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.

Filmography

Movies

  • Rachel Rachel as Preacher
  • Lapin 360 as Bernard Lapin
  • Fast Charlie... the Moonbeam Rider as Lester Neal
  • Rich Kids as Ralph Harris
  • Steel as Valentino
  • Seven as Senator
  • All Night Long as Ultra-Save day manager
  • An Eye for an Eye as Dave Pierce
  • Looker as Commercial Director
  • Making Love as Harrington
  • Six Pack as Terk Logan
  • Starflight: The Plane That Couldn't Land Freddie Barret
  • Surf II as Mr. O'Finlay
  • Young Lust
  • From a Whisper to a Scream as Jesse Hardwick
  • Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood as Dr. Crews
  • Weekend at Bernie's as Bernie Lomax
  • Side Out as Uncle Max
  • Mannequin Two: On the Move as Count Gunther Spretzle / Sorcerer
  • Into the Sun as Mitchell Burton
  • Weekend at Bernie's II as Bernie Lomax
  • Tammy and the T-Rex as Dr. Wachenstein
  • Pet Shop as Joe Yeagher
  • Loving Deadly as Walter
  • Forest Warrior as Travis Thorne
  • Divorce: A Contemporary Western as Gary
  • Flamingo Dreams as Gus
  • See Jane Run
  • Dead Start as Mort Maxwell
  • Maskerade as Mr. Peck
  • The Pledge as Joe
  • Speed Demons
  • A Christmas Tree Miracle as Henry Banks
  • Spoilers: The Movie as Mr. Stoyanovich
  • Almosting It as Mort

    Television

  • The Doctors as Dr. John Rice
  • The Secret Storm as Cory Boucher
  • Emergency! "Fair Fight" - Wes Hubbard
  • Barnaby Jones "Eyes of Terror" - Arlie
  • The Bionic Woman "Mirror Image" - Matthews
  • Diff'rent Strokes "Rashomon II" - Burglar
  • Hawaii Five-O "Blood Money is Hard to Wash" - Augie
  • Sugar Time! "Punk Rock" - Manager
  • All in the Family "Stale Mates" as Bob
  • Maude as Reggie
  • WKRP in Cincinnati as Jason Realli
  • One Day at a Time as Parsons
  • Knots Landing as Teddy Becker
  • Three's Company as Mr. Canon/Max
  • The Fall Guy as Nick Trainer
  • Tucker's Witch as Andrew Brenn
  • Hardcastle and McCormick as Larry Singer
  • Hill Street Blues as Vic Hitler
  • Scarecrow & Mrs. King as Keene
  • Night Court as Al Craven
  • The Golden Girls as Santa Claus/Don
  • Knight Rider as Royal Davis
  • Off The Wall as various characters
  • Murder, She Wrote as Wally Bryce
  • Carol & Company as various characters
  • The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as Mr. Hosek
  • Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman as H. G. Wells
  • Caroline in the City as Taxicab Driver
  • Walker, Texas Ranger as Charlie Brooks / Maxwell 'Iceman' Kronert
  • Will & Grace as Carl
  • The Norm Show as Councilman Wilkinson