Fred Berner


Biography

Though not a household name, veteran producer Fred Berner has worked with some of the most recognizable faces on the planet in his nearly 40-year career. For five years, Berner was an executive producer on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and the original procedural drama, "Law & Order," perhaps television's most storied brand, until the latter's surprise cancellation in 2010. Before ...

Biography

Though not a household name, veteran producer Fred Berner has worked with some of the most recognizable faces on the planet in his nearly 40-year career. For five years, Berner was an executive producer on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and the original procedural drama, "Law & Order," perhaps television's most storied brand, until the latter's surprise cancellation in 2010. Before that, Berner and his New York-based production/development company, Fred Berner Films, produced several acclaimed independent films, including 1994's meta-drama "Vanya on 42nd Street" (with a screenplay by legendary scribe David Mamet) and 2000's award-winning biography of painter Jackson Pollock, "Pollock." The latter earned Oscar nominations for stars Ed Harris and Marcia Gay Harden, who won for Best Supporting Actress. He has also produced TV specials or movies starring Oprah Winfrey and Bette Midler (when they were entertainment titans), as well as Matt Damon and Kristen Stewart (before the two were box office royalty). Berner began his career as an assistant director on several feature movies before going on to direct episodes of "Law & Order."

Filmography

 

Assistant Direction (Feature Film)

Popeye Doyle (1986)
Assistant Director
Alamo Bay (1985)
Assistant Director
Sessions (1983)
Assistant Director
I, the Jury (1982)
Assistant 2nd Unit Director (2nd Unit)
The Nesting (1981)
Assistant Director
Just Before Dawn (1981)
Assistant Director
Raggedy Ann & Andy (1976)
Assistant Director

Producer (Feature Film)

Handsome Harry (2009)
Executive Producer
Speak (2005)
Producer
Pollock (2000)
Producer
The Great White Hype (1996)
Producer
Hidden in America (1996)
Producer
Lakota Woman: Return to Wounded Knee (1994)
Producer
Vanya on 42nd Street (1994)
Producer
The Ballad of Little Jo (1993)
Producer
Straight Talk (1992)
Producer
Without Warning: The James Brady Story (1991)
Producer
Rising Son (1990)
Producer
White Hot (1988)
Producer
I Was a Teenage Boy (1986)
Coproducer
Student Bodies (1981)
Production Executive

Film Production - Main (Feature Film)

Without Warning: The James Brady Story (1991)
Production Manager
Easy Money (1983)
Coordinator
Echoes (1983)
Production Manager

Film Production - Unit (Feature Film)

Speak (2005)
Unit Production Manager
Rising Son (1990)
Unit Production Manager

Producer (Special)

About Us: The Dignity of Children (1997)
Executive Producer
But... Seriously (1994)
Coproducer
Bette Midler's Mondo Beyondo (1988)
Producer
The Gift of Amazing Grace (1986)
Executive Producer
Can a Guy Say No? (1986)
Producer
Don't Touch (1985)
Producer

Film Production - Main (Special)

Don't Touch (1985)
Production Manager

Producer (TV Mini-Series)

Murder in a Small Town (1999)
Producer
The Farmhouse (1998)
Executive Producer

Life Events

Bibliography