Peter Berg Biography

Peter Berg (born March 11, 1962) is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is known for directing films such as The Rundown (2003), Friday Night Lights (2004), The Kingdom (2007), Hancock (2008) and Battleship (2012). He also developed the television series Friday Night Lights, which was adapted from the film he directed. As an actor he is best known for his role as Dr. Billy Kronk on the CBS medical drama Chicago Hope.

Early life

Berg was born in New York City, New York. He is the son of Sally and Laurence "Larry" Berg. Berg's father was Jewish and his mother Christian. He is the cousin of writer H. G. Bissinger, whose book Friday Night Lights provides the basis for the film and TV series of the same name. His mother co-founded a youth group named Catalog for Giving and worked at a psychiatric hospital when Berg was growing up. He has a younger sister, Mary. After graduating from The Taft School in 1980, Berg attended Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where he majored in theater arts and theater history. He graduated in 1984, and in 1985 moved to Los Angeles to pursue his film career.

Career

Berg put his acting aspirations on hold when he first arrived in Los Angeles, choosing instead to learn about the film business as a production assistant. In 1992, Berg gained recognition for playing a World War II soldier in the film A Midnight Clear. In 1998, Berg made his feature directorial debut with Very Bad Things, a black comedy starring Jon Favreau, Christian Slater, Jeremy Piven, Daniel Stern, and Leland Orser. The film, which was shown at the Toronto and San Sebastian Film Festivals, received mixed critical reception. In 2000, he created Wonderland, an edgy dramatic television series set in an asylum. While the ABC show received rave reviews and garnered a cult following, it failed to deliver ratings and was quickly canceled.

Berg in 2003 directed The Rundown. Starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Seann William Scott, the Berg-helmed action comedy received mixed reviews from critics and disappointed at the box office, only grossing 80 million of its reported 85 million budget. In 2004, Berg began work on his third directorial effort, Friday Night Lights, a football film based on the New York Times bestseller written by Buzz Bissinger.

In 2006, Berg developed and became executive producer of NBC's Peabody and Emmy Award-winning drama Friday Night Lights, based on the novel and film of the same name.

Berg followed up in 2007 with The Kingdom, a Michael Mann-produced political thriller set in Saudi Arabia, starring Academy Award winners Jamie Foxx and Chris Cooper, also with Jennifer Garner whom Berg met when he appeared in a two-part episode of Alias where he played Garner's ex-boyfriend. Berg's film Hancock, starring Will Smith, Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman, was one of the biggest grossing films of 2008.

Berg directed the Hulu.com commercial featuring Alec Baldwin, which both The New York Times and Time magazine named best spot of Super Bowl XLIII. In 2009, Berg directed a two-hour pilot movie for a Fox television series Virtuality. Even though the show was not picked up for a full season, the pilot was released on DVD exclusively through Best Buy. Berg also directed the ESPN documentary "Kings Ransom" in 2009. Berg also wrote the 2010 film The Losers.

Berg also directed the 2012 science-fiction/action film Battleship, and is developing a sequel to Hancock, the film adaptation of Marcus Lutrell's book Lone Survivor, and a live-action version of the graphic novel Hercules: The Thracian Wars.

Personal life

On August 28, 1993, Berg married long-time girlfriend Elizabeth Rogers; they divorced in 1998. Berg has a son, Emmett, who was born December 1999. He began dating comedienne Whitney Cummings in early 2013.

Filmography

Director

• Chicago Hope (1997) (TV series, episode "Colonel of Truth")
• Very Bad Things (1998)
• Wonderland (2000) (TV series, episode "Pilot")
• The Rundown (2003)
• Addicted (2003) (Enrique Iglesias music video)
• Friday Night Lights (2004)
• Friday Night Lights (2006) (TV series, episodes "Pilot" and "East of Dillon")
• The Kingdom (2007)
• Keeps Gettin' Better (2008) (Christina Aguilera music video)
• Hancock (2008)
• 30 for 30 (2009) (TV series, episode "Kings Ransom")
• Virtuality (2009) (TV movie)
• Prime Suspect (2011) (TV series)
• Battleship (2012)
• Lone Survivor (2013)

Writer

• Chicago Hope (1994) (TV Series) (1 episode: "Quiet Riot" as Peter W. Berg)
• Very Bad Things (1998)
• Wonderland (2000) (TV series) (1 episode: "Pilot")
• Friday Night Lights (2004)
• Friday Night Lights (2006) (TV Series) (1 episode: "Pilot")
• The Losers (2010)
• Hercules: The Thracian Wars (2014)

