By Lee Pfeiffer
Martin Benson, the distinguished British actor, has passed away at age 91. Although he had a wealth of credits from film and TV work, Benson was immortalized as the ill-fated Mafia boss Mr. Solo in the 1964 James Bond classic Goldfinger. It was his character who was famously crushed to death inside a new luxury car in one of the film's most legendary scenes. Benson's character's name caused some contention with the Bond producers. Ian Fleming suggested using the same name as the hero Robert Vaughn played on The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and embellished it a bit by adding a first name: Napoleon. The show's producer Norman Felton originally shot the pilot under the title Solo but changed it to The Man From U.N.C.L.E. when Bond producers Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman raised concerns that viewers might confuse it with an official Fleming project. Benson's other film credits include Cleopatra, A Shot in the Dark, The Omen, Behold a Pale Horse and The Sea Wolves. For more click here