Benjamin Hendrickson (August 26, 1950 – July 3, 2006) was an American actor known for playing Harold "Hal" Munson, Jr., the Chief of Detectives for the mythical town of Oakdale on the long-running daytime soap opera, As the World Turns.
David Bowie (I)'s understudy in the Broadway play, "The Elephant Man."
Was in the first graduating class of the Juilliard School's Drama Division, which included Kevin Kline and Patti LuPone.
Long depressed since the death of his beloved mother from cancer in 2003, Hendrickson had been filming soap scenes on "As the World Turns" (1956) in which his TV daughter was dying. On July 1, 2006, he shot himself in the head at his Huntington home. His last appearance on ATWT was on July 12th.
A Long Island native, divided his time between his Upper West Side home and his home on Long Island, where he loved to go fishing.
Was in John Houseman (I)'s first graduating drama class at Juilliard along with Patti LuPone and Kevin Kline. Was also the founder of The Acting Company with Houseman.
In his acceptance speech for his 2003 Daytime Emmy for Support actor, he thanked his dying mother for her scrimping and saving for his college education and resultant career.
Balding, matter-of-fact New York-born character player of daytime soaps and the Broadway stage.
He was a member of the first graduating class of the Juilliard School of Drama, along with actors Kevin Kline and Patti LuPone.
He appeared on Broadway in the early 1980s as a replacement in the title role of "The Elephant Man" and in the 1984 revival of "Awake and Sing!"
