Peter Berg

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Peter Berg
Born March 11, 1962 (1962-03-11) (age 49)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation Actor, director, producer, writer
Years active 1988–present
Spouse Elizabeth Rogers (1993-1997; 1 child)

Peter Berg (born March 11, 1962)[1] is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is known for directing films such as Friday Night Lights, The Kingdom, The Rundown, Hancock and Battleship. He also developed the television series Friday Night Lights, which was adapted from the film he directed. As an actor he is best known for his role as Dr. Billy Kronk on the CBS medical drama Chicago Hope.[2]

Contents

[edit] Early life

Berg was born in New York City, New York. He is the son of Sally and Larry Berg. Berg's father was Jewish and his mother Christian. He is also the cousin of writer H. G. Bissinger, whose book Friday Night Lights provides the basis for the film and TV series of the same name.[3][4]His mother co-founded a youth group named Catalog for Giving and worked at a psychiatric hospital when Berg was growing up.[1] He has a younger sister, Mary. After graduating high school from The Taft School in 1980,[5] Berg attended Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where he majored in theater arts and theater history. He graduated in 1984, and in 1985 moved to Los Angeles to pursue his film career.

[edit] Career

Berg put his acting aspirations on hold when he first arrived in Los Angeles, choosing instead to learn about the film business as a production assistant. In 1992 Berg gained recognition for playing a World War II soldier in the film A Midnight Clear. In 1998, Berg made his feature directorial debut with Very Bad Things, a black comedy starring Jon Favreau, Christian Slater, Jeremy Piven, Daniel Stern, and Leland Orser as a group of men behaving badly. The film, which was shown at the Toronto and San Sebastian Film Festivals, received a fairly mixed critical reception. Nonetheless, Berg continued to be a presence behind the camera. In 2000, he created Wonderland, an edgy dramatic television series set in an asylum. While the ABC show received rave reviews and garnered a cult following, it failed to deliver ratings and was quickly canceled.

Berg in 2003 directed The Rundown. Starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Seann William Scott, the Berg-helmed action comedy was well-received by critics but disappointed at the box office, only grossing 80 million of its reported 85 million budget. In 2004, Berg began work on his third directorial effort, Friday Night Lights, a football film based on the New York Times bestseller written by Buzz Bissinger.[6]

In 2006, Berg developed and became executive producer of NBC’s Peabody and Emmy Award-winning drama Friday Night Lights, based on the novel and film of the same name.

Berg followed up in 2007 with The Kingdom, a Michael Mann-produced political thriller set in Saudi Arabia, starring Academy Award winners Jamie Foxx and Chris Cooper, also with Jennifer Garner whom Berg met when he appeared in a two-part episode of Alias where he played Garner's ex-boyfriend. Berg’s latest film, Hancock, starring Will Smith, Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman, was one of the biggest grossing films of 2008.

Berg directed the Hulu.com commercial featuring Alec Baldwin, which both The New York Times and Time magazine named best spot of Super Bowl XLIII.[7] In 2009, Berg directed a two-hour pilot movie for a Fox television series Virtuality. Even though the show was not picked up for a full season, the pilot was released on DVD exclusively through Best Buy. Berg also directed the ESPN documentary "Kings Ransom" in 2009. Berg also wrote the 2010 film The Losers.

As of 2010, Berg had multiple films in production. The Universal Pictures released Battleship[8] is in pre-production, with a March 25, 2012 release date. Other films include the sequel to Berg's 2008 super hero film Hancock, the film adaptation of Marcus Lutrell's book Lone Survivor,[9] and a live-action version of the graphic novel Hercules: The Thracian Wars.[10]

[edit] Personal life

On August 28, 1993, Berg married long-time girlfriend Elizabeth Rogers; they divorced in 1998. Berg has a son, Emmett, who was born November 1999. Berg dated actress and model Estella Warren[11] for four years until spring 2006 when they ended their relationship.

[edit] Filmography

[edit] In development

[edit] Director

[edit] Writer

[edit] Producer

[edit] Actor

[edit] Composer

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "Peter Berg Biography". Yahoo! Movies. Yahoo!. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800026675/bio. Retrieved 2008-09-14. 
  2. ^ "New York Times". Movies.nytimes.com. 2007-01-18. http://movies.nytimes.com/person/1548578/Peter-Berg. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
  3. ^ Bart Mills (1994-02-28). "Walking Tall". Chicago Tribune. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1994-02-28/features/9402280075_1_peter-berg-walking-neck/2. 
  4. ^ "Caught In The Crossfire Politics, Religion, Blockbuster Action Hold The Keys To This 'Kingdom'. | Goliath Business News". Goliath.ecnext.com. http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-8674768/CAUGHT-IN-THE-CROSSFIRE-POLITICS.html. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
  5. ^ The Taft School, Berg and Smith Retrieved 2011-07-24.
  6. ^ "Peter Berg Biography". Moviefone. http://www.moviefone.com/celebrity/peter-berg/1147807/biography. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
  7. ^ "ESPN 30 for 30". 30for30.espn.com. 1988-08-09. http://30for30.espn.com/film/kings-ransom.html. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
  8. ^ a b c Fleming, Michael (September 14, 2009). "Peter Berg boards 'Battleship'". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118008608.html?categoryid=13&cs=1. 
  9. ^ a b "Peter Berg Puts Lone Survivor on Hold to Sink My Battleship". http://www.beyondhollywood.com/peter-berg-puts-lone-survivor-on-hold-to-sink-my-battleship. 
  10. ^ a b Hercules: The Thracian Wars at the Internet Movie Database
  11. ^ "Estella Warren Biography - Yahoo! Movies". Movies.yahoo.com. 1978-12-23. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1804094769/bio. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
  12. ^ "Leonardo DiCaprio to Star in Cocaine Cowboys Remake With Mark Wahlberg?". http://www.slashfilm.com/2008/02/28/leonardo-dicaprio-to-star-in-cocaine-cowboys-remake-with-mark-wahlberg. 

[edit] External links

Films directed by Peter Berg
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