From sliding into one of TV’s most

beloved shows to watching his next Big

Break crumble faster than a stale

cookie, this man went through it. And

I’m about to spill all the details. Now

listen, Ben Powers, real name Alton

Adalbert Powers, came straight from

Brooklyn, New York, born July 5th, 1950.

And y’all, this wasn’t a privileged kid

from the suburbs. This was a regular

dude from the block who looked at

Hollywood and said, “I’m going to make

something happen.” Growing up in

Brooklyn during the 50s and 60s, please.

This man saw all the madness, lived

through all the chaos, and that street

knowledge. That’s what made him so

authentic on screen that it wasn’t even

funny. Ben got his first Hollywood

acting break in the 1970s with Adrienne

Hall, director at Trinity Reparatory

Theater in Providence, Rhode Island. In

addition to stage acting, Powers did

standup comedy, Amazing Impressions, and

sang Standards as well as original music

he wrote.

Life around you.

He was discovered by a Hollywood agent

in Providence and signed on to do movies

and entertained at the Playboy Club in

Las Vegas. But hold up now, before we

get too comfortable, let me tell you

about the casting call that almost sent

this man running for the hills. In 1978,

Good Times is on its last season. Okay,

the show has already been through more

drama than a reality TV reunion special.

We got John Amos getting the boo.

He’d had about enough of this uh

recalcitrant football player who didn’t

want to get along and do what he was

told. And so my character was killed

off.

Esther roll walking off set like I’m

done with y’all. then coming back like,

“Never mind. I need this check.”

Miss Roll had insisted that she have a

husband on the show. She did not want it

to be a perpetuation of the matriarchal

black family. And he’s going to be a

working husband and he’s going to be

responsible. Everything worked except

the jobs. James Evans, my character, was

never able to find a full-time job. But

then if he had, a lot of people had

critiqued the show on that basis. Why

can’t this man find a job? They thought

it was degrading, you know, to black

men.

I loved Good Times. It later got to be

not so much fun.

It was a whole circus. The producers

were probably pulling their hair out

trying to find somebody who could bring

some stability to the Evans family

without causing more backstage

foolishness. And here comes Ben Powers

walking into this madness like he’s

about to save the day. They cast him as

Keith Anderson, the professional

football player who’s going to sweep

Thelma off her feet.

Now, let’s get out there and kick their

butts. Hut one. Hut two. Let’s eat.

But friend, if you think the casting was

simple, you got another thing coming.

The show was already catching heat for

how it portrayed black families. And now

they’re bringing in this new character

who’s supposed to be Mr. Perfect. The

pressure was thicker than grits. But

wait, wait, wait, because what the

writers did to this man’s character is

absolutely wild. So, get this. Ben’s

character, Keith, Mary Stelma, in

episode 3 of that final season. Right?

Sounds sweet. Sounds romantic. Sounds

like they’re about to live happily ever

after. But honey, these writers said not

today. They got this man injured right

after the wedding. We’re talking about

him hurting his leg walking out of the

church.

[Music]

My leg.

I said walking out the church. Not

playing football, not in some dramatic

accident, but literally just walking

like a regular person. Now, you know

that’s some petty writing right there.

They gave this man the perfect setup for

romance and then said, “Let’s make them

limp for the rest of the season.” Ben

Powers had to sit there and act like

this made perfect sense while probably

thinking, “These writers must be out of

their ever loving minds.” But that’s the

professionalism we’re talking about.

This man made it work even when the

storyline was more twisted than a

pretzel. He started building a steady

career doing guest appearances. We’re

talking about shows like Give Me a

Break.

I’m on a freeway to Paradise.

Hello, sweetheart.

Lever and Shirley.

Tough luck, buddy. But tomorrow night,

it’s your turn to sleep like a lug.

The greatest American hero, the new odd

couple.

What? I mean, look, I may look like a

bum, but I can get me some money.

Ben was out here showing Hollywood that

he was the kind of professional who

could roll with the punches and still

deliver quality work. But let me tell

you something, that steady paycheck

lifestyle, it wasn’t always steady, and

it definitely wasn’t always easy on the

bank account. Let me tell you about the

role that should have made him richer

than a preacher on Collection Sunday,

but ended up being his biggest

professional nightmare. Couple years

later, Ben thought he’d hit the jackpot.

We’re talking about Mickey Spelain’s

Mike Hammer in 1984, a CBS detective

drama that was supposed to be the next

big thing.

Ben played Mucci. And let me tell you,

this character was described as an

affable pimp with links to New York’s

underworld.

Hey, Moon.

Michael, I know only the deepest and

most meaningful friendship could get me

to deviate from my appointed rounds with

my ladies.

