Peter Benton
Encyclopedia
Dr. Peter Benton is a fictional character
on the television series ER
for its first eight seasons. He was played by Eriq La Salle
. Benton was often portrayed as arrogant, irritable, or even hostile, but he is nevertheless an exceptionally talented surgeon who is passionate about medicine. It is also revealed that he and fellow emergency room physician Mark Greene
had attended medical school
together. Benton's last appearance as a series regular was in the Season 8 episode "I'll Be Home For Christmas". La Salle's removal from the opening credits as an ongoing regular was in the 11th episode of season 8; however, Benton appeared in the credits of the 15th episode of season 8, in which he is shown talking to Elizabeth Corday
, and the 21st episode, in which he appears at a funeral. He also appears later in season 15.
[a series on which he'd previously performed]. When I left, I wanted them to say 'That's Dr. Benton'". Within three days of his audition, La Salle was offered the role of Dr. Benton.
in Boston
, Massachusetts
) which was a teaching hospital for Harvard Medical School
, where series originator Michael Crichton
studied medicine.
Several relationships were scripted into the character's narrative. In Season 4 he began dating Dr. Elizabeth Corday
, played by Alex Kingston
. Both surgeons, the characters competed with each other professionally and failed to be adequately supportive of each other in their personal crises, so Corday ends the relationship in Season 5. According to an article published in Jet
in 1999, Eriq La Salle was the reason why the romance dissolved. He was unhappy that Benton's interracial
romance with Corday was being shown as less problematic than his prior romances with black characters, such as Jeanie Boulet (played by Gloria Reuben
) and Carla Reese (played by Lisa Nicole Carson
). Mindful of the image that he was portraying on television, La Salle asked producers to end Benton's interracial romance. While being interviewed by Johnnie Cochran
on Johnnie Cochran Tonight, La Salle commented, "We have to take care of the message that we're sending as African-Americans or any other group of minorities, that we have the exact same type of exchanges with our mates that we get to see our White counterparts have." In a subsequent episode, Benton was shown being compassionate to his former girlfriend, Jeanie.
as a second year surgical resident. When all the attending
surgeons are occupied in other surgeries, Benton decides to operate without supervision to control a bleeding aneurysm
and keep a man alive until a qualified surgeon is available. Although he does this technically against regulations, he is supported after the fact by attending physician David Morgenstern.
and is mostly being cared for by his sister Jackie, who wants to move her into an assisted living
. One night when Benton is watching his mother in Jackie's home, she falls down the stairs and breaks her hip.
, a married Physician Assistant
, at the hospital. Impressed, he hires her to work with his mother as a physical therapist. Benton's mother dies, devastating him, and when Jeanie comforts him, they end up having an affair. In Season 2, Benton's affair with Jeanie ends. Jeanie separates from her husband Al and learns that he contracted HIV
from an affair, and furthermore that he passed the disease on to her; however, Jeanie does not pass the virus to Peter.
. Later, Carla begins a new relationship with a man named Roger McGrath and eventually marries him.
In the beginning of Season 6, Carla and Roger plan to move to Germany for his job. When Peter threatens to take legal action to prevent them from taking his son out of the country, Carla shocks Peter by telling him that he may not be Reese's father. Peter takes a DNA
test to determine whether or not Carla's suspicions are true, but he chooses not to receive the results and decides he will be Reese's father regardless of biology. Carla and Roger's plans fall through when Roger's boss passes him over for the promotion when Roger asks for time off for the custody fights with Peter, and the McGraths remain in Chicago
.
In early Season 8, Carla is killed in a car accident. Peter takes Reese into his full custody, but when Roger continues to appeal for time with his stepson, Peter insists that Roger move on with his life and stay away. Roger sues Peter for custody of Reese, and his lawyers force Peter to address the fact that he may not be Reese's biological father. Peter takes another paternity test and this time learns the truth—he is not Reese's biological father. Roger's lawyer makes issue of the long hours Peter's job demands, whereas Roger works from home and commands his own schedule.
