Benton was born in Waxahachie, Texas, the son of Dorothy (née Spaulding) and Ellery Douglass Benton, a telephone company employee.[2] He attended the University of Texas and Columbia University.[2] Benton has won numerous awards for both writing and directing in film. In 1959, he co-wrote the book "The IN and OUT Book" with Harvey Schmidt, published by The Viking Press. He was the art director at Esquire magazine in the early 1960s.