Jason Bernard
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Jason Bernard | |
|---|---|
 Jason Bernard and Shirley Jo Finney in Wilma in 1977 | |
| Born | Ronald Carl Johnson May 17, 1938 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | October 16, 1996 (aged 58) Burbank, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1969–1996 |
| Spouse | Debra Bernard |
| Children | 1[1] |
Jason Bernard (born Ronald Carl Johnson, May 17, 1938 – October 16, 1996) was an American actor.
Life and career[edit]
Bernard was born in Chicago, Illinois. His first starring role was in the pilot episode of the television series The White Shadow as Jim Willis. His other well-known television roles are in the television series Cagney & Lacey as Inspector Marquette from 1982 to 1983, Days of Our Lives as Preston Wade in 1982, and a recurring role in the first season of Night Court as Judge Stone's arrogant rival Judge Willard. His big role came in the 1983 NBC miniseries V as Caleb Taylor. Bernard reprised his role in the 1984 sequel V: The Final Battle. In the 1990s Fox comedy series Herman's Head, he played Herman's boss, Mr. Paul Bracken. He appeared in the video games Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger and Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom as Captain William Eisen.
Bernard's first role in a feature film was a cameo in the Charles Bronson film Death Wish, and his first major role was in the 1974 movie Thomasine & Bushrod. He later appeared in Car Wash, WarGames, No Way Out, While You Were Sleeping, and Blue Thunder.
Bernard made many guest appearances on a variety of television shows, ranging from Starsky & Hutch, Flamingo Road and The Jeffersons to The Flash, Murder, She Wrote, Wiseguy and Partners. He also appeared, as the chief security guard, in The Dukes of Hazzard episode "The Dukes in Hollywood".
He played the blind musician Tyrone Wattell in the film All of Me. Bernard's final appearance was in the 1997 film Liar Liar as Judge Marshall Stevens.
Death[edit]
Shortly after the filming of Liar Liar was completed, Bernard suffered a heart attack on October 16, 1996. He had been driving his car in Burbank, California when he was stricken, and was involved in a rear-end accident. Bernard was rushed to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank where he died.[2] He was survived by his wife Debra and son Jason Jr. His body was cremated. Both Suddenly and Liar Liar were dedicated in memory of him.
Filmography[edit]
Film[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Thomasine & Bushrod | Seldon | |
| 1975 | Friday Foster | Charles Foley | |
| 1976 | Car Wash | Lonnie's Parole Officer | |
| 1978 | Coma | Surgical Residents | Uncredited |
| 1978 | Uncle Joe Shannon | Goose | |
| 1982 | Fast Times at Ridgemont High | Gym Teacher | Uncredited |
| 1983 | Blue Thunder | Mayor | |
| 1983 | WarGames | Captain Knewt | |
| 1983 | The Star Chamber | Judge Bocho | |
| 1984 | All of Me | Tyrone Wattell | |
| 1987 | No Way Out | Major Donovan | |
| 1988 | Bird | Benny Tate | |
| 1989 | Paint It Black | Lt. Wilder | |
| 1995 | While You Were Sleeping | Jerry Wallace | |
| 1997 | Liar Liar | Judge Marshall Stevens | Posthumous release |
Television[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Days of Our Lives | Preston Wade | |
| 1969 | The Bold Ones: The New Doctors | Dr. Griffith | Episode: "To Save a Life" |
| 1969 | Then Came Bronson | Reverend Taylor | Episode: "A Long Trip to Yesterday" |
| 1969–1972 | Medical Center | Resident | 2 episodes |
| 1972 | The Longest Night | FBI Agent | Television film; uncredited |
| 1975 | Movin' On | Cabe | Episode: "...To Be in Carolina" |
| 1976 | Starsky and Hutch | R.C. Turner | Episode: "Silence" |
| 1976 | The Blue Knight | Det. Bosco | 2 episodes |
| 1976 | Marcus Welby, M.D. | Dr. Hal Mendoza | Episode: "Vanity Case" |
| 1976 | Switch | Capt. Dellinger | Episode: "Fleece of Snow" |
| 1977 | Delvecchio | Sgt. Ogden | Episode: "Bad Shoot" |
| 1977 | Most Wanted | Washburn | Episode: "The Dutchman" |
| 1977 | Wilma | Coach Temple | Television film |
| 1978 | The White Shadow | Jim Willis | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1978 | A Woman Called Moses | Daddy Ben Ross | 2 episodes |
| 1980 | The Righteous Apples | Dr. Wilson | Episode: "Apple Juice" |
| 1980 | The Night the City Screamed | Dale Wrightson | Television film |
| 1981 | Ramblin' Man | Turman | Episode: "On the Run" |
| 1981–1982 | Flamingo Road | Carl Turner | 4 episodes |
| 1982 | Pray TV | Everett | Television film |