During court, Peter perjures himself on the witness stand and proclaims that he has been given a new schedule with reduced working hours at County General Hospital. Peter later goes to his supervisor, Dr. Robert Romano
, and asks for such a schedule, but Romano cannot offer only daytime hours. Peter hands in his resignation, and he goes to the out-of-town clinic where girlfriend Cleo Finch
now works to try to get a job there. He is successful and gets the hours he had promised the judge, and he is awarded sole custody of Reese with Roger receiving visitation rights. When a saddened Roger brings Reese's Christmas
presents to the hospital later that day, Peter, knowing that Roger is important to Reese, tells Roger to come to his and Cleo's home on Christmas Day and give the presents to Reese himself.
starts work at County General Hospital, she is quickly attracted to Benton, though he initially disregards her attentions. At length, Elizabeth tells him she believes that he does not want to pursue a relationship with her because of their racial difference, and Benton finally grudgingly admits to her that "I do have a problem dating white women." Professionally, Benton and Corday attempt to outdo each other several times, and both are eventually given the opportunity to work with Dr. Robert Romano
. Later in the year, Benton assists on a surgery performed by his mentor Dr. David Morgenstern. Morgenstern (who has been somewhat hesitant about surgery following his heart attack) makes a serious mistake that endangers the patient's life. Benton shoves him out of the way to take over the operation, with Elizabeth walking in too late to see Morgenstern's mistake but witnessing Benton's actions toward Morgenstern. Benton is suspended and comes close to losing his job before Morgenstern finally comes forward with the videotape of the operation, which exonerates his former student.
Morgenstern then resigns from the hospital, and a distraught Peter begins an affair with Elizabeth. They remain together through much of the following two years, although their relationship eventually begins to suffer due to Peter's needing to spend more time attending to Reese. Elizabeth helps him realize that their romance isn't going anywhere, and they end their affair, though they remain close friends and colleagues. Their friendship is troubled, however, when Elizabeth approaches the hospital staff with the idea of a trauma surgical fellowship
. Benton withdraws his tentative commitment to Romano's cardiothoracic fellowship (which would be extremely time-consuming) and campaigns for and is granted the trauma fellowship. Elizabeth feels betrayed by Peter and, wishing to stay at County, takes Romano's cardiothoracic fellowship offer.
, an ER pediatrician. Their relationship was stormy because of Peter's ex-girlfriend Carla, but in Season 8 they leave Chicago along with Benton's son Reese to start a new life. Peter Benton and Cleo Finch transfer to a different hospital. In the season 15 episode "Old Times," Benton is seen wearing a wedding ring, and it is assumed he and Cleo are now married. Later in the episode, as Carter awakes from surgery, he asks Benton who is watching Reese; Peter matter-of-factly answers "he's at home with Cleo".
is introduced as a third-year medical student
on his ER rotation. He is assigned to Benton, who proceeds to give Carter a hard time. They seldom get along and their personalities clash on many occasions. Benton is more ambitious and focused on surgery whereas Carter is more compassionate and willing to spend time with patients, a trait that "drove [Benton] crazy" as he put it to Cleo, although he considered Carter to be a talented and smart doctor. In Season 3, Benton develops appendicitis
and Carter operates on him. However, Carter eventually decided to leave surgery for emergency medicine
, a decision that caused him to clash with Benton. Nonetheless, the two have reconciled and, despite the fact that they have interacted less since Carter's transition to emergency medicine, formed a deep friendship.
In Season 6, Benton was visibly concerned about Carter after he was stabbed by a schizophrenic
patient, and eventually operates on him along with Dr. Anspaugh. During the surgery, Benton has become protective of Carter, and expresses reluctance to leave his former protegee for another patient. Soon after, upon hearing Carter becoming addicted to painkillers, he refuses to watch Carter self-destruct and convinces Carter to enter rehab
.
In Season 8, before Dr. Benton departs County General, his final farewell is to Carter. As a going-away present, Carter hands Benton a train token; it is the same one Benton had given him shortly after he started in the ER, telling him to use it for a trip home if he thought he did not belong there.
In Season 15, he reunited with Carter when he was in need of a kidney transplant. Benton supervises the operation at the hospital where he works and makes sure that his old friend and colleague gets the best medical support. As Benton knew that Carter has gone to Africa for the past 4 years, it is likely that both doctors kept in limited contact with each other while working at different hospitals.
patient needs a surgery that Romano refuses to allow to be performed, Benton calls social services and informs them of the refusal of care. Romano intercepts the patient as social services arrives and performs the surgery, but he is enraged at Peter for calling them. Romano then retracts the idea of an attending trauma surgeon, explaining to Peter that the fines social services and Medicare inflicted on the hospital roughly equal what Peter's yearly salary would have been. Romano then offers Benton a per diem
surgical position with reduced benefits and more difficult scheduling, but Benton refuses. Romano also uses his considerable influence to blacklist Benton throughout the medical community, making it impossible for Benton to find a job in Chicago
. Corday finds a new job for him in Philadelphia, but Carla will not continue joint custody
of Reese if Peter leaves town (citing Peter's resistance to her and her husband Roger's plans to move the year before). Peter is then forced to go to Romano and accept the per diem position.
