Daniel Benzali got his big break co-starring as “Howe”, Stacy Sutton`s crooked, underhanded, in-the-pocket-of-Max Zorin boss. Benzali`s scenes as Howe were brief, but he left the movie with a bang. His list of credits since A VIEW TO A KILL have been an impressive mix of both television and feature films. And his look and acting stance has taken a curious twist in 15 short years.
Most noteable among his post-AVTAK experiences has been a recurring character on NYPD Blue, the ABC-TV hit show. That stint working with Steven Bochco led the producer to cast Benzali as the lead in an ambitious new legal drama called MURDER ONE. In MURDER ONE, the audience would follow the case of an accused individual for a full year as it wound its way through the court system, rather than wrapped up in sixty minutes. The drama lasted less than two full seasons, despite critical praise. His next prominent role was as Nick Spikings in MURDER AT 1600, a thriller involving a murder investigation within the White House. Benzali had the films best line: “You were born to be a chalk outline.”
With his voice deeper and his hair gone, Benzali would be the perfect choice to play Blofeld in any future Bond films. He can be seen in the summer of 2000 opposite Norm MacDonald and Danny Devito in SCREWED and has appeared on THE PRACTICE on television.