Terry Kiser

A seasoned journeyman comic and light dramatic character player whose credits span daytime and primetime TV, Broadway and features, Terry Kiser earned a boost when he was cast as the dead-but-still-partying boss in "Weekend at Bernie's" (1989). Prior to that, Kiser worked on such daytime dramas as "The Doctors" (NBC, 1962-83) and "The Secret Storm" (CBS, 1953-74) while he studied at the Actors Studio. He had a supporting role in Neil Simon's 1974 Broadway comedy "God's Favorite" and began a lucrative career as a commercial pitchman, earning three Clio Awards. Kiser's feature debut came with the role of a preacher in Paul Newman's "Rachel, Rachel" (1968), starring Joanne Woodward. Migrating to L.A., he appeared in dozens of TV episodes and in the short-lived series "Rollergirls" (NBC, 1978), as manager for a women's roller derby team. In 1984, he landed a recurring role as Al Craven on the NBC sitcom "Night Court" (1984-92) as well as another recurring role, as Victor Hitler, on the NBC police drama "Hill Street Blues" (1980-87), for which he earned an Emmy nomination. Kiser was also in the syndicated sketch comedy "Off the Wall" (1986) and Carol Burnett's much anticipated return to variety "Carol & Company" (NBC, 1990-91). On the big screen, Kiser offered a humorous turn as the swinging father of an overachieving son in "Rich Kids" (1979) and played numerous small roles in features like "All Night Long" (1981), "Making Love" and "Six Pack" (both 1982). Kiser was Bernie Lomax in "Weekend at Bernie's" and the sequel, "Weekend at Bernie's II" (1993), in which Bernie was possessed by a zombie curse and danced his way through the Caribbean.