After the court battle between Roger and himself, Benton is forced to move away from County to work better hours in another hospital, in order to gain custody of Reese. In his last surgery at County, Benton miraculously saves a six-year-old victim of a shooting accident.
at Dr. Carter's farewell party, and Benton is heard in a voiceover
memory as Carter leaves the ER for the last time in the 11th season finale. Eriq La Salle made an uncredited appearance in the opening of "Heal Thyself" to tell the audience of the death of the show's creator Michael Crichton
.
a closet wall where all the past doctors and employees have put their locker name tags. Amongst them, the tag "Benton" can be seen.
Benton returns in the 19th episode of the 15th (final) season of ER in the episode "Old Times" which first was broadcast on 12 March 2009. In the episode he visits old friend and former student John Carter who is awaiting a kidney transplant, and we learn that Benton has left private practice for a surgical attending position at Northwestern University
Hospital. He is seen wearing a wedding ring, so it is assumed he has married Cleo Finch
.
In the series finale, Benton goes to Carter's opening of his new hospital with Reese. He also goes to the afterparty
with Carter, Susan, and Weaver and meets Elizabeth and Rachel. In a conversation, he reveals that he and Cleo are still together.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the television series ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
for its first eight seasons. He was played by Eriq La Salle
Eriq La Salle
Eriq La Salle is an American actor and director, known for his portrayals of Darryl in the 1988 comedy film Coming to America and Dr. Peter Benton on the NBC drama series ER.-Early life:...
. Benton was often portrayed as arrogant, irritable, or even hostile, but he is nevertheless an exceptionally talented surgeon who is passionate about medicine. It is also revealed that he and fellow emergency room physician Mark Greene
Mark Greene
Dr. Mark Greene was a fictional medical doctor from the television series ER, portrayed by the actor Anthony Edwards. For most of his time on the series, Greene's role was that of a mediator and occasional authority figure, and he was considered the main character of the series for the first eight...
had attended medical school
Medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine. Degree programs offered at medical schools often include Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, master's degree, or other post-secondary...
together. Benton's last appearance as a series regular was in the Season 8 episode "I'll Be Home For Christmas". La Salle's removal from the opening credits as an ongoing regular was in the 11th episode of season 8; however, Benton appeared in the credits of the 15th episode of season 8, in which he is shown talking to Elizabeth Corday
Elizabeth Corday
Elizabeth Corday, MBChB, FRCS is a fictional surgeon on the television series ER. She was played by Alex Kingston and appeared from 1997 to 2004.-Background:...
, and the 21st episode, in which he appears at a funeral. He also appears later in season 15.
Casting
Although Benton was an original character, according to an interview La Salle gave in 1997, he was cast late in the role, after the first season had already started filming. He recalled, "I was surprisingly calm. When casting waits that long, they're basically waiting for someone to come in and take the role. I was ready and completely focused. I came into the office with a stethoscope and surgical greens I had left over from The Human FactorThe Human Factor
The Human Factor is an espionage novel by Graham Greene, first published in 1978 and adapted into a 1979 film, directed by Otto Preminger using a screenplay by Tom Stoppard.-Plot summary:...
[a series on which he'd previously performed]. When I left, I wanted them to say 'That's Dr. Benton'". Within three days of his audition, La Salle was offered the role of Dr. Benton.
Development
The name of the character was inspired by The Peter Bent Brigham Hospital (now part of the Brigham and Women's HospitalBrigham and Women's Hospital
Brigham and Women's Hospital is the largest hospital of the Longwood Medical and Academic Area in Boston, Massachusetts. It is directly adjacent to Harvard Medical School of which it is the second largest teaching affiliate with 793 beds...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
) which was a teaching hospital for Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
, where series originator Michael Crichton
Michael Crichton
John Michael Crichton , best known as Michael Crichton, was an American best-selling author, producer, director, and screenwriter, best known for his work in the science fiction, medical fiction, and thriller genres. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and many have been adapted...
studied medicine.
