Corbin Bernsen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Corbin Bernsen | |
|---|---|
 Bernsen at the 39th Primetime Emmy Awards, September 1987 |
|
| Born | September 7, 1954 North Hollywood, California |
| Spouse(s) | Amanda Pays |
Corbin Dean Bernsen (born September 7, 1954) is an American actor, known for his work on television. His greatest fame came from his role of Arnold Becker on L.A. Law during the late 1980s and early 1990s,[1] though he has appeared regularly as a cast member or guest on other shows, including General Hospital, Cuts, and Psych. Bernsen is also the host of the GSN game show How Much Is Enough?.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Bernsen was born in North Hollywood, California to Harry Bernsen, a Hollywood producer, and actress Jeanne Cooper, who appears on The Young and the Restless.[1] His father is of Scandinavian descent and his mother was born on a Cherokee reservation. He attended Beverly Hills High School in Beverly Hills, California and graduated in 1971. Bernsen is also "double Bruin," having received both a BA in Theatre Arts and an MFA in Playwriting from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). [2]
[edit] Career
Bernsen's first nation-wide attention came from two-year role on the soap opera, Ryan's Hope.[1] He was propelled into stardom when he was cast as one of the stars on the hit primetime Steven Bochco series L.A. Law. The role earned him Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, appearances on dozens of magazine covers, and guest starring roles on then-popular shows such as Seinfeld and The Larry Sanders Show.[1] He was one of the few actors to remain on the show from 1986 until the show's end in 1994. While protraying Roger Dorn in the feature film Major League, Bersen was involved in a real life altercation with co-star Charlie Sheen. During the scuffle, Bersen suffered a slight tear in his rotator cuff, leaving unable to throw a baseball. For this reason, Bersen was not in any on-field baseball action for the sequals Major League II and Major League: Back to the Minors.
Bernsen appeared on General Hospital when he played the recurring role of attorney John Durant from September 2004 until the character was murdered in May 2006. He played Jack Sherwood on Cuts, appeared twice on Celebrity Mole, and played a lawyer on Boston Legal. He also had a recurring role as Captain Owen Sebring on the military drama JAG. Bernsen also starred as the scary dentist Dr. Finestone in the horror movie The Dentist and in the sequel The Dentist 2. He will also direct, produce, and appear in the horror film Dead Air. Bernsen currently co-stars in USA's Friday night Summer hit, Psych. He plays Henry Spencer, the proud but silent father of the main character Shawn Spencer (James Roday).
[edit] Public Media Works
Bernsen is president and co-owner of Public Media Works, a new media company that develops entertainment for targeted fan bases.[3] He directed and starred in Carpool Guy, the company's first film; it was targeted at soap opera fans[4] and released on DVD in 2005.
Bernsen's role at Public Media Works led him to follow up with Kyle MacDonald, the blogger behind one red paperclip who sought to engage in a series of trades which would culminate in receiving a house. After hearing a radio interview with MacDonald, Bernsen contacted him and soon made him a standing offer of a role in a Public Media Works "extremely-low-budget" film. The film, still being written by Bernsen at the time of the offer, is titled Benny Barters His Baloney; the offer was accepted once MacDonald obtained a snow globe, something MacDonald knew Bernsen would be interested in as a collector.[5] In the film, actor Larry Drake reprises his role as Benny Stulwicz, who becomes confused and violent when a young man he meets online refuses to trade his used Nintendo Wii for half of Benny's unsliced log of Thumann's Beef Bologna.
[edit] Personal life
Bernsen is married to British actress Amanda Pays. The couple has four sons: Oliver Miller (born 1989), twins Henry and Angus (born 1992), and Bunsen (born 1998). Bernsen also has one of the largest snow globe collections in the world, with around 7000 snow globes.[6].
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Biography from a USA Network website for Psych
- ^ MSN Bio
- ^ Summary of Public Media Works from the OTC Bulletin Board website
- ^ Interview with Bernsen from Soap Opera Digest
- ^ Podcast featuring in its second-half an interview with Bernsen (in MP3 format) by a "new marketing" podcaster
- ^ Southeastern Antiquing and Collecting Magazine The Celebrity Collector: Corbin Bernsen
