----------------------------------------------------------- New Message on Pituitary Chat
----------------------------------------------------------- From: Willard1H Message 1 in Discussion Paul Benedict, 70, actor from 'The Jeffersons' and 'Sesame Street' dies From LA Times December 5, 2008 (See the complete strory here, from staff and wire reports) Paul Benedict, the actor who played the eccentric English neighbor Harry Bentley on the sitcom "The Jeffersons," was found dead Monday at his home on Martha's Vineyard, Mass. He was 70. Authorities were investigating the cause of death, said his brother, Charles. Benedict's oversized jaw and angular features were partly attributed to acromegaly, a pituitary disorder that was first diagnosed by an endocrinologist who saw Benedict in a theatrical production. He underwent medical treatment to prevent the disease from spreading while he continued to act -- and used his facial features for comic effect. As an actor, Benedict built a career portraying loony characters in films such as "The Goodbye Girl" (1977), "The Man with Two Brains" (1983) and "The Addams Family" (1991). He also appeared in the Christopher Guest comedies "This Is Spinal Tap" (1984), "Waiting for Guffman" (1997) and "A Mighty Wind" (2003). On the PBS children's show "Sesame Street," Benedict was the Mad Painter who painted numbers everywhere. He'll be missed. I knew all our Pit Chat community would be interested, especially you with Acromegaly. Unfortunately some of the news and reference source seem to mis-identify the pit connection. Answers.com calls it a "rare bone disease." Another obit says his Acromegaly is an uncommon facial disorder. ----------------------------------------------------------- To stop getting this e-mail, or change how often it arrives, go to your E-mail Settings. http://groups.msn.com/PituitaryChat/_emailsettings.msnw Need help? If you've forgotten your password, please go to Passport Member Services. http://groups.msn.com/_passportredir.msnw?ppmprop=help For other questions or feedback, go to our Contact Us page. http://groups.msn.com/contact If you do not want to receive future e-mail from this MSN group, or if you received this message by mistake, please click the "Remove" link below. On the pre-addressed e-mail message that opens, simply click "Send". Your e-mail address will be deleted from this group's mailing list. mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