Several relationships were scripted into the character's narrative. In Season 4 he began dating Dr. Elizabeth Corday
Elizabeth Corday
Elizabeth Corday, MBChB, FRCS is a fictional surgeon on the television series ER. She was played by Alex Kingston and appeared from 1997 to 2004.-Background:...
, played by Alex Kingston
Alex Kingston
Alexandra Elizabeth "Alex" Kingston is an English actress. She is most widely known for her roles as Dr. Elizabeth Corday on the NBC medical drama ER and as River Song in Doctor Who.-Early life and education:...
. Both surgeons, the characters competed with each other professionally and failed to be adequately supportive of each other in their personal crises, so Corday ends the relationship in Season 5. According to an article published in Jet
Jet (magazine)
Jet is an American weekly marketed toward African-American readers, founded in 1951 by John H. Johnson of Johnson Publishing Company in Chicago, Illinois...
in 1999, Eriq La Salle was the reason why the romance dissolved. He was unhappy that Benton's interracial
Interracial
Interracial is an adjective related to a supposed racial group. It can have different connotations in different contexts:* Interracial marriage is marriage between two people of different races....
romance with Corday was being shown as less problematic than his prior romances with black characters, such as Jeanie Boulet (played by Gloria Reuben
Gloria Reuben
Gloria Reuben is a Canadian singer and actress of film and television, known for her role as Jeanie Boulet on the popular medical drama ER and for her role of Rosalind Whitman in the TV show Raising the Bar.-Life and career:...
) and Carla Reese (played by Lisa Nicole Carson
Lisa Nicole Carson
Lisa Nicole Carson is an American actress. She is best known for her work on U.S. television, including supporting roles in NBC's ER and Fox's Ally McBeal...
). Mindful of the image that he was portraying on television, La Salle asked producers to end Benton's interracial romance. While being interviewed by Johnnie Cochran
Johnnie Cochran
Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. was an American lawyer best known for his leadership role in the defense and criminal acquittal of O. J...
on Johnnie Cochran Tonight, La Salle commented, "We have to take care of the message that we're sending as African-Americans or any other group of minorities, that we have the exact same type of exchanges with our mates that we get to see our White counterparts have." In a subsequent episode, Benton was shown being compassionate to his former girlfriend, Jeanie.
Early days
Benton was first introduced in the pilotTelevision pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
as a second year surgical resident. When all the attending
Attending physician
In the United States, an attending physician is a physician who has completed residency and practices medicine in a clinic or hospital, in the specialty learned during residency. An attending physician can supervise fellows, residents, and medical students...
surgeons are occupied in other surgeries, Benton decides to operate without supervision to control a bleeding aneurysm
Aneurysm
An aneurysm or aneurism is a localized, blood-filled balloon-like bulge in the wall of a blood vessel. Aneurysms can commonly occur in arteries at the base of the brain and an aortic aneurysm occurs in the main artery carrying blood from the left ventricle of the heart...
and keep a man alive until a qualified surgeon is available. Although he does this technically against regulations, he is supported after the fact by attending physician David Morgenstern.
Jackie and Peter's mother
In Season 1, we learn that Dr. Benton's mother has had a strokeStroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
and is mostly being cared for by his sister Jackie, who wants to move her into an assisted living
Assisted living
Assisted living residences or assisted living facilities provide supervision or assistance with activities of daily living ; coordination of services by outside health care providers; and monitoring of resident activities to help to ensure their health, safety, and well-being.Assistance may...
. One night when Benton is watching his mother in Jackie's home, she falls down the stairs and breaks her hip.
Jeanie Boulet
Benton meets Jeanie BouletJeanie Boulet
Jeanie Boulet is a fictional character from the television series ER. She was portrayed by Gloria Reuben as a recurring character midway in the first season, then as a regular from season 2 onwards. Reuben left the serial in the 6th season, but in 2008 she reprised the role for one episode.Jeanie...
, a married Physician Assistant
Physician assistant
A physician assistant/associate ' is a healthcare professional trained and licensed to practice medicine with limited supervision by a physician.-General description:...
