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Dirk Benedict may be unknown to some of you, but you should definately change that. I re-discovered this amazing actor my Sophomore Year of College. My friend had bought a computer game called, "Zork: The Grand Inquisitor". All of a sudden, I was struck by the character, Antharia Jack and decided to do a little research. A year later, I had seen and taped every episode of the A-Team and Battlestar Gallactica and collected an assortment of his movies (most very hard to find). I had also become a vegetarian, working my way toward a macrobiotic lifestyle. You may ask the connection? Well, I read Dirk Benedict's two books; "Confessions of a Kamikaze Cowboy" and "And then We Went Fishing." These books changed my life.

Most people will recognize Dirk from his role as Templeton "Faceman" Peck from "The A-Team." He was the pretty boy con-man that everyone adored. His witty, sauve walk and talk made him quite the ladies man and his ability to get anything needed by the team from crates of milk for BA (Mr. T) to vehicles galore.
The A-Team ran for 5 seasons, at the end of which they were no longer hunted by the government and continued to help those in need.

Dirk other role which brought him fame, coming before the A-Team, was "Battlestar Gallactica" in which he played the rogueish Commander Starbuck. Alongside Richard Hatch as Apollo and Lorne Greene, Dirk rode through the sky as a form of Space Cowboy, searching for the legend of a planet called Earth. An idea of home. Just as Face was the ladies man, so was Starbuck, making Cassiopeia and Athena swoon each time he walked by. Starbuck had a scoundrel aspect to him, but with Dirk's innate charm, made for an endearing character to which fans flocked to the show to watch in anticipation.
Eventually Dirk left the cast of Battlestar Gallactica and the popularity of Starbuck became clear as the show's success plummeted. He returned for the final episode of the show, rehashing the character to the delight of the fans who had felt his absence so prominently.

What truly inspired me about Dirk Benedict was his writing. I special ordered both of his books the summer before my Junior year of college. The first, Kamikaze Cowboy, convinced me to completely re-evaluate my life and the way I lived in general. Dirk's experience with Prostate cancer and his journey in beating it with diet and state of mind was one of the most inspiring pieces I had ever read. The day I read the book was the last day I ate meat for well over a year. ((I have started eating meat again after discovering I could no longer afford the organic, healthy foods in our capitalistic society. I hope to eventually return to vegetarianism and hopefully macrobiotics eventually, as I never felt healthier in all my life then I did during that year.)) His journey was inspiration to me.

When I received his second book, Dirk's story touched my heart deeply as for what it means to be a human being and, for him, what it means to be a man. His life began in the mountains of Montana, but after a devestating family tragedy, Dirk learned his life was going to be a constant search for identity and meaning. He took a situation that could potentially destroy anyone, and used it to become the best father and person he could. The tales of the death of his father and the birth of his first son are powerful and motivational for the reader to look at their own life and decide who they want to be.

Dirk Benedict has a website: Http://www.kamikazecowboy.com

You can order his books here, as well as photographs and learn about Cahoots Productions, where he is working on the writing/directing/production aspects of entertainment.

My thanks go out to Dirk Benedict for being willing to share his story with others.