Now, that’s the kind of juicy, complex

role that could have really put some

coins in his pocket and showed Hollywood

what he was working with. The show was

getting decent ratings. Ben was finally

getting some recognition. Everything was

looking up like Sunday morning, but then

the lead actor, Stacy Kee, gets his

behind arrested in London for drug

smuggling. Y’all, I cannot make this

mess up. Here’s Ben Powers minding his

business, being professional, doing his

job, and his whole career trajectory

gets derailed because his co-star

decided to play around with some nose

candy. But that’s not even the craziest

part of this whole situation because

what Ben did next shows you exactly what

kind of man he really was. When that

Mike Hammer show got cancelled faster

than a bad check, Ben Powers could have

been madder than a wet hen. He could

have gone to the press, thrown a whole

tantrum, called his lawyer, made a scene

about how unfair life was treating him,

but that wasn’t his style. Instead, this

man quietly dusted himself off like,

“All right, what’s next?” Powers had

left the Hollywood scene at the end of

1985 before the detective series was

picked up again. See, here’s what people

don’t understand about being a character

actor in the 80s and ‘9s. Especially if

you’re a black man in Hollywood, you’re

not getting the leading man roles.

You’re not getting the big money

contracts. then you’re definitely not

getting the respect you deserve from

these industry folks. Ben Powers was

talented enough to carry his own show,

but these Hollywood executives kept

putting him in the supporting character

box like he was some kind of decoration.

But check this out. He never let that

nonsense break his spirit. And the way

he handled all that constant rejection

and typ casting, that’s a master class

in keeping your sanity that’ll have you

taking notes. Ben Powers understood the

game and instead of fighting it, he

decided to play it smarter than

everybody else. Instead of getting

bitter about the system, he became the

guy that directors could count on to

show up, know his lines, and deliver

every single time. Need somebody to play

a cop? Call Ben. He’s reliable. Need a

smooth talking character with street

smarts? Ben’s your man. He won’t give

you any problems. Need somebody who can

make you laugh and cry in the same

scene? Ben Powers is ready to work.

His Good Times co-star Bernardet Stannis

said it best. I really liked him. He was

so professional, so talented. Above all,

he was a really nice guy. Now, in an

industry full of divas, ego trips, and

backstage drama, being known as the nice

guy who gets the job done, that’s a

superpower, and Ben Powers had it

mastered. But TV wasn’t his only hustle.

Ben also jumped into movies, appearing

in some cult classics that y’all

probably didn’t even know he was in.

We’re talking about Chichin Chong’s Next

Movie, Things Are Tough All Over, and

The Man Who Loved Women. Now, these

weren’t Oscar-worthy films that were

going to win him many awards, but they

showed Ben’s versatility and his

willingness to take on different types

of projects just to keep working and

keep the money flowing. While Ben’s

professional life was all about rolling

with the punches and adapting to

whatever Hollywood threw at him, his

personal life was where he found his

peace and stability. He was married to

Julia Harper, had four children, and

unlike a lot of these Hollywood

marriages that end up in the tabloids

every other week, theirs wasn’t

providing content for the gossip

magazines. They kept their relationship

private, kept their business to

themselves, and built something real

away from all the cameras and craziness.

But as the years went on, Ben started

facing some serious health challenges

that weren’t playing around. By the

2000s, he was dealing with liver

problems that would eventually turn into

liver cancer. Now, this is where the

story gets really real because Ben

Powers faced his illness the same way he

faced everything else in his life with

dignity, with grace, and without making

a big public spectacle about his

struggles. And the way his Good Times

family showed up for him during his

illness, that’s the part of this story

that’s going to have you reaching for

the tissues. When Ben Powers passed away

on April 6th, 2015 in New Bedford,

Massachusetts at the age of 64, he left

behind a legacy that was about so much

more than just the characters he played

on screen. His Good Times co-stars

remembered him as a true professional, a

genuine friend, and a man who brought

joy to millions of viewers, even when he

was going through his own personal

struggles behind the scenes. Bernardet

Stannis and the rest of the Good Times

family made sure his contributions to

the show and to television weren’t

forgotten. They talked about how he

brought stability to that final season,

how he helped the show end on a positive

note, and how he represented the kind of

strong black male character that

television needed to see more of during

that era. But here’s what really gets me

about Ben’s story. He never got the

recognition he deserved while he was

alive. But his impact on television and

on the actors he worked with was

undeniable. He proved that you could

have a successful career in Hollywood

without selling your soul or

compromising your values. He will always

be remembered as the handsome husband of

Thelma Evans of Good Times TV show.