Producer

• Wonderland (2000) (Creator, Executive Producer)
• Pu-239 (2006)
• Friday Night Lights (TV Series) (Creator, Executive Producer)
• Lars and the Real Girl (2007) (Executive Producer)
• Trauma (TV Series) (2009) (Executive Producer)
• 30 for 30 (2009) (1 episode: "Kings Ransom")
• Virtuality (2009) (TV movie)
• The Losers (2010)
• Prime Suspect (2011) (Executive Producer)
• Battleship (2012)

Actor

• Never on Tuesday (1989) Eddie
• 21 Jump Street (1988) Jerome Sawyer in "Champagne High"
• Miracle Mile (1989) Band Member
• Quiet Victory: The Charlie Wedemeyer Story (1988) Bobby
• Race For Glory (1989) Chris Washburn
• Shocker (1989) Jonathan Parker
• Heart of Dixie (1989) Jenks
• Tale of Two Sisters (1989) Gardener
• Going Overboard (1989) (as Pete Berg) Mort Ginsberg
• Genuine Risk (1990) Henry
• Forradalom után (1990)
• Late For Dinner (1991) Frank Lovegren
• Crooked Hearts (1991) Tom
• A Midnight Clear (1992) Bud Miller
• A Case for Murder (1993) Jack Hemmet
• Fire in the Sky (1993) David Whitlock
• Aspen Extreme (1993) Dexter Rutecki
• Across the Moon (1994) Lyle
• Uneviled (1994) Drug Dealer
• F.T.W. aka The Last Ride (1994) Clem Stuart
• The Last Seduction (1994) Mike Swale
• Rise and Walk: The Dennis Byrd Story (1994) Dennis Byrd
• Fallen Angels (1995) 2 episodes
• Chicago Hope (1995"1999) Dr. Billy Kronk in 106 episodes
• The Great White Hype (1996) Terry Conklin
• Girl 6 (1996) Caller No 1"?Bob
• The Naked Truth (1996) 1 episode
• Cop Land (1997) Joey Randone
• Very Bad Things (1998) Doctor
• Dill Scallion (1999) Nate Clumson
• Corky Romano (2001) Paulie Romano
• The King of Queens (2002) Lil' Eddie in "Kirbed Enthusiasm"
• Alias (2002) - Agent Noah Hicks in "Snowman" and "Masquerade"
• Collateral (2004) Richard Weidner
• Smokin' Aces (2006) "Pistol" Pete Deeks
• Friday Night Lights (2007) Morris "Mo" MacArnold in "May The Best Man Win"
• Lions for Lambs (2007) Lt. Col. Falco
• The Kingdom (2007) FBI Agent (Uncredited)
• Entourage (2008) Himself in Season 5 and Season 7
• Hancock (2008) Doctor (Uncredited)
• Californication (2012) Himself in Season 5 Episode 2
• Battleship (2012) Sonar Mate (uncredited)

Composer

• Very Bad Things (1998) (song "Walls Come Down")

Critical reception

Film	Rotten Tomatoes	Metacritic	IMDb
	Overall
Very Bad Things (1998)	44%	31%	6.2
The Rundown (2003)	71%	59%	6.5
Friday Night Lights (2004)	81%	70%	7.1
The Kingdom (2007)	51%	56%	7.0
Hancock (2008)	41%	49%	6.5
Battleship (2012)	34%	41%	5.9

Awards and Nominations

Year	Award	Category	Film	Result
1996	Screen Actors Guild Award	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series	Chicago Hope
1997
1998
	Deauville American Film Festival Award	Fun Radio Trophy	Very Bad Things
		Grand Special Prize
	San Sebastián International Film Festival Award	Golden Seashell
2005	AFI Award	Movie of the Year	Friday Night Lights
	ESPY Award	Best Sports Movie
	Teen Choice Award	Choice Movie: Drama
	USC Scripter Award	Best Film Shared with Buzz Bissinger and David Aaron Cohen
	Young Artist Award	Best Family Feature Film - Drama
2007	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series	Friday Night Lights
	Writers Guild of America	Best New Series Shared with Bridget Carpenter, Kerry Ehrin, Carter Harris, Liz Heldens, David Hudgins, Jason Katims, Patrick Massett, Andy Miller, Aaron Rahsaan Thomas and John Zinman
2009	Golden Eagle Award	Best Foreign Film	Hancock
2011	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Drama Series	Friday Night Lights
2013	Golden Raspberry Award	Worst Director	Battleship
		Worst Picture
	Golden Trailer Award	Best Summer Blockbuster 2012 TV Spot
	Houston Film Critics Society Award	Worst Film