

1986

Messenger of Death poster
6.1

A Denver reporter investigates the mass murder of a family of Mormons in rural Colorado.

Messenger of Death

1988

Insignificance poster
6.4

Four 1950s icons meet in the same hotel room, and two of them discover more in common between them than they ever anticipated.

Insignificance

1985

Whoops Apocalypse poster
5.6

When a small British owned island in the Caribbean is invaded and the world's most dangerous terrorist kidnaps a member of the Royal family, the countdown to World War 3 begins. If anyone can prevent the oncoming apocalypse it's the American President, but her closest ally the British Prime Minister appears to have gone stark raving mad.

Whoops Apocalypse

1986

The Return of Sherlock Holmes poster
6.0

Sherlock Holmes is brought back to life by Watson's female descendant after being cryogenically frozen for eighty years.

The Return of Sherlock Holmes

1987

Pack of Lies poster
6.8

A British couple are shocked out of their suburban malaise when British intelligence agent Stewart shows up at their door and wants to use their house for a stakeout. Stewart reveals that their neighbors are undercover Russian KGB spies, part of a Soviet espionage network.

Pack of Lies

1987

Roe vs. Wade poster
6.0

Holly Hunter plays a lonely, single, poorly educated Texan who finds herself pregnant with no means to support a child. To avoid giving up the child, she seeks an abortion. Denied an abortion in Texas the young woman hires a novice lawyer to plead her case in the US supreme court. Eventually the law is changed, but for the character it takes longer than nine months.

Roe vs. Wade

1989

Strong Medicine poster
8.0

TV Movie A woman starts working for a prestigious pharmaceutical company that's developing a new miraculous cure. Soon, she discovers what a devious and cut-throat business pharmaceutical industry can be.

Strong Medicine

1986

Series credits

Law & Order poster
7.3

In cases ripped from the headlines, police investigate serious and often deadly crimes, weighing the evidence and questioning the suspects until someone is taken into custody. The district attorney's office then builds a case to convict the perpetrator by proving the person guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Working together, these expert teams navigate all sides of the complex criminal justice system to make New York a safer place.

Law & Order

1990

Law & Order poster
7.3

In cases ripped from the headlines, police investigate serious and often deadly crimes, weighing the evidence and questioning the suspects until someone is taken into custody. The district attorney's office then builds a case to convict the perpetrator by proving the person guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Working together, these expert teams navigate all sides of the complex criminal justice system to make New York a safer place.

Law & Order

1990

The X-Files poster
8.4

The exploits of FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully who investigate X-Files: marginalized, unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena. Mulder believes in the existence of aliens and the paranormal while Scully, a skeptic, is assigned to make scientific analyses of Mulder's discoveries that debunk Mulder's work and thus return him to mainstream cases.

The X-Files

1993

Star Trek: The Next Generation poster
8.4

Follow the intergalactic adventures of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard and his loyal crew aboard the all-new USS Enterprise NCC-1701D, as they explore new worlds.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

1987

NYPD Blue poster
7.1

Police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwined several plots involving an ensemble cast.

NYPD Blue

1993

Nip/Tuck poster
7.2

Hotshot plastic surgeons Dr. Sean McNamara and Dr. Christian Troy experience full-blown midlife crises as they confront career, family and romance problems.

Nip/Tuck

2003

Californication poster
7.6

A self-loathing, alcoholic writer attempts to repair his damaged relationships with his daughter and her mother while combating sex addiction, a budding drug problem, and the seeming inability to avoid making bad decisions.

Californication

2007

Falcon Crest poster
5.6

Falcon Crest is an American primetime television soap opera which aired on the CBS network for nine seasons, from December 4, 1981 to May 17, 1990. A total of 227 episodes were produced. The series revolves around the feuding factions of the wealthy Gioberti/Channing family in the Californian wine industry. Jane Wyman starred as Angela Channing, the tyrannical matriarch of the Falcon Crest Winery, alongside Robert Foxworth as Chase Gioberti, Angela's nephew who returns to Falcon Crest following the death of his father. The series was set in the fictitious Tuscany Valley northeast of San Francisco.

Falcon Crest

1981

L.A. Law poster
7.0

L.A. Law is an American television legal drama series that ran for eight seasons on NBC from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, it contained many of Bochco's trademark features including a large number of parallel storylines, social drama and off-the-wall humor. It reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s, and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot-topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights, homophobia, sexual harassment, AIDS, and domestic violence. The series often also reflected social tensions between the wealthy senior lawyer protagonists and their less well-paid junior staff. The show was popular with audiences and critics, and won 15 Emmy Awards throughout its run, four of which were for Outstanding Drama Series.

L.A. Law

1986

Lie to Me poster
7.9

The world's leading deception researcher, Dr. Cal Lightman, studies facial expression, body language and tone of voice to determine when a person is lying and why, which helps law enforcement and government agencies uncover the truth. But his skills also make it easier for him to deceive others.

Lie to Me

2009

Matlock poster
7.0

Thrifty, folksy and cantankerous, Matlock charges a premium for his services but is worth every penny: This renowned attorney, always clothed in his trademark light-gray suit and driving his signature Ford Crown Victoria, has an uncanny knack for finding overlooked clues and exposing murderers in dramatic courtroom scenes.

Matlock

1986

The Outer Limits poster
7.7

Anthology series composed of distinct story episodes, sometimes with a plot twist at the end, with occasional recurring story elements that were often tied together during season-finale clip shows.

The Outer Limits

1995

The District poster
6.9

The District is a television police drama which aired on CBS from October 7, 2000 to May 1, 2004. The show followed the work and personal life of the chief of Washington, D.C.'s Police Department.