, at the hospital. Impressed, he hires her to work with his mother as a physical therapist. Benton's mother dies, devastating him, and when Jeanie comforts him, they end up having an affair. In Season 2, Benton's affair with Jeanie ends. Jeanie separates from her husband Al and learns that he contracted HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
from an affair, and furthermore that he passed the disease on to her; however, Jeanie does not pass the virus to Peter.
Carla and Reese
In Season 3, Peter becomes involved with a former girlfriend, Carla Reese, who soon becomes pregnant. She gives birth to a son, Reese Benton, who is born prematurely. It is later discovered that, possibly from complications from Reese's prematurity or his NICU treatment, the boy is deaf. Peter at first has difficulty accepting that his son is deaf and looks into surgeries to restore his ability to hear, but he later makes his peace with who Reese is, and he and Carla teach him to communicate through sign languageSign language
A sign language is a language which, instead of acoustically conveyed sound patterns, uses visually transmitted sign patterns to convey meaning—simultaneously combining hand shapes, orientation and movement of the hands, arms or body, and facial expressions to fluidly express a speaker's...
. Later, Carla begins a new relationship with a man named Roger McGrath and eventually marries him.
In the beginning of Season 6, Carla and Roger plan to move to Germany for his job. When Peter threatens to take legal action to prevent them from taking his son out of the country, Carla shocks Peter by telling him that he may not be Reese's father. Peter takes a DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
test to determine whether or not Carla's suspicions are true, but he chooses not to receive the results and decides he will be Reese's father regardless of biology. Carla and Roger's plans fall through when Roger's boss passes him over for the promotion when Roger asks for time off for the custody fights with Peter, and the McGraths remain in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
In early Season 8, Carla is killed in a car accident. Peter takes Reese into his full custody, but when Roger continues to appeal for time with his stepson, Peter insists that Roger move on with his life and stay away. Roger sues Peter for custody of Reese, and his lawyers force Peter to address the fact that he may not be Reese's biological father. Peter takes another paternity test and this time learns the truth—he is not Reese's biological father. Roger's lawyer makes issue of the long hours Peter's job demands, whereas Roger works from home and commands his own schedule.
During court, Peter perjures himself on the witness stand and proclaims that he has been given a new schedule with reduced working hours at County General Hospital. Peter later goes to his supervisor, Dr. Robert Romano
Robert Romano (ER)
Dr. Robert 'Rocket' Romano is a fictional character on the TV series ER. He was portrayed by Emmy-winning actor Paul McCrane. Paul McCrane's removal from the main cast opening credits was in the 9th episode of season 10....
, and asks for such a schedule, but Romano cannot offer only daytime hours. Peter hands in his resignation, and he goes to the out-of-town clinic where girlfriend Cleo Finch
Cleo Finch
Dr. Cleo Finch was a fictional doctor in the television series ER, from Seasons 6 through 8 . She was portrayed by actress Michael Michele.-Life at County:...
now works to try to get a job there. He is successful and gets the hours he had promised the judge, and he is awarded sole custody of Reese with Roger receiving visitation rights. When a saddened Roger brings Reese's Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
presents to the hospital later that day, Peter, knowing that Roger is important to Reese, tells Roger to come to his and Cleo's home on Christmas Day and give the presents to Reese himself.
Elizabeth Corday
When British surgeon Dr. Elizabeth CordayElizabeth Corday
Elizabeth Corday, MBChB, FRCS is a fictional surgeon on the television series ER. She was played by Alex Kingston and appeared from 1997 to 2004.-Background:...
starts work at County General Hospital, she is quickly attracted to Benton, though he initially disregards her attentions. At length, Elizabeth tells him she believes that he does not want to pursue a relationship with her because of their racial difference, and Benton finally grudgingly admits to her that "I do have a problem dating white women." Professionally, Benton and Corday attempt to outdo each other several times, and both are eventually given the opportunity to work with Dr. Robert Romano
Robert Romano (ER)
Dr. Robert 'Rocket' Romano is a fictional character on the TV series ER. He was portrayed by Emmy-winning actor Paul McCrane. Paul McCrane's removal from the main cast opening credits was in the 9th episode of season 10....
. Later in the year, Benton assists on a surgery performed by his mentor Dr. David Morgenstern. Morgenstern (who has been somewhat hesitant about surgery following his heart attack) makes a serious mistake that endangers the patient's life. Benton shoves him out of the way to take over the operation, with Elizabeth walking in too late to see Morgenstern's mistake but witnessing Benton's actions toward Morgenstern. Benton is suspended and comes close to losing his job before Morgenstern finally comes forward with the videotape of the operation, which exonerates his former student.
