The son of a former actor, the Brazilian-born Benzali began his career appearing throughout the US on stage in everything from musicals to Shakespeare. He moved to England in the 1970s and continued his stage career, first in fringe theater, later as a member of the respected Royal Shakespeare Company and also in musicals (Juan Peron in "Evita"). Benzali has appeared primarily in small supporting roles in features including "A View to a Kill", "White Knights" (both 1985) and "The Distinguished Gentleman" (1992). His notable TV appearances include "Pack of Lies" (CBS, 1987) as Terri Garr's husband and "Citizen Cohn" (HBO, 1992) as Cardinal Spellman. He began his affiliation with producer Steven Bochco with a recurring role on "L.A. Law" in 1991 and later reteamed with the producer in the groundbreaking "NYPD Blue" (ABC, 1993-94) as a mob lawyer. The third time was the charm when Bochco tapped the shaven-headed actor for the ABC drama series "Murder One" (ABC, 1995-96). As the enigmatic defense attorney Theodore 'Teddy' Hoffman, Benzali riveted viewers with his commanding presence and understated performance. Due to creative differences, however, Benzali chose not to remain with the series during its second season. Instead, he moved to the big screen as a White House security chief in the thriller "Murder at 1600" and was in the ensemble of Wim Wenders' "The End of Violence" (both 1997). In 2000, Benzali appeared on stage in ""Glengarry Glen Ross." He also co-starred with Mira Sorvino in the Off-Broadway play "Naked." He returned back to television and landed the part of Robert Quinn in the CBS series "The Agency" (2001). In 2002, he reunited with Sorvino, this time on the big screen, for the holocaust feature drama "Grey Zone."