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Bernard Behrens

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Bernard Behrens
Bernard Behrens in Hill Street Blues 1982
Born(1926-09-28)September 28, 1926
DiedSeptember 19, 2012(2012-09-19) (aged 85)
OccupationActor
Years active1961–2010
SpouseDeborah Cass

Bernard Behrens (September 28, 1926 – September 19, 2012) was a British-Canadian actor.[1]

He was noted as a two-time Gemini Award winner, winning Best Actor in a Television Film or Miniseries at the 6th Gemini Awards in 1992 for his performance in the dramatic anthology series Saying Goodbye (1990),[2] and Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Program or Series at the 9th Gemini Awards in 1995 for the television film Coming of Age (1993).[3]

Early life

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Born and raised in London, England, he moved to Canada at the start of World War II. Based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, he cofounded a theatre company there with Bill Walker, Helene Winston and Peggy Green in 1951.[4]

Career

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Stage

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Although he often had supporting or guest roles in film and television, he was principally associated with stage roles for theatre companies such as the Dominion Drama Festival, the Canadian Players and the Stratford Festival, as well as sometimes returning to the United Kingdom to perform at the Bristol Old Vic.[4]

Screen

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Television

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Behrens appeared on-screen as early as 1961, in a CBC teleplay of Shakespeare's Macbeth in the role of Lennox, along with Sean Connery as Macbeth and Zoe Caldwell as Lady Macbeth. The five parts were originally broadcast separately, and later combined, edited, and re-released as a single ninety-minute presentation in 1962.[5]

With his stage experience, he followed up Macbeth with other dramatic plays in television series such as CBC's anthology Playdate in the 1962 episode "Mr. Oblomov," a 1946 play by John Coulter, derived from Ivan Goncharov's 1859 novel, Oblomov. That same year, Behrens appeared on CBC's anthology Festival playing Orazio in "The Queen and the Rebels" adapted from Ugo Betti's 1949 play. He would appear several more times on Playdate through the 1960s, and in other such series like the CBC Show of the Week in "Rasputin was a Nice Old Man" (1968).

Behrens also appeared in episodic series from the 1960s and 1970s such as McQueen (1969), Great Performances (1975), Little House on the Prairie and The Bionic Woman, both in 1977, Starsky & Hutch and Columbo both in 1978.[6] Beginning in the mid-70s, He also appeared in television miniseries and films, such as Captains and the Kings (1976), A Question of Guilt (1978), and Friendly Fire (1979).

In the 1980s and 1990s, Behrens played roles in television films like A Little Piece of Heaven (1991), and Incident in a Small Town (1994).[7] Behrens played two doctor roles on the espionage/crime fighting series Counterstrike. In the 1990 episode "Mindbender" he played a psychiatrist Dr. Burns, who examines Stephen Shellen's character Luke Brenner after Luke received brainwashing from the KGB. In the 1991 episode "Village of the Damned" Behrens plays biologist Dr. Joseph Severn, who goes murderously mad after being sprayed by pesticide bonded with an hallucinogen. Between 1993 and 1996 he had three different roles on Kung Fu: The Legend Continues.

In addition to his two 1990s Gemini awards, he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Program or Series at the 1st Gemini Awards in 1986 for the television film Turning to Stone (1985),[8] and Best Guest Actor in a Drama at the 20th Gemini Awards for an appearance on This Is Wonderland (2005).[9]

Film

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Behrens appeared in a score of theatrical films, beginning in the 1970s in James Goldstone's romantic adventure Swashbuckler (1976), and in Claude Lelouch's French Western film Another Man, Another Chance (1977).[10]

In 1980, Behrens was cast as Robert Lingstrom in Peter Medak's supernatural horror The Changeling.[11] Behrens was often cast as doctors which he portrayed in Jack Smight's romantic comedy Loving Couples and Daniel Petrie's drama Resurrection, both released in 1980,[10] and again in Clarke Mackey's drama Taking Care (1987). [12] Other films in the '80s include the science fiction horror Galaxy of Terror (1981),[13] Clint Eastwood's action techno-thriller Firefox (1982),[14] Carl Reiner's sci-fi black comedy The Man With Two Brains (1983),[10] Howard Zieff's romantic comedy Unfaithfully Yours (1984),[10] and Jesse Vint's comedy Another Chance (1989).[15]

