John Berg

Template:Realworld John Edward Berg (5 April 1949 – 15 December 2007; age 58) was an actor, writer, director, and political activist who played a Romulan senator in Star Trek Nemesis. Although his scenes were cut from the final film, he still received on-screen billing; it was his only feature film credit.

A seat fabric for use on a chair during the production of Nemesis, with Berg's name, was auctioned off in the It's A Wrap! sale and auction.

Personal

Berg was born in Wichita Falls, Texas. The son of a delegate in the 1952 and 1956 National Democratic Conventions, Berg acquired an early interest in politics. At the time of his death, he was maintaining a blog for political commentary at JBTheVoice.com. He also founded the political movement known as Unplug for Peace.

Berg attended the University of Chicago in the late 1960s. By the 1990s he had held successful jobs as a disc jockey, a writer, a marketing manager for a ski resort, a restaurant manager, a concert promoter, a graphic artist, and the chief financial officer of a real estate company. It was at this time that Berg decided to pursue a career in acting, appearing on numerous popular television shows. [1] [2]

In addition to acting, Berg was a skilled singer, golfer, snow skier, cyclist, and swimmer. He also did voiceover work for various television commercials. As an actor, he was represented by BiCoastal Talent; his agent was Liz Hanley. [3]

On 16 December 2007, Berg was found dead at his home in the 6500 block of Nagle Avenue in Van Nuys, California. Autopsy results showed that Berg committed suicide by carbon monoxide inhalation. He was 58 years old. [4]

Acting career

Berg has made appearances on such television shows as NBC's Law & Order, CBS' The Guardian (starring Raphael Sbarge), and ABC's The Practice (in an episode with John Larroquette and Bill Smitrovich). He has also been seen on the hit FOX series House (starring Jennifer Morrison) and the "Schadenfreude" episode of ABC's Boston Legal (starring William Shatner and also guest-starring Gregory Itzin and Leslie Jordan).

Berg had recurring roles on numerous daytime soap operas, including The Bold and the Beautiful, General Hospital and The Young & the Restless. He played two doctor roles on the NBC soap Passions: Dr Sprague, a recurring character, and Dr. Gott, a principal character. [5]

Although Nemesis was Berg's only credited film work, he did appear in other films, including 1994's It Could Happen to You (featuring Seymour Cassel). [6]

Director Lou Antonio cast Berg in a 2003 episode of the short-lived CBS series The Handler, along with Star Trek: Enterprise guest actor Peter Weller. Berg also worked for Enterprise director Patrick Norris on a 2004 episode of The Division. More recently, he was cast by "Think Tank" director Terrence O'Hara in a 2005 episode of NCIS. Berg made his last television appearance in a 2007 episode of Monk, which starred TNG guest actor Stanley Kamel as the title character's psychiatrist.

Early in 2007, Berg shot a pilot for Fox entitled Supreme Courtships, in which he and fellow Trek alum Kurtwood Smith play court Justices, with Daphne Ashbrook co-starring. The pilot, however, was not aired as it was not picked up by the network. [7]

External links

• JB The Voice - official site
• John Berg tribute - blog run by Berg's sister
• John Berg (actor) at Wikipedia
• Template:IMDb-link
• Template:NowCasting