Uncle Ben’s.

Frank Brown was the man whose image became the face of Uncle Ben’s in 1946.
Brown was a maitre d' in a Chicago restaurant. Not much else is known about him.
The name Uncle Ben came from an African American farmer in Texas who was renowned for his high-quality rice.
Gordon Harwell was a Texas food broker who co-founded the grains line decided to change the name of what was called Converted Brand Rice in the late 1940s to draw in new customers. Gordon knew Frank Brown from eating in the restaurant where Frank worked and he paid him, supposedly $50, to use his likeness on the box.
Uncle Ben’s was originally given the name Uncle Ben’s Plantation Rice in 1937. This information is hard to find, but old newspaper clippings reveal the original name that Harwell used to promote the company in one of his attempts at rebranding. It was not until 1946 that it became known simply as Uncle Ben’s.
The clipping is from the May 7, 1937 issue of the Corpus Cristi Caller-Times.