Michael John Bergin (born March 18, 1969) is an American real estate agent and former model and actor.

Early life

Born in

Naugatuck, Connecticut Naugatuck ( ) is a consolidated borough (Connecticut), borough and town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town, part of the Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut, Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, had a population of ...

, Bergin attended the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...

. He began modeling while in college.

Career

Bergin is perhaps best known as

Mark Wahlberg Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971), formerly known by his stage name Marky Mark, is an American actor, producer, and former rapper. Mark Wahlberg filmography, His work as a leading actor, leading man spans the Comedy film, come ...

's successor in

Calvin Klein Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer. In 1968, he launched the company that later became Calvin Klein. In addition to clothing, he has also given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewellery. ...

's racy series of black-and-white

underwear Underwear, underclothing, or undergarments are items of clothing worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. They serve to keep outer clothing from being soiled ...

ads. In addition to his high-profile role as the "spokesbody" for Calvin Klein, Bergin has walked the runways of New York City, Paris and

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

for

Sonia Rykiel Sonia Rykiel (; ; 25 May 1930 – 25 August 2016) was a French fashion designer and writer. She created the Poor Boy Sweater, which was featured on the cover of French ''Elle'' magazine. Her knitwear designs and new fashion techniques led her t ...

, Valentino,

Gianfranco Ferré Gianfranco Ferré (; 15 August 1944 – 17 June 2007) was an Italian fashion designer also known as "the architect of fashion" for his background and his original attitude toward creating fashion design. Early life and education Ferré was born ...

Giorgio Armani Giorgio Armani (; born 11 July 1934) is an Italian fashion designer and a billionaire. He first gained renown working for Cerruti 1881. He formed his company, Armani, in 1975, which eventually expanded into music, sport, and luxury hotels. By 200 ...

, Yves Saint Laurent and

Donna Karan Donna Karan ( ; born Donna Ivy Faske), also known as DK, is an American fashion designer and the creator of the Donna Karan New York and DKNY clothing labels. Early life and education Karan was born to mother Helen "Queenie" Faske (née Rabinow ...

and was the exclusive model for Claiborne for Men, a division of Liz Claiborne, Inc., for over three years. He has also appeared in commercials and print advertisements for

Kellogg's Kellanova, formerly known as the Kellogg Company and commonly known as Kellogg's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, US. Kellanova produces and markets con ...

, Bacardi Rum,

L'Oréal L'Oréal S.A. () is a French multinational personal care corporation registered in Paris

Maybelline Maybelline New York (formerly The Maybelline Company and Mabelline and Co.), trading as and commonly known as simply Maybelline ( ), is an American multinational cosmetics, skin care, perfume, and personal care company, based in New York City. ...

, Coty, Valentino, Perry Ellis, and

Liz Claiborne Anne Elisabeth Jane Claiborne (March 31, 1929 – June 26, 2007) was an American fashion designer and businesswoman. Her success was built upon stylish yet affordable apparel for career women featuring colorfully tailored separates that cou ...

. Bergin is signed to

Wilhelmina Models Wilhelmina International Inc. (NASDAQ: WHLM), formerly Wilhelmina Models, is a modeling and talent agency headquartered in New York City, New York. The company also has offices in Los Angeles, Miami and London. Founded in 1967 by Wilhelmina C ...

in New York City, and New York Model Management. Apart from the fashion industry, Bergin also ventured into acting, playing the character J.D. Darius on ''

Baywatch ''Baywatch'' is an American Drama (film and television), drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz ...

'' and later '' Baywatch: Hawaii ''for 88 episodes from 1997 to 2001, and starring as the same character in the made-for-TV Film '' Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding'' in 2003. In 2006, he appeared on

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

's sci-fi celeb reality show '' Celebrity Paranormal Project''. Bergin later launched his own brand of men's underwear. Bergin now works as a real estate agent in Beverly Hills.

Personal life

In the early 1990s, Bergin met

Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy Carolyn Jeanne Bessette-Kennedy (née Bessette; January 7, 1966 – July 16, 1999) was an American fashion publicist. She worked for Calvin Klein until her 1996 marriage to attorney and publisher John F. Kennedy Jr. Her life and fashion sense ...

, a

publicist, whom he dated seriously, despite her burgeoning relationship with

John F. Kennedy Jr. John Fitzgerald Kennedy Jr. (November 25, 1960 – July 16, 1999), often referred to as John-John or JFK Jr., was an American socialite, attorney, magazine publisher, and journalist. He was a son of 35th United States president John F. K ...

, whom she later married in September 1996. Kennedy and Bessette-Kennedy died in a

plane crash An aviation accident is an event during aircraft operation that results serious injury, death, or significant destruction. An aviation incident is any operating event that compromises safety but does not escalate into an aviation accident. Pre ...

in July 1999. In early 2004, Bergin published a book about his relationship with Bessette, ''The Other Man,'' claiming that they continued a sexual affair during the time Bessette was dating Kennedy and during their marriage. On September 24, 2004, Bergin married makeup artist Joy Tilk with whom he has two children (Jesse b. October 8, 2000; Alana b. February 16, 2004). Bergin has worked with the anti-drug children's program D.A.R.E. as a national spokesperson, and has lent his name, time, and image to numerous

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

charities.

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bergin, Michael 1969 births Living people 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male models American male soap opera actors American male television actors American businesspeople in real estate Male actors from Waterbury, Connecticut Male models from Connecticut People from Naugatuck, Connecticut University of Connecticut alumni