David Birney, an American actor known for his contemporary and classical roles in theatre, movies, and television passed away on 29th April. He was 83.
He gained an instant connection with the audience for his role in the CBS sitcom “Bridget Loves Bernie” along with his future wife Meredith Baxter.
Birney passed away on Friday at his residence in Santa Monica. His death was confirmed by Michele Roberge. David Birney was in a domestic partnership with her.
Birney played the role of Bernie Steinberg in “Bridget Loves Birney,” a show that was a super hit from 1972 to 1973, however, the show was canceled after the completion of its first season.
Cause of Death of the Actor Revealed
The actor has died due to Alzheimer’s disease as revealed by his life partner Michele Roberge according to The New York Times. Five years ago he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and was undergoing treatment for the same.
About David Birney
Birney was born in the year 1939 in Washington, D.C. Birney studied at schools in Brooklyn, Ohio. He completed his studies at West High School in Cleveland.
He then completed his Bachelor in Arts degree from Dartmouth College. He was good at studies with a specialization in English Literature, and English Honors.
He then enrolled for his master’s course at UCLA in Theatre Arts, acting, and directing. He held a teaching assistant fellowship and was honored with Ph.D. in Humanities from Southern Utah University.
In his career spanning more than five decades, Birney featured in several movies like Caravan to Vaccares (1974), Trial by Combat (1976), Au revoir à lundi (1979), Oh, God! Book II (1980), Prettykill (1987) apart from other films for television and mini-series, and his work in theatre and television.
Personal Life
He fell in love with his co-star Meredith Baxter and they both got married in 1974. The couple had three children – daughters Kate, Mollie, and son Peter in their marriage of 15 years. He filed for divorce in 1989 citing irreconcilable differences.
After almost more than two decades Baxter confirmed that she faced emotional and physical abuse during their marriage. Birney strongly refused to accept her claims and clarified that it is not true.
In an interview with a news publication company, Birney explained the rationale why he signed up for Bridget Loves Bernie.
He said, “I only took the TV series because the options for actors get fewer and fewer. I came in in the mid-’60s when British actors dominated the American theater, and for an actor wanting to do Shakespeare you had to steal those parts around the country by hook or by crook. I’m very fortunate to have been almost steadily employed, but I haven’t always done what I’ve wanted to do.”
“Another reason I took Bridget Loves Bernie was that it is only a half-hour show with not a lot of work to do and it only takes six months of the year to film, which I hope will leave me time to come back to New York and play parts I like on stage and in film. I’ll go anywhere at any time to do Romeo — you can print that”, Birney added.
He is survived by his three children (from his marriage to Baxter), a stepdaughter, stepson, and other family members apart from Roberge.
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