David Burnie dies at 83: Another Saint Star and Bridget Love Burnie dies after Battle of Alzheimer’s
- The longtime theatrical artist passed away at his Santa Monica home on Friday, his partner Michelle Robertage told the New York Times.
- He had battled Alzheimer’s for five years before dying at the age of 83 on April 29
- After achieving early success on Broadway, he landed a starring role in the sitcom Bridget Loves Bernie in 1972 which was considered one of the most controversial TV shows at the time.
- This did not last long as Jewish groups protested the show because it disagreed with the “mixed marriage” between Bernie’s character Bernie Steinberg and Meredith Baxter’s character Bridget Fitzgerald who was a Catholic school teacher
- Although their on-screen partnership did not work out, the two pursued a relationship as the couple – who were divorced – married in 1974 and had three children together before divorcing in 1989
- However, in 2011, the 74-year-old actress released a memoir called Untied: A Memoir of Family, Fame, and Floundering – in which she alleged Bernie was emotionally and physically abusive.
- At the time, Bernie vehemently denied the allegations as “a shocking abuse of the truth”.
- His forty-year career culminated in 2007 as his last credit role was as Leslie Warwick in the TV series Without a Trace.
David Bernie – the actor best known for his work on St Elshere and Bridget Loves Bernie – has died at the age of 83 after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
The longtime theatrical artist passed away at his Santa Monica home on Friday and his partner, Michelle Robertage, told him The New York Times.
He had battled Alzheimer’s for five years before dying at the age of 83 on April 29.
Sad news: David Bernie – the actor best known for his work on St Elshere and Bridget Loves Bernie – has died at the age of 83 after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease
The Big Party: Starred in St. Elsewhere in 1982 with Cynthia Sykes (bottom left), William Daniels (top left), and Ed Flanders (right)
After achieving early success on Broadway, he landed a starring role in the sitcom Bridget Loves Bernie in 1972 which was considered one of the most controversial TV shows at the time.
Since the show was between two massive hits – The Mary Tyler Moore Show and All In The Family – it was popular and garnered good reviews.
However, it was a short period in which Jewish groups protested the show as it disagreed with the “mixed marriage” between Bernie’s character Bernie Steinberg and Meredith Baxter’s character Bridget Fitzgerald who was a Catholic elementary school teacher who came from a wealthy family.
Interesting: Having achieved early success on Broadway, he landed the title role in Bridget Loves sitcom Bernie in 1972 which was considered one of the most controversial TV shows of the time as he starred alongside Meredith Baxter who becomes his wife.
Although their on-screen partnership did not work out, the two pursued a relationship as the couple – who divorced – were married in 1974 and had three children together before divorcing in 1989.
However, in 2011, the 74-year-old actress released a memoir called Untied: A Memoir of Family, Fame, and Floundering – in which she alleged Bernie was emotionally and physically abusive.
At the time, Bernie vehemently denied the allegations as he considered them “a shocking abuse of the truth”.
It’s not easy: Although their on-screen partnership didn’t work out, the two pursued a relationship as the couple – who divorced – got married in 1974 and had three children together before divorcing in 1989, as they were seen together in 1984
Bernie’s highest-grossing role after the sitcom was cancelled was that of a regular cast member in the first season of the medical drama St Elsewhere.
He played Dr. Ben Samuel on the show before leaving the series after one season to appear in Amadeus on Broadway.
Bernie had a very successful career throughout the ’70s and ’80s appearing in Family, The Love Boat, Glitter and Seal Morning.
In the 1990s, he had roles in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Live Shot, and Murder, she wrote.
His forty-year career culminated in 2007 with his last credit role as Leslie Warwick in the television series Without a Trace.
The Man with the Plan: Bernie was seen in the 1976 TV movie Serpico: The Deadly Game
Moving on: In 1976, he starred in Caravan To Vaccares alongside actress Charlotte Rampling