Fans of La Cage aux Folles (1978) and its two sequels will most likely know Benny Luke at a glance as he played Jacob in all three films, the man servant to main couple Renato and Albin. However, the Oakland, California native had an illustrious career as a dancer in the city of lights, clicking his heels across the various Parisian stages throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s. Benny made his on screen debut as a featured dancer in the French flick Le feu sacré (1971), and he followed that up with a major role in the obscure European sex fantasy Spermula (1976) but he wouldn't become an icon until his role as Jacob in La Cage. While his role in the first film was fairly insubstantial, his participation increased with each sequel as he went from being the last performer billed in the first flick to sixth billed in the 1980 second and 1985 third installments. Benny really grabbed Mr. Man's attention in La Cage aux Folles II (1980) when he showed off his lean and lovely dancer body while wearing a French maid's outfit as he vacuums Renato and Albin's apartment! While Benny never played the role in the musical, Jacob is a pivotal part of the 1983 Broadway musical sensation, and Benny would have slayed it had he ever gotten the chance to play the part on stage. Sadly he left us in early 2013 and his ashes were scattered in Paris. Still, we think that Benny's sexy body of work is always worth a second Luke!
