Celebrity News December 03, 2020
'Cannonball Run' Actor Warren Berlinger Dead at 83
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Actor Warren Berlinger, whose career stretched back to the original Broadway production of "Annie Get Your Gun" in 1946, died Wednesday at 83.
One of his daughters confirmed to THR that he had died in a hospital in Valencia, California. No cause of death was given.
Born August 31, 1937, in Brooklyn, Berlinger began performing as a child, including on "The Howdy Doody Show" and on Broadway.
Among his early stage successes were the Broadway shows "A Roomful of Roses" (1955), which became his big-screen debut when it was adapted into the feature "Teenage Rebel" (1956); the controversial, abortion-themed "Blue Denim" (1958), also later a feature film (1959); and "Come Blow Your Horn" (1961). He said in 2019 that his favorite role of all time was that of J. Pierrepont Finch in the London production of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" (1963-1965).
A familiar face on TV, Berlinger made dozens of guest appearances, on such popular shows as "The Secret Storm" (1955), "The Goldbergs" (1956), "Gunsmoke" (1967), "Emergency!" (1975), "Charlie's Angels" (1977 & 1980), "The Love Boat" (1979), "The Dukes of Hazzard" (1979), "Laverne & Shirley" (1982), "The Jeffersons" (1985), "Murder, She Wrote" (three appearances, 1985-1989), "Friends" (1996), and "Grace and Frankie" (2016), his final TV work.
In addition, he was a regular on "The Joey Bishop Show" (1961-1962) opposite Marlo Thomas, on whose "That Girl" he appeared twice (1967 & 1970); was a regular on the short-lived "Bracken's World" (1969-1970), "A Touch of Grace" (1973), and "Operation Petticoat" (1978-1979); and had a recurring role on "Too Close for Comfort" (1982-1986).
He popped up seven times on "Love, American Style" (1970-1973) and five times on "Happy Days" (1975-1981). Henry "The Fonz" Winkler tweeted of Berlinger, "I saw COME BLOW YOUR HORN and Warren was just wonderful ..then he came and guest starred on HAPPY DAYS ..I am so glad I got to know you ...RIP Warren."
Along with the cult-classic made-for-TV movie "The Girl Most Likely To..." (1973), Berlinger's cherubic face was familiar in such features as "The Wackiest Ship in the Army" (1960), "Because They're Young" (1960), the Elvis movie "Spinout" (1966), "The Shaggy D.A." (1976), "The World According to Garp" (1982), and "That Thing You Do!" (1996).
Most famously, he was one of the breathless stars in the smash-hit "The Cannonball Run" (1981) with Burt Reynolds and Farrah Fawcett.
In recent years, Berlinger served on the National Board of the Screen Actor's Guild and focused on directing and producing for the stage.
He was preceded in death by his wife, actress Betty Lou Keim, in 2010, and is survived by their four children, eight grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
