A teen star, Benson was popular for roles of teens in coming-of-age films, such as in 1972's Jory (his screen debut) and as Billy Joe McAllister in 1976's Ode to Billy Joe. Though no longer a teen, Benson is still known for his boyish looks.

Benson received critical acclaim for his role as the ice skating coach, Nick Peterson, in 1978's Ice Castles.

In Disney's animated feature film Beauty and the Beast, Benson demonstrated his vocal abilities by providing the voice of Beast which was completely unrecognizable as Benson's. He would later reprise the role in the Kingdom Hearts role-playing game series. This role led to others voice work for animated features, including the widely popular Prince Valiant cartoon series. Benson also lends his voice to some computer and video game work, such as the voice of Prince Alexander in the computer game King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow.

Since August 2003, Benson has been teaching Film Acting at Appalachian State University.

Benson has been married to Karla DeVito since 1982. They have two children, a daughter named Lyric and a son named Zephyr.