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Lee Bergere

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Lee Bergere
Bergere in the TV series One Step Beyond (1960)
Born
Solomon Bergelson

(1918-04-10)April 10, 1918
New York City, U.S.
DiedJanuary 31, 2007(2007-01-31) (aged 88)
Fremont, New Hampshire, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1936–1989
Spouses
Janet Douglas
​
​
(m. 1945, divorced)​
Harriet Stone Coleman
​
​
(m. 1950; died 1995)​
Children1

Lee Bergere (born Solomon Bergelson; April 10, 1918 – January 31, 2007)[1] was an American actor, known for his role as Joseph Anders in the 1980s television series Dynasty.[2]

Stage

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Born in Brooklyn, New York, Bergere began his career in 1936 at age 18 as Danny Kaye's understudy in the Broadway production of Lady in the Dark.[3] He appeared as the Duke, with Richard Kiley reprising his role as Don Quixote, when the Broadway hit Man of La Mancha premiered in Los Angeles in 1967.[4] Through the years, Bergere also played Quixote as well as other characters in the show in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York. His Broadway credits also include Happiness Is Just a Little Thing Called a Rolls Royce, and Right Next to Broadway.[5]

Television

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Bergere debuted on television on an episode of the live series Studio One[6] with James Dean. He made three guest appearances on Perry Mason, two in 1963. In "The Case of the Witless Witness" he portrayed James Wall, a Congressional committee examiner. Later that year he played Dr. Charles Nevin, brother-in-law of convicted murderer Janice Barton, in the episode, "The Case of the Deadly Verdict". He also made one appearance as French psychiatrist Francois Chalon in The Addams Family. In 1964 he played Ramon in the Munsters TV show. In 1965 he portrayed Dr. George Devlin in "The Case of the Murderous Mermaid".

Bergere played Abraham Lincoln, in the Star Trek episode "The Savage Curtain".[7] Other parts included comedic guest-star roles on Kentucky Jones, Get Smart, My Favorite Martian, The Munsters,[8] All in the Family, WKRP in Cincinnati (in a pig costume), and a starring role on the short-lived series Hot l Baltimore,[2]: 477  on which he played one of TV's first gay regular characters. During the first season of Mission: Impossible, Bergere played the character of a Swiss banker in the episode entitled "The Legacy". Bergere played German Count Von Sichel on Hogan's Heroes in the 1966 episode "The Prince From the Phone Company".

Bergere was known for his haughty and superior characters, a typecasting that culminated in his selection as the majordomo Joseph Anders on the prime-time soap opera Dynasty.[9][10] With that role, and his on-screen billing in the show's opening credits starting in season two, Bergere achieved a level of fame rarely matched by other character actors who, like him, had worked in relative anonymity as guest stars on television series in the 1960s and 1970s including Hogan's Heroes. He appeared regularly only during the first three seasons of Dynasty (returning briefly in the fourth to be "killed off"), but his role grew beyond opening doors and announcing guests to encompass storylines that included the introduction of a daughter and his own character's suicide after setting a cliffhanging fire.

His last role was a recurring part on three episodes of Falcon Crest, another popular 1980s nighttime soap.[11]

Military service

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A veteran of World War II, Bergere supervised entertainment services for soldiers stationed in North Africa.[11]

Death

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Bergere died, aged 88, from undisclosed causes in Colonial Poplin Nursing and Rehabilitation Facility[6] in Fremont, New Hampshire,[11] where he had taken up residence some years earlier, having left the acting profession in 1989. He was survived by one daughter, Mimi, and one grandson, and a nephew.[3]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1961 The Real McCoys Fernando Episode: "The Matador"
1962 The Dick Van Dyke Show Mr. Mason Episode: "One Angry Man"
1964 The Munsters Ramon Episode: "Herman's Rival"
1965 The Addams Family Dr. François Chalon Episode: "The Winning of Morticia Addams"
1967 The Wild Wild West Col. Wayne Gibson Episode: "The Night of the Colonel's Ghost"
1968 In Enemy Country Miral
1969 Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice Emilio
1969 Star Trek Abraham Lincoln S3:E22, "The Savage Curtain"
1971 Hogan's Heroes Major Wolfgang Karp Episode: "Kommandant Gertrude"
1972 The Doris Day Show Jeff O'Neal / Prince Rupert 2 episodes
1973 Emergency! Milton Zack Episode: "Alley Cat"
Incident at Vichy Poilce Captain TV movie
The Six Million Dollar Man: Wine, Women and War Masaha TV movie
The Wide World of Mystery Luigi Episode: "Prowler in the Heart"
1974 Maude George Episode: "Lovers in Common"
Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law Juan Carlos Conforti Episode: "I Promised You a Father (Part II)"
1975 Hot l Baltimore Gordon 13 episodes
1976 All In The Family Dean Winslow Episode: "Mike's Move"
Sandburg's Lincoln Billy Herndon TV miniseries, Episode: "Crossing Fox River"
1978 The New Adventures of Wonder Woman Marius Episode: "Death in Disguise"
The Tony Randall Show Clifford Episode: Kid's Rights
Evening in Byzantium Monsiuer Carroll TV Miniseries (2 parts)
Soap Anatole Martins 2 episodes (#2.6 & #2.8)
1979 WKRP in Cincinnati WPIG Mascot Episode: "Fish Story"
1981 The Love Boat Vince Van Durling Episode: "Two Grapes on the Vine/Aunt Sylvia/Deductible Divorce"
1981-1983 Dynasty Joseph Anders 58 episodes
1983 Scarecrow and Mrs. King Zinvoviev Episode: "Saved By the Bells"
1985 North and South Nicholas Fabray 6 episodes
1986 Dream West 'Papa Joe' Nicollet 2 episodes
1987 Murder, She Wrote Maxim Soury Episode: "A Fashionable Way to Die"
1989 Falcon Crest Justin Nash 3 episodes
Time Trackers Dr. Karl Zandor (final film role)
1991 The New WKRP in Cincinnati Pig Episode:"How Did We Get Here?" (final TV role)

References

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  1. ^ "Lee Bergere, played Abe Lincoln in "Star Trek," dies at 88. Associated Press, 1 February 2007.
  2. ^ a b Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 293. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  3. ^ a b "Veteran Character Actor Lee Bergere Dies". Washington Post. Associated Press. February 1, 2007. Archived from the original on June 6, 2017. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  4. ^ "Lee Bergere Obituary". Legacy.com. Associated Press. February 2, 2007. Archived from the original on June 6, 2017. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  5. ^ "("Lee Bergere" search results)". Playbill. Archived from the original on June 6, 2017. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  6. ^ a b Simonson, Robert (February 5, 2007). "Lee Bergere, Actor Who Found Touchstone in La Mancha, Is Dead at 88". Playbill. Archived from the original on June 6, 2017. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  7. ^ The Star Trek Encyclopedia by Michael Okuda and Denise Okuda, Pocket Books, 1999 edition, p. 274: "Lincoln, Abraham"
  8. ^ Nick at Nite's Classic TV Companion, edited by Tom Hill, copyright 1996 by Viacom International, p. 364: "Episode 15 'Herman's Rival'" (cast list)
  9. ^ "Lee Bergere, 88; prolific television character actor and stage performer". Los Angeles Times. February 3, 2007. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  10. ^ "TV, stage vet Bergere dies". Variety. February 2, 2007. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  11. ^ a b c Lentz, Harris M. III (2008). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2007: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. McFarland. p. 31. ISBN 9780786451913. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
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