Ben Piazza was an American actor, playwright, and author who appeared in many films, TV shows, and Broadway productions. He is best known for his roles in The Hanging Tree, The Blues Brothers, Mask, and Dallas. He died of AIDS-related cancer in 1991, at the age of 58. He was survived by his partner of 18 years, Wayne Tripp.
Early Life and Career
Ben Piazza was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on July 30, 1933. He graduated from Princeton University in 1955, where he studied drama and literature. He began his acting career on Broadway, starring in plays such as Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Zoo Story, and The Night of the Iguana. He also wrote a novel, The Exact and Very Strange Truth, which was a semi-autobiographical story about growing up in Arkansas.
Piazza made his film debut in A Dangerous Age, a Canadian film directed by Sidney J. Furie, in 1959. He then appeared in The Hanging Tree, opposite Gary Cooper, in the same year. He signed contracts with Warner Bros. and Cooper’s production companies, but did not make another film until No Exit in 1962. He continued to work in both film and television, appearing in projects such as Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon, The Candy Snatchers, The Bad News Bears, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, Nightwing, Clean and Sober, and Guilty by Suspicion.
Piazza also had a prolific television career, guest-starring in shows such as Family, Knots Landing, V, Simon and Simon, The Colbys, Falcon Crest, Reasonable Doubts, and Beverly Hills 90210. He played the role of Senator Dave Culver in the night time soap Dallas from 1979 to 1991. He also had a three-month stint on the daytime soap Santa Barbara as Dr. A.L. Rawlings in 1986.
Personal Life and Death
Piazza was married to actress Dolores Dorn from 1967 to 1979. He was gay, and had a relationship with actor Brad Davis, who also died of AIDS in 1991. He met his long-term partner, Wayne Tripp, in 1973. They remained together until Piazza’s death.
Piazza contracted HIV in the 1980s, and developed AIDS-related cancer. He died on September 7, 1991, in Sherman Oaks, California. He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
Piazza’s death was a tragic loss for the entertainment industry, as he was a talented and versatile actor, writer, and artist. He left behind a legacy of memorable performances and works that are still appreciated by audiences today.
