Benjamin Resella

Ben Resella worked in the motion picture business as a set designer and scenic painter in the Philippines and in Hollywood. In World War II, Ben was taken prisoner and was forced to endure the Bataan Death March. As a veteran of the war, he received medals of recognition from former President Ronald Reagan in 1988. After the war, Ben continued a successful career in the Philippines as a well-known Set Designer. In 1965, Ben and his family immigrated to San Francisco with the dreams of working in major Hollywood movies. Despite being miles away from Hollywood, Ben's artistic talents were discovered while he worked at the San Francisco Opera House and he was flown down to Los Angeles. He worked for JC Backings and there he created and supervised a number of backdrops for major films. In retirement, Ben and his wife Connie moved to the Motion Picture & Television Fund's Wasserman Campus. Ben continued to work on his artwork and writing up until his death in March 2009.