BEN PIAZZA's Broken Dreams

Ben Piazza

He seemed destined for a bright future when he began opposite Gary Cooper in 1952, but something did not work.

                          

In the fifties, Ben Piazza (1933-1991) was considered as a possible rival to Marlon Brando. He made his debut in 1952 alongside a star of the caliber of Gary Cooper in THE HANGING TREE and this seemed to be the beginning of a long and indeed brilliant career, but something went wrong and the young actor while getting several successes on Broadway stage, he was never able to take off at all. In Hollywood after the initial enthusiasm they began to give him more and more secondary roles and his fame was never able to reach that of other actors of his generation as the fearless Steve Mcqueen or the most persuasive Robert Redford.

Piazza in the 50's

However, the television gave him substantial roles in soap operas such as DALLAS and DYNASTY which enabled him to become a familiar face not only in America. We SANTA BARBARA’s fans remember him mainly as Dr. Rawlings, director of the psychiatric hospital where Robin Wright’s Kelly was imprisoned after killing Dylan. The seemingly reassuring face of Dr. Rawlings soon turned out to be a mask that hides the criminally insane he really was. Piazza, which remained on SB from May until August 1986, however, gave his mark, creating one of the crazier doctors than ever. Man of many talents, Ben Piazza also wrote novels and theater pieces moderately successful. Married to actress Dolores Dorn from '67 to '79, the actor broke off the relationship when he fell in love with Wayne Tripp. This love story lasted until the death of Ben Piazza, which occurred due to AIDS in the early nineties.