| 1982 | M*A*S*H | Major Quentin Rockingham | Episode: "The Tooth Shall Set You Free" |
| 1982 | Here's Boomer | Sergeant Lindsey Andrews | Episode: "Flatfoots" |
| 1982 | The Greatest American Hero | Morgan | Episode: "Divorce, Venusian Style" |
| 1982 | Tucker's Witch | Mr. Stillwell | Episode: "Terminal Case" |
| 1982 | I Was a Mail Order Bride | Judge | Television film |
| 1982–1988 | Cagney & Lacey | Deputy Inspector Marquette | 10 episodes |
| 1983 | Benson | Professor Roger Petrie | Episode: "Family Tree" |
| 1983 | High Performance | Fletch | Episode: "Along Came a Spider" |
| 1983 | V | Caleb Taylor | 2 episodes |
| 1983 | The Jeffersons | Lloyd Tyndall | 3 episodes |
| 1984 | V: The Final Battle | Caleb Taylor | 3 episodes |
| 1984 | Wolf Rock TV | Mr. Morris (voice) | |
| 1984 | Hunter | Chief Kenny Lanark | Episode: "The Hot Grounder" |
| 1984 | Airwolf | Aaron Martin | Episode: "Sins of the Past" |
| 1984 | City Killer | Captain Frank Sydney | Television film |
| 1984 | The Dukes of Hazzard | The Chief Guard | Episode: "The Dukes in Hollywood" |
| 1984 | Night Court | Judge Robert T. Willard | 2 episodes |
| 1984 | Riptide | Mr. Collins | Episode: "It's a Vial Sort of Business" |
| 1984 | Knots Landing | Dr. Garner | 4 episodes |
| 1984 | This Is the Life | Episode: "Dark Journey" | |
| 1985 | Crazy Like a Fox | Episode: "The Geronimo Machine" | |
| 1985 | The Rape of Richard Beck | Sgt. Wally Rydell | Television film |
| 1985 | Hotel | Irwin Smith | Episode: "Obsessions" |
| 1985 | The Facts of Life | Frank | Episode: "Teacher, Teacher" |
| 1985 | Hardcastle and McCormick | Arnie Sandoval | Episode: "Conventional Warfare" |
| 1985 | Shadow Chasers | Burke | Episode: "The Many Lives of Jonathan" |
| 1986 | The Children of Times Square | Lt. Devins | Television film |
| 1986 | Comedy Factory | Finney Morgan | Episode: "The Faculty" |
| 1986 | Starman | Chief Harold Galley | Episode: "Peregrine" |
| 1986 | The Cosby Show | Sgt. Major Boswell Stokes | Episode: "War Stories" |
| 1986–1987 | It's Garry Shandling's Show | Officer Sweeny | 2 episodes |
| 1987 | Amen | Dexter | Episode: "Frye for the Defense" |
| 1987 | A Year in the Life | Richard | Episode: "Don't I Know You from Somewhere?" |
| 1987 | CBS Summer Playhouse | Vern Puckett | Episode: "Kingpins" |
| 1987 | Perry Mason: The Case of the Murdered Madam | Sergeant Koslow | Television film |
| 1987 | Beauty and the Beast | Jack Davis | Episode: "An Impossible Silence" |
| 1988 | Police Story: Gladiator School | Lt. Crawford | Television film |
| 1988 | Designing Women | Wilson Brickett | Episode: "The Candidate" |
| 1988 | Empty Nest | Mr. Noack | Episode: "Tinker to Evers to Tucson" |
| 1989 | Original Sin | Det. Mitchell | Television film |
| 1989 | Unsub | Bishop Grace | 2 episodes |
| 1989 | Heart and Soul | Cecil Kincaid | Television film |
| 1989 | American Playhouse | Martin Luther King, Jr. | Episode: "The Meeting" |
| 1989 | Hardball | Episode: "Till Death Do Us Part" | |
| 1989 | Wiseguy | Attorney General | 2 episodes |
| 1990 | Equal Justice | Judge Thaddeus Jones | Episode: "Separate Live" |
| 1990–1991 | The Flash | Dr. Desmond Powell | 2 episodes |
| 1991–1994 | Herman's Head | Mr. Paul Bracken | 72 episodes |
| 1992 | Dinosaurs | Edward R. Hero (voice) | Episode: "And the Winner Is..." |
| 1994 | Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego? | Additional Voices (voice) | |
| 1994 | Cosmic Slop | Bernard Shields | Television film |
| 1995 | The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes | Prof. Miles Quigley | Television film |
| 1995 | Down, Out & Dangerous | Detective Danner | Television film |
| 1996 | Murder, She Wrote | Wilson Sloane | Episode: "Death Goes Double Platinum" |
| 1996 | Sophie & the Moonhanger | Holt | Television film |
| 1996 | Partners | Leavitt | Episode: "You Quit?" |
| 1996 | The Rockford Files: Friends and Foul Play | Leon Martin | Television film |
| 1996 | Suddenly | Louie | Television film; posthumous release |
Video games[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger | Capt. William Eisen | |
| 1995 | Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom | Capt. William Elsen |
References[edit]
- ^ "Actor Jason Bernard, 58, Succumbs After He Suffered Heart Attack In California". Jet. 4 November 1996. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- ^ Eric Pace (21 October 1996). "Jason Bernard, 58, an Actor In Television Films and Series". The New York Times. p. B 9. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
