Captain Benjamin Willard — Apocalypse Now Character Profile

About Captain Benjamin Willard

Jaded MACV-SOG operative ordered to navigate upriver and assassinate renegade Colonel Kurtz. Leads a PBR crew, faces psychological strain, and ultimately fulfills his mission by killing Kurtz.

Captain Benjamin Willard — Character Profile

Affiliations

• Military Intelligence Corps
• Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group
• paratrooper
• airborne forces

Quick Facts about Captain Benjamin Willard

Occupation

soldier

Captain Benjamin Willard's Known Relations

• Military Intelligence Corps — Member of
• Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group — Member of
• paratrooper — Member of
• airborne forces — Member of

Character Facts

Played by

Martin Sheen

Appears in

Apocalypse Now (1979)

Role

Protagonist

Relationships (6)

• Captain Benjamin Willard — Alliance Temporary Ally — Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore (Robert Duvall)

  Military cooperation for river navigation safety.

• Captain Benjamin Willard — Conflict Arch Enemy — Colonel Walter Kurtz (Marlon Brando)

  Official mission target and ideological adversary.

• Captain Benjamin Willard — Professional Mission Commander — Chief Phillips (Albert Hall)

  Boat commander navigating conflicting operational priorities.

• Captain Benjamin Willard — Alliance Crewmate — Jay 'Chef' Hicks (Frederic Forrest)

  Boat crew member and mission companion.

• Captain Benjamin Willard — Professional Successor — Lieutenant Richard M. Colby (Scott Glenn)

  Willard discovers the fate of his predecessor.

• Captain Benjamin Willard — Narrative Mission Partner — Lance B. Johnson (Sam Bottoms)

  Primary duo for the final infiltration.

Explore the full interactive character relationship map of Apocalypse Now

More characters from Apocalypse Now

• Colonel Walter Kurtz (Marlon Brando)
• Jay 'Chef' Hicks (Frederic Forrest)
• Chief Phillips (Albert Hall)
• Lieutenant Richard M. Colby (Scott Glenn)
• Tyrone 'Clean' Miller (Laurence Fishburne)
• Kilgore's Gunner (James Keane)
• Roxanne Sarrault (Aurore Clément)
• Photojournalist (Dennis Hopper)
• Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore (Robert Duvall)
• General Corman (G.D. Spradlin)
• Miss May (Colleen Camp)
• Lance B. Johnson (Sam Bottoms)