Fredd Wiener, a talented American character actor, is renowned for his numerous portrayals of Benjamin Franklin on both stage and screen. Born in Akron, Ohio, Wiener began his career in the entertainment industry by working briefly as a delivery boy at Warner Brothers before being called up for military service during World War II.
As a 'pecial service' NCO, Wiener was put in charge of providing entertainment for troops as a writer, producer, and actor of army productions. After demobilization, he supported himself by working a daytime job at J. C. Penney's department store in New York while also taking nightly drama classes at the American Theatre Wing, where he was a classmate of Lee Marvin, Martin Balsam, and James Whitmore.
Wiener's career developed slowly at first, but he eventually landed his breakthrough role on Broadway in 1949 as Brewster Ames II in the musical comedy "Texas, Li'l Darlin". He went on to appear in the original London Theatre Royal cast of "South Pacific" as the 'comic relief' character Luther Billis and regularly appeared on television from the early 1950s, including live anthology dramas, The Twilight Zone, Perry Mason, 77 Sunset Strip, Have Gun - Will Travel, The Rockford Files, and Simon & Simon.
Wiener's portrayal of Benjamin Franklin has been a significant part of his career, including a two-part instalment of Bewitched, a stage show at Aldo Tambellini's Gate Theatre in New York, and a nationwide and international tour of his one-man stage show, which he also wrote, produced, and directed. The show, titled "Benjamin Franklin, Citizen", was audio-taped in 1976 and is a testament to Wiener's dedication to his craft.
