Terry Kiser
Terry Kiser is an American actor. While he has more than 140 acting credits to his name, with a career spanning more than 50 years, he is best known for portraying the deceased title character Bernie Lomax in the comedy Weekend at Bernie's and its sequel, Weekend at Bernie's II.
Early life and education
Terry Kiser was born on August 1, 1939, in Omaha, Nebraska. He attended the University of Kansas on both football and dramatic scholarships. He graduated with a degree in Industrial Engineering and worked for three years in this profession in Omaha.Career
After college, Kiser returned to his hometown Omaha and worked as an engineer for three years while acting in amateur productions including more than fifty plays. His first two years in New York City included an array of small parts, ranging from theater to television to commercials. By 1967, Kiser gained significant recognition for his work, winning both an Obie Award and Theatre World Award for Fortune and Men's Eyes.Becoming a life member of The Actors Studio, Kiser was a regular on several soap operas, The Secret Storm and The Doctors. In 1978, he starred on the short-lived sitcoms The Roller Girls and Sugar Time!. It was during the 1970s and early 1980s that Kiser appeared in Three's Company, Hardcastle and McCormick, One Day at a Time, The Love Boat, Night Court, 227, Maude and The Golden Girls.
One of his roles was on the TV drama Hill Street Blues, playing comedian Vic Hitler. He was a cast member on the syndicated sketch comedy show Off the Wall and a part of the ensemble on Carol Burnett's Carol & Company, which aired in 1990. In the 1990s, he appeared on Walker, Texas Ranger, The Golden Girls, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and Will & Grace.
His film appearances include Fast Charlie... the Moonbeam Rider, Rich Kids, Steel, An Eye for an Eye, Making Love, Six Pack, Starflight: The Plane That Couldn't Land, Surf II, From a Whisper to a Scream and Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood.
Kiser starred in Weekend at Bernie's, in the title role of Bernie Lomax, a corrupt insurance executive who is dead for most of the film. Bernie's young employees Richard Parker and Larry Wilson, played by Jonathan Silverman and Andrew McCarthy, attempt to convince people that Bernie is still alive. He reprised the role in Weekend at Bernie's II. Since 2012, several YouTube videos featuring "The Bernie Dance" generated more than 17 million views collectively by April 2016. Other film appearances include Mannequin Two: On the Move, Into the Sun, The Pledge, and A Christmas Tree Miracle.
In 2013, Kiser moved to Austin, Texas, where he founded an acting school, The Actors Arena, which closed in 2016.