In 1990, he played another doctor, Winslow, in the Canadian drama Beautiful Dreamers (1990),[16] and played Doc Milgrom in George Gallo's holiday crime comedy Trapped in Paradise (1994).[17] He also appeared in films directed by Keith Gordon, including his 1996 romantic war drama Mother Night as Dr. Lionel Jones,[14] and his 2000 mystery drama Waking the Dead as Father Stanton.[18] In 1999, he played Mayor Claire in John Paizs' Canadian comedy-horror Top of the Food Chain,[19] and Monsieur Farrin in Jerry Ciccoritti's crime thriller The Life Before This (1999).[20]

Radio

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In 1981 he voiced the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi in a radio dramatization of Star Wars for National Public Radio.[6][21]

Personal Life

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Behrens was married to Canadian actress Deborah Cass.[4] He died in 2012, just 9 days prior to his 86th birthday.

Filmography

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Film

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Television

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Bernard Behrens television credits
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1961 Macbeth Lennox Teleplay. CBC [5]
1962 Playdate Zakhar Episode: "Mr. Oblomov" [23]
1962 Festival Orazio Episode: "The Queen and the Rebels" (S2.E12) [24]
1962 Festival Captain Baltinsky Episode: "The Offshore Island" (S2.E16) [25]
1968 CBC Show of the Week Frame Episode: "Rasputin was a Nice Old Man" [26]
1969 McQueen Un­known Episode: "How Could You Use a Poor Maiden So" (S1.E4) [27]
1975 Great Performances Sir Peter Teazle Episode: "The School for Scandal" [6]
1976 Captains and the Kings Gentleman TV miniseries [19]
1977 Little House on the Prairie Bailey Farrell Episode: The Creeper of Walnut Grove" (S4.E6)
1977 The Bionic Woman Beaumont / Major Petrov 2 episodes [6]
1978 Starsky & Hutch Haley Gavin 1 episode [6]
1978 A Question of Guilt D.A. Koch TV movie [19]
1978 Columbo George O'Connell 1 episode
1979 Friendly Fire Dietrich TV movie [19]
1981 Born to Be Sold Judge TV movie [19]
1982 Hill Street Blues Bank Manager 1 episode
1983 In Defense of Kids Edgar Dempsey TV movie [19]
1985 Highway to Heaven Dr. Sheaffer 1 episode
1986 Turning to Stone Professor Campbell TV movie
1986 A Deadly Business Purchasing Agent TV movie [19]
1986 The Canadian Conspiracy Un­known TV movie [19]
1986 Christmas Eve Dean TV movie [19]
1987 Haunted by Her Past Karen's Father TV movie [19]
1987 A Nest of Singing Birds Eddie Wiebe TV movie
1988 The Ann Jillian Story Father Thompson TV movie [19]
1989 Glory Enough for All Frederick Allen TV movie [19]
1989 Sorry, Wrong Number Dr. Fisher TV movie [19]
1989 Christmas in America: A Love Story Un­known TV movie [19]
1990 Love and Hate: A Marriage Made in Hell Judge MacPherson TV movie [19]
1990 Murder Times Seven Judge Harry Rhoades TV movie [19]
1990 Counterstrike Dr. Burns Episode: "Mindbender" (S1.E17)
1990–1991 Dracula: The Series Gustav Helsing 21 episodes [28]
1991 A Little Piece of Heaven Cecil Loomis TV movie [19]
1991 Counterstrike Dr. Joseph Severn Episode: "Village of the Damned"
1992 Saying Goodbye
[?]
 Episode: "A Home Alone"
1992 A Town Torn Apart Angus MacLean TV movie [19]
1993 Ghost Mom Dr Mallory TV movie [19]
1993 Coming of Age Arthur Stone TV movie
1993–1996 Kung Fu: The Legend Continues Andrei / M. Desjardin / George 3 episodes
1994 Incident in a Small Town Judge Greeves TV movie [7]
1995 The Possession of Michael D. Dr. Jerry TV movie [19]
1995 Hiroshima Asst. Secretary of War, John J. McCloy TV movie [19]
1995 Mary Higgins Clark's Remember Me Henry Sprague TV movie [19]
1996 Captive Heart: The James Mink Story Carberry TV movie [19]
1996 Hostile Advances: The Kerry Ellison Story Judge Gaffney TV movie [19]
1996 A Holiday for Love Hal TV movie. AKA Christmas in My Hometown [19]
1998 Evidence of Blood Dr. Vernon Stark TV movie [19]
1998 The Defenders: Taking the First Milton Lewis TV movie [19]
2002 The Day Reagan Was Shot Attorney General William French Smith TV movie [19]
2005 This Is Wonderland Fred Spreewell 2 episodes

