Dr. Benjamin Samuels (1982-1983)
6.6
Of Irish, Scots, German and Cherokee descent, and the eldest of four boys, David Birney was born on April 23rd, (Shakespeare's birthday St. George's Day) in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. He attended Brooklyn and West High Schools where he lettered in football, track and basketball. Having been awarded a scholarship, he attended Dartmouth College and majored in English Honors. His growing interest in literature, and particularly in the theater, led to David's desire to perform on the stage and to his association with the Dartmouth Players. After graduation from Dartmouth, David rejected a scholarship to Stanford University Law School, an invitation to teach in East Africa, and several business opportunities, in order to attend UCLA, where he earned his Master's Degree in Theatre Arts. David then served two years with the Army, touring the Eastern and Southern U.S. with an Army Entertainment Unit, and afterward, joined the Barter Theatre in Virginia for ten weeks of stock as an Actor's Equity Award winner. He also spent a season with the Hartford (Conn.) Stage Company. A summer of Shakespeare, playing leads with the New York Shakespeare Festival, introduced him to New York, and marked him as an actor to watch. That autumn, his starring performance in Ron Cowen's SUMMERTREE in which he played a 19 year-old American who recalled his past as he lay dying in Vietnam, was acclaimed as "one of the loveliest performances of the season," (Newsday) and earned him both the Theatre World and Clarence Derwent Awards. As a member of New York's prestigious Repertoire Theatre of Lincoln Center, he continued to expand his theatrical horizons with major roles in the classics. Simultaneously, he took the lead in the TV dramatic series LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING and quickly became one of daytime television's most popular performers. "That was a terribly rich and exhausting period" he says, "The nights were spent on stage, the days in front of the camera. I slept and ate in cabs running between the studio and the theatre." His introduction to Hollywood was the starring role in the highly rated but controversial BRIDGET LOVES BERNIE, an experience that David describes rather succinctly as "interesting". The show survived only one season, but Photoplay and Sixteen magazine favored David with awards as "the season's most promising newcomer." Subsequently, he re-established his commitment to the theatre with his highly praised performance as Romeo for the American Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford, Conn., "a Romeo of power and feeling," according to Clive Barnes (N.Y. Times). It's an important role for a young actor, says David, "one that is as demanding as any of the Shakespearean characters, requiring great stamina and emotional access." That summer, he married his former co-star of BRIDGET LOVES BERNIE, Meredith Baxter. Meredith had two children from a prior marriage. She and David became parents of Kate in 1974, and twins Peter and Mollie in 1984. The couple divorced in 1989. David played Frank Serpico, New York undercover cop, in the critically acclaimed, two-hour NBC World Premier Movie, THE DEADLY GAME, which, in turn, spawned the NBC-TV series, SERPICO, starring David, during the 1976 TV season. Over the years, David has enjoyed some of his greatest success in the TV mini-series format, one of the most memorable being his portrayal of Jonathan Ferrier in Taylor Caldwell's TESTIMONY OF TWO MEN. A man of many talents, David made his directorial debut in A LIFE IN THE THEATER, followed by SORROWS OF STEPHEN and, in 1988, directed, produced and starred in THE DIARIES OF ADAM & EVE. The production was broadcast across the country on the PBS series, American Playhouse. It has since toured both coasts, inaugarated the first "Mark Twain Days" Festival in Connecticut, and has just closed out a year's run of three regional theaters and two performing arts centers during 2001-2002. David's career has taken him to the corners of the world, such as Africa, Australia, Italy, England, etc. He has enjoyed much success in television, movies, and his first love, the theater. His hobbies are poetry, piano, guitar, and he also enjoys running, skiing and sailing. David lives in Los Angeles, is a devoted father to all three of his children, and considers them the central theme of his life.moreless