Mr. Bennet Passed Away

For each of us, there is only one.

One special actor portraying one special character.

For me, and thus for this website, that one is Mr. Benjamin Whitrow.  He was our Mr. Bennet.  He was our quintessential father figure in a story that is as timeless as his performance.  I can vividly recall my first viewing of Pride and Prejudice.  It was in my senior year of English Literature in 2002.  Our teacher put on the video for the 1995 adaptation from the BBC.  At that time, I had neither heard nor seen anything at all to do with Jane Austen nor Pride and Prejudice.  After the first installment, I was in love.  I would never dream to say that I fell in love with Jane Austen's works based solely on the performance of one actor, but if there is one actor that has stood out over the course of time from my initial viewing it would have to be Benjamin Whitrow.

His animation of the text, his vivacity of character, his overall essential being... he is Mr. Bennet to me. I cannot imagine a world of Pride and Prejudice without him, which provides a simple solace to trying to live in a real world without him.

Thank you, Ben for your contribution to Pride and Prejudice.  May your timeless performance outlive all those that could possibly appreciate it.