Who is David Birney?
David is a veteran American actor, perhaps still best known as Bernie Steinberg in the TV series “Bridget Loves Bernie” (1972-1973), and as Paul Winkless in the television movie “Someone’s Watching Me” (1978), among many other roles that he secured over his long and successful career.
Where is David Birney Now? What is he doing today?
David Birney is now in his early ’80s and living a quiet life away from the media. He hasn’t been active in the entertainment industry since the mid- 2000, and according to reports, David was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2017.
David Birney Wiki: Age, Childhood, and Education
David Edwin Birney was born on 23 April 1939 under the Gemini zodiac sign, in Washington, D.C., USA, the son of Edwin B. Birney, a special FBI agent, and his wife, Jeanne Birney.
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The family moved to Brooklyn and later Ohio, where David attended West High School in Cleveland. David played basketball and excelled in football and track during his high school years.
After matriculation, he enrolled at Dartmouth College, from which he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature, with High Distinction.
He furthered his education by enrolling at the University of California, Los Angeles, from which he earned an M.A. in Theatre Arts, acting, and directing; he studied with Ralph Freud and William Melnitz.
Career Beginnings
David started his acting career in theater in the mid- ’60s, joining the Barter Theatre and signing an Equity contract with the company for an entire season, appearing in 15 shows with the Barter Theatre and the State Theatre of Virginia.
He continued to work in theater, and his first significant work was in the play “Three Sisters” at the Hartford Stage in 1966. Before the decade ended, he featured in such popular plays as “The Comedy of Errors”, “King John”, “Titus Andronicus”, and “The Ceremony of Innocence”.
He also started his on-screen career, and in 1967, had his first breakthrough as Ladvenu in the Primetime Emmy Award-nominated biopic about Joan of Arc, entitled “Saint Joan”, co-starring Theodore Bikel and Genevieve Bujold.
Rise to Prominence
David began the ’70s in a stunning fashion, both on stage and screen.
He was Haimon in the play “Antigone” at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre in 1971, while in 1972, he got the role of his career, as Bernie Steinberg in the TV series “Bridget Loves Bernie”, starring in all 24 episodes of the popular TV series alongside Meredith Baxter, which brought them international popularity. The two portrayed a couple on screen, and later developed a romance in real life.
After the end of the series, David starred in the action mystery-thriller film “Caravan Vaccares”, alongside Charlotte Rampling and Michael Lonsdale, and had the lead role in the television movie “Only with Married Men”.
David next portrayed John Quincy Adams in the TV mini-series “The Adams Chronicles” in 1976, and the same year he was chosen for the title role of Officer Frank Serpico in the TV crime-drama series “Serpico”.
Through to the end of the decade, he was Jonathan ‘Jon’ Ferrier in the TV mini-series “Testimony of Two Men” (1977), then played Paul Winkles in the television movie “Someone’s Watching Me!” (1978), and appeared in the drama film “Au Revoir A Lundi” in 1979, with Miou-Miou, Carole Laure and Claude Brasseur in the lead roles.
He began the ’80s with the part of Antonio Salieri in the play “Amadeus” at the Broadhurst Theatre, and with the co-starring role in the television movie drama “OHMS” with Ralph Waite and Talia Balsam. In 1982 he was Richard II in the film of the same name.
He continued to feature both on screen and on stage until the decade’s end.
Some of his on-screen projects included the role of Dr. Ben Samuels in the TV series “St. Elsewhere” (1982-1983), then as Sam Dillon in the TV series “Glitter” (1984-1985), while in 1987, he starred with Meredith Baxter in the television drama movie “The Long Journey Home”.
In 1988 he starred in the sci-fi mystery film “Nightfall”, with Sarah Douglas and Alexis Kanner, then finished the decade with the lead role in the television drama movie “Love and Betrayal”, co-starring Lisa Aliff and Stephen Burleigh.
To speak of his accomplishments on stage in the ’80s, he appeared in the play “Benefactors” at Brooks Atkinson Theatre in New York, and played Professor Henry Higgins in the play “My Fair Lady”, at Benedum Center for the Performing Arts in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Continued Succes
Little changed for David in the ’90s, as he continued to feature in television movies, including such projects as the adventure thriller drama movie “Night of the Fox”, then the drama movie “Always Remember I Love You”, both in 1990, while in 1992 he starred with Martin Sheen in the thriller “Touch and Die”.
Next, he starred in the two-part mini-series “Secrets”, while in 1995, he was Harry Chandler Moore in the TV drama series “Live Shot”, starring alongside Sam Anderson and Wanda De Jesus. In 1996 he voiced Anakin Skywalker in the radio drama “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi”, then went on to appear in such TV series as “Love Boat: The Next Wave”, “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” both in 1998, and “Poltergeist: The Legacy” in 1999.
Before retiring, David appeared in the Primetime Emmy Award-winning mystery crime-drama series “Without a Trace” in 2007, while in 2010, he portrayed John Sydney Barrymore in the play “I Hate Hamlet” at The Robert Shackleton Playhouse.
Work Outside Acting
David is well-known for recording numerous audiobooks. He won the Audie Award for his work on the reading of Julie Salomon’s “The Christmas Tree”, among others, and has created audiobooks on works by Paul Theroux, Thomas Kenneally, Dean Koontz, and Orson Scott Card.
Moreover, he served on the Large Theatre Panel of the National Endowment for the Arts, and is a current board member of the Foundation for Bio-Medical Research.
David was a co-chair of the American Diabetes Association, becoming their spokesperson and the one behind fundraisers.
Net Worth
As of mid- 2022, David Birney’s net worth has been estimated to be around $5 million, earned through his successful career as an actor, during which he appeared in over 70 film and TV titles.
Personal Life, Marriage, Wife, Children
On 20 October 1961, he married Mary Jean Concannon; the two divorced, but David hasn’t spoken about it.
In the early ’70s, he met Meredith Baxter while on the set of “Bridget Loves Bernie”. The two married on 10 April 1974 and had three children before divorcing in 1990.
His ex-wife is a Primetime Emmy Award-nominated actress with more than 100 film and TV titles. After the divorce, she claimed that David abused her physically and emotionally while married.
David came forward with a statement on his website, negating all the allegations made by his ex-wife.
Appearance and Vital Statistics
The prominent actor was known for his medium-length wavy brown hair and hazel eyes. He stands at a height of 5ft 9ins (1.75m), while his weight and his vital statistics are currently unknown, though he has an average figure.
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