Warren Berlinger

Warren Berlinger (August 31, 1937 – December 2, 2020) was an American character actor, with Broadway runs, movie and television credits, and much work in commercials.

Early life Warren Berlinger was born on August 31, 1937, in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, of Jewish heritage, the son of Frieda (née Shapkin) and Elias Berlinger, a building contractor. His family owned Berlinger's Glass Store on Avenue D.

Career Berlinger appeared in nine Broadway productions across his career, beginning at nine years old with the original 1946 Broadway production of Annie Get Your Gun, with Ethel Merman and Ray Middleton. Notable Broadway roles include young Bibi in The Happy Time (1951), Johnny in Take a Giant Step (1953), the son of Macdonald Carey and Kitty Carlisle in Anniversary Waltz (1954), and Buddy Baker in Neil Simon's first Broadway comedy Come Blow Your Horn in 1961. He co-starred in both the 1958 Broadway stage production and the Hollywood movie adaptation of the drama Blue Denim (winning a Theatre World Award for the stage version). Berlinger played the starring role of the clever window washer J. Pierpont Finch in the 1963 London stage production of Frank Loesser's Pulitzer-Prize winning musical satire How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at the Shaftesbury Theatre, which ran for 520 performances.

He began his long TV career as a teenager in live NYC television, and would appear in drama anthologies, TV series, soap operas, and the original Howdy Doody show. He guest-starred on dozens of shows over six decades, most often as the comic friend, relative, co-worker, neighbor, or "average Joe." In 1965, Berlinger was the star of Kilroy, a segment of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. Other memorable portrayals include episodes of Charlie's Angels, Happy Days (including an appearance as "tough-as-nails" United States Army recruiter Sergeant Betchler), That Girl, as Marlo Thomas's stingy cousin Howard (Season 1, Episode 27) and as Dr. Goldfisher (Season 4, Episode 25), Love, American Style, Operation Petticoat, Friends, Columbo and Murder, She Wrote. In 1975, he was a special guest member of the show Emergency! playing the role of heart transplant patient Frank Fenady alongside Jeanne Cooper. He also starred in an Archie Bunker-type sitcom entitled "Warren."

Berlinger had regular and recurring roles on The Joey Bishop Show from 1961-1962, Bracken's World (1969-1970), The Funny Side (1971), A Touch of Grace (1973), Operation Petticoat (1978-1979), Happy Days (1975-1981), Too Close for Comfort (1982-1986), and Shades of LA (1990-1991).

In 1966, he played Phillip Short in the movie Spinout. and continued in the movies Because They're Young (1960), The Wackiest Ship In The Army (1960), Billie (1965) and Thunder Alley (1967).

Berlinger worked with Elvis Presley in the 1966 film musical Spinout.

In 1960, he appeared with Jack Lemmon and Rick Nelson in The Wackiest Ship in the Army as Radioman 2nd class A.J. Sparks.

In 2006, Berlinger marked his 60th anniversary in show business. He was both honorary mayor and honorary sheriff of Chatsworth, California.

His final acting credit was a 2016 episode of Grace and Frankie.

Personal life and death In 1960, Berlinger married actress Betty Lou Keim, who died in 2010. They had four children.

Berlinger died from cancer on December 2, 2020, at the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital in Valencia, California; he was 83.

Filmography Year Title Role Notes1956 Teenage Rebel Dick Hewitt 1956 Three Brave Men Harry Goldsmith 1959 Blue Denim Ernie 1960 Because They're Young Buddy McCalla 1960 Platinum High School Crip Hastings 1960StartimeRon TawleyEpisode: "Incident at a Corner" 1960 The Wackiest Ship in the Army Radioman 2nd Class A.J. Sparks 1961 All Hands on Deck Ens. Rudy Rush 1965 Billie Mike Benson 1966 Spinout Philip Short 1967 Thunder Alley Eddie Sands 1973 The Long Goodbye Morgan 1973 The Girl Most Likely To... Herman Anderson TV movie1973 Emergency! Mr. Winthrop Season 3, Episode 9: "Inheritance Tax"1975 Emergency! Frank Fenady Season 5, Episode 5: "Heart Transplant Patient"1975 Lepke Gurrah Shapiro 1975 Happy Days DJ Charlie the Prince 1975 The Four Deuces Chico Hamilton - the Arch Rival 1976 I Will, I Will... for Now Steve Martin 1976 Harry and Walter Go to New York Stage Manager 1976 The Shaggy D.A. Dip 1977 Happy Days Sergeant Betchler Season 4, Episode 20: "The Physical" 1978-1979 Operation Petticoat Chief Engineer Stanley Dobritch (season 2)1979 The Magician of Lublin Herman 1981 The Cannonball Run Shakey Finch 1982 The World According to Garp Stew Percy 1986 Free Ride Dean Stockwell 1986 Blacke's Magic Officer Gunther Episode 12: "Wax Poetic"1987 Going Bananas Palermo 1988 Outlaw Force Capt. Morgan 1988 Take Two Apartment Manager 1989 Ten Little Indians Mr. Blore 1992 Hero Judge Goines 1996 That Thing You Do! Polaroid T.V. Host 2003 They Call Him Sasquatch Howard Dell