The District

2000

Murder One poster
7.7

Theodore 'Teddy' Hoffman is a highly-regarded defense attorney in a prestigious Los Angeles law firm. Having successfully defended the wealthy but suspicious Richard Cross in a much-publicised murder trial, he is now involved in the defense of Neil Avedon, a famous young actor who has been suffering from severe drug and alcohol problems - and has been charged with the murder for which Cross was acquitted.

Murder One

1995

Jericho poster
7.4

Jericho is an American action/drama series that centers on the residents of the fictional town of Jericho, Kansas, in the aftermath of nuclear attacks on 23 major cities in the contiguous United States.

Jericho

2006

The Agency poster
6.9

The Agency is a CBS television drama that followed the inner-workings of the CIA. The series was created by Michael Frost Beckner and was executive produced by Michael Frost Beckner, Shaun Cassidy Productions and Radiant Productions in association with Universal Network Television and CBS Productions. It aired from September 27, 2001 until May 17, 2003, lasting two seasons. It featured unprecedented filming from the actual CIA headquarters. The show was controversial regarding its exploration of current international affairs and its treatment of the ethical conflicts inherent in intelligence work. Beckner's pilot script, written in March 2001, posited a re-invented CIA tasked with a "War on Terror" after Osama Bin Laden's Al Qaeda terrorist organization plots a lethal attack on the west. The pilot was to premiere at CIA Headquarters on September 18, 2001 and set to air on CBS September 21, 2001, however, the actual 9/11 attacks convinced the network to hold the pilot and instead air a later episode. That first episode was aired later as the third episode of the first season. The September 11, 2001 terrorist events changed the way Americans viewed topical entertainment and "The Agency", at the time, was one of the most topical offering on network television. The producers of the series quickly responded to this new American perspective on world affairs, but CBS chose to cancel the show shortly after the second season's final episode.

The Agency

2001

Eli Stone poster
6.8

Many lawyers consider themselves prophets, but Eli Stone may be the real deal. Eli has built a successful career at a top law firm in San Francisco representing only the biggest and richest corporations that make a habit of screwing over the little guy. But after experiencing a series of odd hallucinations, Eli seeks to find a deeper meaning to life while trying not to lose his job and destroy his relationship with the bosses' daughter. When Eli discovers an aneurysm in his brain, he wonders if his condition is truly medical or if perhaps he now has a higher calling.

Eli Stone

2008

Remember WENN poster
7.8

The personal and professional lives of the staff of fictional Pittsburgh radio station WENN in the early 1940s, before and during World War II.

Remember WENN

1996

Crossbow poster
6.3

Crossbow follows the adventures of William Tell and takes place in the 14th-century in Switzerland. William Tell and his son are imprisoned by the tyrannical Gessler. As Governor of Austria, Gessler plans to stop the Swiss uprising. Having split the apple on his son's head with his crossbow, much to Gessler's chagrin, there is no stopping William Tell's legendary strength and skill.

Crossbow

1987

UC: Undercover poster
6.7

UC: Undercover is an action-thriller television series that focuses on the secret lives and private demons of an elite Justice Department crime-fighting unit that confronts the country’s deadliest, most untouchable lawbreakers by going undercover to bust them. The series was broadcast from 2001 to 2002. The stories were written by Shane Salerno. James Bond composer David Arnold wrote the main title theme and scored the pilot episode. Salerno said the show would be a "very music driven series." UC: Undercover was a production of NBC Studios in association with Jersey Films, Chasing Time Pictures, Regency Television, and 20th Century Fox Television. Its short but popular run ended when it was canceled by the network. The show developed a passionate following overseas and continues to run on FX International.

UC: Undercover

2001

Star Cops poster
6.4

Star Cops is a British science fiction TV series created by Chris Boucher, set in 2027 where the International Space Police Force (ISPF) maintains law and order in a newly colonized solar system, overseen by Commander Nathan Spring. Known for its hard science fiction approach and realistic portrayal of space travel, the series was canceled after one season due to poor ratings and production issues. Retrospectively, it has been critically reappraised.

Star Cops

1987

One West Waikiki poster
7.7

One West Waikiki is an American crime/drama TV show set in Hawaii which ran from 1994-1996. It starred Cheryl Ladd, Richard Burgi and Kayla Blake and was nominated for a Prime Time Emmy in 1995.

One West Waikiki

1994

Hallmark Hall of Fame poster
8.8

Long-running anthology program sponsored by Hallmark Cards. Beginning in 1951 and continuing into 2019, the series received 80 Emmy Awards, 24 Christopher Awards, 11 Peabody Awards, 9 Golden Globes, and 4 Humanitas Prizes. Early seasons were a weekly live drama, eventually transitioning to videotaped and then filmed productions broadcast as occasional specials.

Hallmark Hall of Fame

1951

The Murder of Mary Phagan poster
6.2

In early-twentieth-century Atlanta, the murder of a young girl prompts strong reactions from the community and ultimately leads to the arrest of a man who could actually be innocent.

The Murder of Mary Phagan

1988

Strong Medicine poster
NR

A woman starts working for a prestigious pharmaceutical company that's developing a new miraculous cure. Soon, she discovers what a devious and cut-throat business pharmaceutical industry can be.

Strong Medicine

1986

Beauty and the Beast poster
7.4

Savvy Assistant District Attorney Catherine Chandler is saved by a noble, beast-like man named Vincent, who lives in a secret, utopian community beneath New York City. They share a psychic bond, and he protects her from above.

Beauty and the Beast

1987