In the 1970s, Robby Benson was the heartthrob countless young fans couldn’t get enough of. With his dark hair, striking blue eyes, and roles in movies like Ode to Billy Joe and Ice Castles, he quickly became a teen idol. But behind that image, Benson was hiding a serious secret—a heart condition he feared could end his acting career if Hollywood found out.

Benson began performing as a child, appearing in commercials, television and Broadway before making his film debut in 1967. His career continued to grow through the 1970s and ’80s, and he later became famous to another generation as the voice of the Beast in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Yet his appearance sometimes worked against him. Disney initially hesitated to publicly announce him as the Beast, with filmmakers worried audiences might struggle to accept the familiar teen idol in such a role.

The bigger battle, however, was happening behind the scenes. Benson had been diagnosed with a heart murmur as a child and later experienced dizziness and episodes of losing consciousness. Afraid that revealing the condition would damage his career, he sometimes blamed symptoms on indigestion or fatigue. After becoming seriously ill while filming Die Laughing, he finally sought treatment and underwent open-heart surgery in 1984 to repair a valve defect. His heart problems continued for years, eventually requiring additional surgeries. 💔

Through those difficult years, Benson credits his wife, singer Karla DeVito, with helping him find doctors and receive treatment. The couple married in 1982 and raised two children, Lyric and Zephyr. Benson later taught film production at UCLA and continued acting, including appearances in Apple Seed and A Feeling of Home. Today, his story is about more than a former teen idol—it’s also about surviving serious health challenges while continuing to pursue the work and family he loves.