Starting out as a child actor in 1915, Ben Alexander's first roles were
in the films of such directors as
Cecil B. DeMille and
D.W. Griffith. He later graduated
to juvenile leads and supporting parts in sound films, most notably in
Im Westen nichts Neues (1930).
When his acting career slowed down in the
mid-'30s,
he found a new career as a successful radio announcer. Alexander was
more or less retired when producer Jack Webb
picked him for the part of his detective partner in the TV series
Dragnet (1951). Alexander later
played another detective on
Howard Duff's TV series
Gefährlicher Alltag (1966).
