From Wikipedia
Harry Benham (February 26, 1884 – July 17, 1969) was an
American silent film actor.
Born in Valparaiso, Indiana, as a child Benham and his
family moved to Chicago, where he was raised and attended school. Benham had a
talent for singing and sang in his local church choir.
In 1904, the production Peggy From Paris came to Chicago
and, at age 20, Benham became a member of the chorus while earning a living in
the wholesale paper business.
Benham was soon selected to play the leading role in the
production and remained in that role throughout the production's three-year
run. He was subsequently able to garner more roles in other plays, such as The
Sultan of Sulu, Woodland, Marrying Mary, The Gay Musician, H.M.S. Pinafore,
Florodora, The Mayoress, and Madame Sherry.
In 1910 Benham joined the Thanhouser Company in New
Rochelle, New York, for whom he played the leading role in many of the
company's films through 1915. He married actress Ethyle Cooke, and together
they had two children, Dorothy and Leland, who also became prominent Thanhouser
personalities.
Benham died on July 17, 1969 in Sarasota, Florida, aged 85.