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Corbin Bernsen

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Corbin Bernsen
Born
Corbin Dean Bernsen
OccupationActor
Years active1967–present
Spouse(s)Amanda Pays (1988-present) 4 children
Brenda Cooper (1983-1987) (divorced)

Corbin Dean Bernsen (born September 7, 1954) is an American actor, known for his work on television. His earliest 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.

Biography

Early life

Bernsen was born in North Hollywood, California to Harry Bernsen, a Hollywood producer, and veteran soap actress Jeanne Cooper, who appears on The Young and the Restless.[1] 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]

Career

Bernsen's first nationwide attention came from a two-year role on the soap opera, Ryan's Hope.[1] He was propelled into super 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 shows such as Seinfeld and The Larry Sanders Show.[1] He was one of the few actors to remain on L.A. Law from 1986 until the show's end in 1994.

While portraying Roger Dorn in the feature film Major League, Bernsen was involved in a real-life altercation with co-star Charlie Sheen. During the scuffle, Bernsen suffered a slight tear in his rotator cuff, leaving him unable to throw a baseball. As a result, Bernsen was not in any on-field baseball action for the sequels Major League II and Major League: Back to the Minors. He appeared alongside the British actor Bruce Payne in both Kounterfeit and Aurora: Operation Intercept.

Bernsen also starred as the title character, Dr. Alan Feinstone, in the horror film Dr. Alan Feinstone and its sequel.

Bernsen appeared on General Hospital, where he portrayed 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 appeared as Q2 on Star Trek: The Next Generation. He also had a recurring role as Captain Owen Sebring on the military drama JAG and played a Republican senator on two episodes of The West Wing. He also directed, produced and appeared in the horror film Dead Air. Bernsen currently co-stars in USA's Psych, playing the role of Henry Spencer, the proud, disapproving father of the main character, Shawn Spencer (James Roday). Corbin and his family (Amanda, Oliver, Angus, and Finley) appeared on the NBC show Celebrity Family Feud on July 29, 2008, competing first against the Margaret Cho family and then against the crew from American Chopper, but lost to them.

Bernsen is currently planning a baseball movie about zombies, called "Three Strikes, You’re Dead."[3]

Public Media Works

Bernsen is president and co-owner of Public Media Works, a new media company that develops entertainment for targeted fan bases.[4] He directed and starred in Carpool Guy, the company's first film; it was targeted at soap opera fans[5] 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.[6]

Team Cherokee Productions

Bernsen is the founder and head of Team Cherokee Productions, an independent production company that, similar to Public Media Works, develops, produces and markets films and television shows for targeted fan bases. Along with Bernsen, the company is run by James Greilick, who is in charge of development. The company's latest Film RUST (www.rustmovie.com) will be released early 2010.

Personal life

Bernsen is married to British actress Amanda Pays. The couple have four sons: Oliver Miller (born 1989), twins Henry and Angus (born 1992), and Finley (born 1998). Bernsen also has one of the biggest snow globe collections in the world, owning more than 7,000 snowglobes.[7] According to the book One Red Paperclip, in June 2006, Bernsen traded a role in the film Donna on Demand to the book's author, blogger Kyle MacDonald, for a snowglobe of the band KISS. It was this role that MacDonald eventually traded for a two-story farm house; this was the end result of starting off with trading one red paperclip for his first deal.

Selected filmography

References

  1. ^ a b c d Biography from a USA Network website for Psych
  2. ^ MSN Bio
  3. ^ Corbin Bernsen planning zombie baseball movie
  4. ^ Summary of Public Media Works from the OTC Bulletin Board website
  5. ^ Interview with Bernsen from Soap Opera Digest
  6. ^ Podcast featuring in its second-half an interview with Bernsen (in MP3 format) by a "new marketing" podcaster
  7. ^ Southeastern Antiquing and Collecting Magazine The Celebrity Collector: Corbin Bernsen
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