FLASHBACK: Peter Bergman 1980

The phase is familiar for Bergman of 'Children'

Lewiston Journal
May 1, 1980

Peter Bergman, who plays Dr Cliff Warner in the ABC Television Network's ALL MY CHILDREN, says he has a lot in common with the idealistic, gentlemanly young doctor her portrays in the popular daytime serial.

Peter explains that both are optimists, are unafraid of hard work and are strong believers in the fact that their actions affect other people. "Underlying al that," he says, "is the fact that we are both hopeless romantics."

While Cliff and Peter may have similar character traits, their backgrounds are very different. Cliff grew up in a small town in Iowa, but Peter's family moved nine different times before he started eighth grade.

The son of a career Navy man, Peter was born in a naval hospital at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where his father was based. The family subsequently lived in Memphis, Boston, Norfolk, San Diego, Key West, Florida, and Washington, D.C., twice before finally settling in Camp Springs, Maryland, near Washington, where Peter started eighth grade.

Peter began playing piano and singing with a rock band in eighth grade and continued through high school. He fell into acting in the 11th grade - by accident.

"I had never thought about acting before, he said. "But I was chasing after a girl and it was after school and she said, 'I've got an audition for a play.' I told her I would hang around a while with her and I tried out for the play too. It was the yearly Christmas show." The following day Peter learned he had landed the part of Captain Hook in the school's production of "Peter Pan."

After graduating from high school, Peter went to work for a year and then enrolled in Prince Georges Community College near his family's home in Maryland. He decided he wanted to study acting, so he worked on a construction crew for a year to earn enough money to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City where he remained for two years. He appeared in several Academy repertory company stage productions, including "The Royal Family" and "Henry IV, Part 1."

Peter's first professional acting role was in a two-hour special of the television series, KOJAK. He appeared in a Public Television production titled, PITY THE POOR SOLDIER. He also had roles on the television series, THE GUIDING LIGHT and LOVE OF LIFE.

Peter still enjoys singing and playing contemporary tunes on the piano. He taught himself to play piano years ago but has recently begun to take piano lessons. He also likes classical music and has a large selection of classical albums in his record collection, which he describes as "one of my real spending problems."

He has taught himself to figure skate and during his spare time, he skates at the ice rink at Rockefeller Center.

He has been married for three and a half years to Christine Ebersole, an actress he met at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. The couple lives in Manhattan.