Morgenstern then resigns from the hospital, and a distraught Peter begins an affair with Elizabeth. They remain together through much of the following two years, although their relationship eventually begins to suffer due to Peter's needing to spend more time attending to Reese. Elizabeth helps him realize that their romance isn't going anywhere, and they end their affair, though they remain close friends and colleagues. Their friendship is troubled, however, when Elizabeth approaches the hospital staff with the idea of a trauma surgical fellowship
Fellowship (medicine)
A fellowship is the period of medical training in the United States and Canada that a physician may undertake after completing a specialty training program . During this time , the physician is known as a fellow...
. Benton withdraws his tentative commitment to Romano's cardiothoracic fellowship (which would be extremely time-consuming) and campaigns for and is granted the trauma fellowship. Elizabeth feels betrayed by Peter and, wishing to stay at County, takes Romano's cardiothoracic fellowship offer.
Cleo Finch
In Season 6, Benton began dating Dr. Cleo FinchCleo Finch
Dr. Cleo Finch was a fictional doctor in the television series ER, from Seasons 6 through 8 . She was portrayed by actress Michael Michele.-Life at County:...
, an ER pediatrician. Their relationship was stormy because of Peter's ex-girlfriend Carla, but in Season 8 they leave Chicago along with Benton's son Reese to start a new life. Peter Benton and Cleo Finch transfer to a different hospital. In the season 15 episode "Old Times," Benton is seen wearing a wedding ring, and it is assumed he and Cleo are now married. Later in the episode, as Carter awakes from surgery, he asks Benton who is watching Reese; Peter matter-of-factly answers "he's at home with Cleo".
John Carter
In the pilot episode, John CarterJohn Carter (ER)
Dr. John Truman Carter III, portrayed by Noah Wyle, is a fictional character from the television series ER. The character, called simply "Carter" by most other characters, was introduced in the pilot episode and appeared for eleven consecutive seasons. Wyle decided to leave the show as a regular...
is introduced as a third-year medical student
Medical Student
Medical Student may refer to:*Someone studying at medical school*Medical Student Newspaper, a UK publication...
on his ER rotation. He is assigned to Benton, who proceeds to give Carter a hard time. They seldom get along and their personalities clash on many occasions. Benton is more ambitious and focused on surgery whereas Carter is more compassionate and willing to spend time with patients, a trait that "drove [Benton] crazy" as he put it to Cleo, although he considered Carter to be a talented and smart doctor. In Season 3, Benton develops appendicitis
Appendicitis
Appendicitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix. It is classified as a medical emergency and many cases require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. Untreated, mortality is high, mainly because of the risk of rupture leading to...
and Carter operates on him. However, Carter eventually decided to leave surgery for emergency medicine
Emergency medicine
Emergency medicine is a medical specialty in which physicians care for patients with acute illnesses or injuries which require immediate medical attention. While not usually providing long-term or continuing care, emergency medicine physicians diagnose a variety of illnesses and undertake acute...
, a decision that caused him to clash with Benton. Nonetheless, the two have reconciled and, despite the fact that they have interacted less since Carter's transition to emergency medicine, formed a deep friendship.
In Season 6, Benton was visibly concerned about Carter after he was stabbed by a schizophrenic
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
patient, and eventually operates on him along with Dr. Anspaugh. During the surgery, Benton has become protective of Carter, and expresses reluctance to leave his former protegee for another patient. Soon after, upon hearing Carter becoming addicted to painkillers, he refuses to watch Carter self-destruct and convinces Carter to enter rehab
Drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is a term for the processes of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment, for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and so-called street drugs such as cocaine, heroin or amphetamines...
.
In Season 8, before Dr. Benton departs County General, his final farewell is to Carter. As a going-away present, Carter hands Benton a train token; it is the same one Benton had given him shortly after he started in the ER, telling him to use it for a trip home if he thought he did not belong there.
In Season 15, he reunited with Carter when he was in need of a kidney transplant. Benton supervises the operation at the hospital where he works and makes sure that his old friend and colleague gets the best medical support. As Benton knew that Carter has gone to Africa for the past 4 years, it is likely that both doctors kept in limited contact with each other while working at different hospitals.
