Screenwriter and film programmer Jonathan Benair died Monday of a heart attack and cerebral hemorrhage at Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys. He would have turned 48 on Saturday.
A Los Angeles native, Benair worked in film programming at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art for eight years in the ’70s and ’80s. A member of the Writers Guild of America, he sold three screenplays, “Beethoven’s Tenth,” “Jagged Edge 2” and “Trollops.”
Benair did a good deal of voiceover work, and most notably provided the voice of the black-and-white TV set in “The Brave Little Toaster.”
Although not a film historian by profession, Benair had a voluminous knowledge of the cinema that matched that of any scholar. He was a regular on the festival and repertory circuits, and assisted numerous writers in the film world with his insights and research. He was also a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
He is survived by his mother, Muriel, and brother, Daniel.
A funeral service will be held at 3 p.m. Wednesday at Hillside Memorial Chapel.
