Acting

After a two-year appearance on the soap opera Ryan's Hope,^[1] Bernsen was cast as lawyer Arnold Becker on the Steven Bochco television series L.A. Law in 1986.^[6] The series became a hit, and the role earned him Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, appearances on magazine covers, and guest-starring roles on Seinfeld and The Larry Sanders Show.^[7][8][1][9] He remained on L.A. Law for the entire run of the show, until it ended in 1994. He played the lead actor in the two-season, NASA-themed series The Cape in 1996–97.

Bernsen appeared with British actor Bruce Payne in the films Kounterfeit and Aurora: Operation Intercept.^[10][11] He starred as the title character, Dr. Alan Feinstone, in the horror film The Dentist and its sequel.^[12][13] Bernsen was also cast as prima donna third baseman Roger Dorn in the sports comedy Major League and appeared in both of the film's sequels. Bernsen portrayed John Durant on General Hospital from September 2004 until the character was murdered in May 2006.

Bernsen played Jack Sherwood on Cuts, appeared twice on Celebrity Mole, and played a lawyer on Boston Legal. He appeared as Q2 on Star Trek: The Next Generation. He also had a recurring role as Captain Owen Sebring on the military drama^[7] JAG and played a Republican senator in two episodes of The West Wing. He directed, produced, and appeared in the horror film Dead Air. Bernsen also co-starred in USA's Psych, playing the role of Henry Spencer, the father of the main character, Shawn Spencer (James Roday). In the film Rust, Bernsen plays a former minister who returns to his hometown.

Bernsen appeared in 25 Hill, a film he produced, directed and wrote, which is centered on the All-American Soap Box Derby, and at one time was planning a baseball movie about zombies, called Three Strikes, You're Dead.^[14]

He also appeared as a guest star in one episode of Switched at Birth, the ABC Family television series.^[15] Bernsen currently appears as Kyle Nevin on the television series The Resident.^[16]

Producing

Bernsen was president and co-owner of Public Media Works, a new media company that develops entertainment for targeted fan bases.^[17] He directed and starred in Carpool Guy, the company's first film; it was targeted at soap opera fans and released on DVD in 2005.^[18]

Bernsen then went on to form Team Cherokee Productions. According to the book One Red Paperclip, in June 2006, Bernsen traded a role in the film Donna on Demand to Kyle MacDonald for a snow globe of the band KISS. It was this role that MacDonald eventually traded for a two-story farmhouse.^[19]

In recent years, Bernsen focused on stories that explore aspects of Christian faith in today's world and how that can contribute to, but also tends to divide our common humanity. His first such film was Rust, released in 2010 by Sony Pictures.^[20] Bernsen, along with producing partner Chris Aronoff, formed Home Theater Films, an independent production company that develops, produces, and markets films and television shows.^[21] 25 Hill, the company's first title, was released in July 2012.^[22] This was followed by 3 Day Test (2012), Beyond the Heavens (2013), and Life with Dog (2017). Their film Mary 4 Mayor was due out in the fall of 2020.^[23]

Writing

In October 2015, the Pelican Book Group released Bernsen's debut novel. The book, Rust: the Novel, is an adaptation of Bernsen's 2010 feature film, Rust, in which he played the main character and served as writer and director.^[24] Bernsen and his wife, Amanda Pays, have co-authored two books, Change Houses, Not Spouses and Open House: Reinventing Space for Simple Living, a coffee table book featuring remodeling and design ideas they have learned from remodeling their own homes.^[25]

Film

Television