Career
Dr. Romano eventually offers Benton an attending trauma surgeon position, but when a MedicareMedicare (United States)
Medicare is a social insurance program administered by the United States government, providing health insurance coverage to people who are aged 65 and over; to those who are under 65 and are permanently physically disabled or who have a congenital physical disability; or to those who meet other...
patient needs a surgery that Romano refuses to allow to be performed, Benton calls social services and informs them of the refusal of care. Romano intercepts the patient as social services arrives and performs the surgery, but he is enraged at Peter for calling them. Romano then retracts the idea of an attending trauma surgeon, explaining to Peter that the fines social services and Medicare inflicted on the hospital roughly equal what Peter's yearly salary would have been. Romano then offers Benton a per diem
Per diem
Per diem refers to a specific amount of money that an organization allows an individual to spend per day, to cover living and traveling expenses in connection with work...
surgical position with reduced benefits and more difficult scheduling, but Benton refuses. Romano also uses his considerable influence to blacklist Benton throughout the medical community, making it impossible for Benton to find a job in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Corday finds a new job for him in Philadelphia, but Carla will not continue joint custody
Joint custody
Joint custody is a court order whereby custody of a child is awarded to both parties. In joint custody both parents are custodial parents and neither parent is a non-custodial parent, or, in other words, the child has two custodial parents. In the United States, many states recognize two forms of...
of Reese if Peter leaves town (citing Peter's resistance to her and her husband Roger's plans to move the year before). Peter is then forced to go to Romano and accept the per diem position.
After the court battle between Roger and himself, Benton is forced to move away from County to work better hours in another hospital, in order to gain custody of Reese. In his last surgery at County, Benton miraculously saves a six-year-old victim of a shooting accident.
After County General
After leaving the series, Benton was seen a few more times. The first time was when he was passing the torch to Dr. Corday and she told him that her marriage to Benton's friend and colleague Dr. Mark Greene was in trouble. His next appearance was at the funeral of Greene. Benton appears in a photo as part of a slideshowSlideshow
A slide show is a display of a series of chosen information or pictures, done for artistic or instructional purposes. Slide shows are conducted by a presenter using an apparatus, such as a carousel slide projector, an overhead projector or in more recent years, a computer running presentation...
at Dr. Carter's farewell party, and Benton is heard in a voiceover
VoiceOver
VoiceOver is a screen reader built into Apple Inc.'s Mac OS X, iOS and iPod operating systems. By using VoiceOver, the user can access their Macintosh or iOS device based on spoken descriptions and, in the case of the Mac, the keyboard. The feature is designed to increase accessibility for blind...
memory as Carter leaves the ER for the last time in the 11th season finale. Eriq La Salle made an uncredited appearance in the opening of "Heal Thyself" to tell the audience of the death of the show's creator Michael Crichton
Michael Crichton
John Michael Crichton , best known as Michael Crichton, was an American best-selling author, producer, director, and screenwriter, best known for his work in the science fiction, medical fiction, and thriller genres. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and many have been adapted...
.
Season 15 and In The End
During the 15th and final season of ER, at the end of the episode "The Book of Abby", long-serving nurse Haleh Adams shows the departing Abby LockhartAbby Lockhart
Dr. Abby Lockhart is a fictional medical doctor on the television series ER. She is portrayed by Maura Tierney...
a closet wall where all the past doctors and employees have put their locker name tags. Amongst them, the tag "Benton" can be seen.
Benton returns in the 19th episode of the 15th (final) season of ER in the episode "Old Times" which first was broadcast on 12 March 2009. In the episode he visits old friend and former student John Carter who is awaiting a kidney transplant, and we learn that Benton has left private practice for a surgical attending position at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
Hospital. He is seen wearing a wedding ring, so it is assumed he has married Cleo Finch
Cleo Finch
Dr. Cleo Finch was a fictional doctor in the television series ER, from Seasons 6 through 8 . She was portrayed by actress Michael Michele.-Life at County:...
.
In the series finale, Benton goes to Carter's opening of his new hospital with Reese. He also goes to the afterparty
Afterparty
The term afterparty, after-party, or after party refers to a phenomenon in modern culture often seen in the hospitality or entertainment industries and among college and high-school circles in society, which involves a planned celebration following a significant event attended by guests associated...
with Carter, Susan, and Weaver and meets Elizabeth and Rachel. In a conversation, he reveals that he and Cleo are still together.