References

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  1. ^ Paul King, "Bernard Behrens is The Drummer Boy's swingingest performer". The Globe and Mail, January 30, 1968.
  2. ^ "Here are just some of the Gemini winners". Vancouver Sun, March 9, 1992.
  3. ^ Tony Atherton, "Geminis come of age: Due South, Browning show score big". Ottawa Citizen, March 6, 1995.
  4. ^ a b c Herbert Whittaker, "Behrens: the trouble with Canadian theatre". The Globe and Mail, January 30, 1971.
  5. ^ a b "Shakespeare's Macbeth (1961)". Learning on Screen. The British Universities and Colleges Film and Video Council. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d e Tenuto, Maria Jose; Tenuto, John (29 July 2024). The Star Wars Radio Dramas: Brian Daley and the Serialization That Saved NPR. McFarland. p. 66. ISBN 9781476695631.
  7. ^ a b Edelman, Rob; Kupferberg, Audrey (4 September 2002). Matthau: A Life. Taylor Trade Publishing. ISBN 9781461625193. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  8. ^ Sid Adilman, "Anne leads field in Geminis race". Toronto Star, October 16, 1986.
  9. ^ "Who will step up to the podium?". Playback, November 7, 2005.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Bernard Behrens". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  11. ^ a b Muir, John Kenneth (28 July 2010). Horror Films of the 1980s: Volume 2. McFarland. p. 75-78. ISBN 9780786455010. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  12. ^ a b "Taking Care". Variety Film Reviews. 20 (1987–1998). Garland: 18. 1987. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  13. ^ a b Senn, Bryan (16 October 2024). Fantastic Cinema Subject Guide: A Topical Index to 2,500 Horror, Science Fiction, and Fantasy Films. McFarland. p. 32. ISBN 9781476619026. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  14. ^ a b c d Mavis, Paul (8 June 2015). The Espionage Filmography: United States Releases, 1898 Through 1999. McFarland. pp. 109, 211. ISBN 9781476604275.
  15. ^ a b Willis, John A. (1990). "Screen World". Screen World. 41 (Crown Publishers). ISBN 9780517578414. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  16. ^ a b Nash, Jay Robert; Ross, Stanley Ralph (1993). The Motion Picture Guide: 1993. Cinebooks. p. 26. ISBN 978-0-918432-95-7. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  17. ^ a b Willis, John (February 2000). Monush, Barry (ed.). "Trapped in Paradise". Screen World. 46 (1995 Film Annual). Bloomsbury Academic: 171. ISBN: 9781557832337. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  18. ^ a b Malone, Peter (19 August 2019). Screen Priests: The Depiction of Catholic Priests in Cinema, 1900-2018. ATF Press. ISBN 9781925872910. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae "Bernard Behrens: Filmography". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  20. ^ a b Cullen, Del; Cullen, Hannah; Allon, Yoram, eds. (2000). The Wallflower Critical Guide to Contemporary North American Directors. University of Michigan: Wallflower. p. 77. ISBN 9781903364093. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  21. ^ Elina MacNiven, "Star Wars zaps the air waves". The Globe and Mail, July 3, 1981.
  22. ^ Nowlan, Robert A. (15 February 2025). The Films of the Eighties: A Complete, Qualitative Filmography to Over 3400 Feature-Length English Language Films, Theatrical and Video-Only, Released Between January 1, 1980, and December 31, 1989. McFarland. p. 627. ISBN 9781476610085. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  23. ^ "Mr. Oblomov". Library and Archives. Government of Canada. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  24. ^ "Festival - 1962-02-05 - The Queen and the Rebels". CBC Archive Sales. CBC / Société Radio Canada. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  25. ^ "Today's TV Previews: Nuclear War Aftermath. Tonight on Festival". The Gazette. Montreal. 12 March 1962. p. 12. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  26. ^ "Movie Time: Show of the Week (Drama) – Rasputin was a Nice Old Man". Ogdensburg Journal. The NYS Historic Newspapers: Northern New York Library Network. 1 February 1965. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  27. ^ "McQueen (1969-10-14)". CBC Archive Sales. CBC / Société Radio Canada. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  28. ^ Clute, John; Grant, John, eds. (February 1999). The Encyclopedia of Fantasy. St. Martin's Press. p. 295. ISBN 9780312198695. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
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