Jason Bernard (born Ronald Carl Johnson, May 17, 1938 – October 16, 1996) was an American actor.
Life and career
Bernard was born in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...
. His first starring role was in the pilot episode of the
television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed ...
''
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
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelv ...
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
''Wing Commander'' is a media franchise consisting of space combat simulation video games from Origin Systems, Inc., an animated television series, a feature film, a collectible card game, a series of novels, and action figures. The franchise o ...
.
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
Partner, Partners, The Partner, or, The Partners may refer to:
Books
* ''The Partner'' (Grisham novel), by John Grisham, 1997
* ''The Partner'' (Jenaro Prieto novel), 1928
* ''The Partners'' (book), a 1983 book by James B. Stewart
* ''Partner'' (m ...
''. 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
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
Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, wh ...
when he was stricken, and was involved in a rear-end accident. Bernard was rushed to Providence St. Joseph's Medical Center in Burbank where he died.
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
Film
Sophie and the moonhanger
Television
Video games
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernard, Jason
1938 births
1996 deaths
20th-century American male actors
African-American male actors
American male film actors
American male soap opera actors
American male television actors
American male voice actors
Male actors from Chicago
People from Illinois
20th-century African-American people