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Alan Rosenberg (born October 4, 1950) is an American actor. Rosenberg is perhaps best known for his character Eli Levinson which appeared in both the series '' Civil Wars'' and the popular '' L.A. Law''. From 2005 to 2009, he was president of the
Screen Actors Guild The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...
, the principal motion picture industry on-screen performers' union.


Early life and education

Rosenberg was born on October 4, 1950 and raised in
Passaic, New Jersey Passaic ( or ) is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city had a total population of 70,537, ranking as the 16th largest municipality in New Jersey and an increase of 656 from the 69, ...
. He was raised in
Conservative Judaism Conservative Judaism, known as Masorti Judaism outside North America, is a Jewish religious movement which regards the authority of '' halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions as coming primarily from its people and community through the generat ...
. Rosenberg's late brother,
Mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * F ...
, was a political activist in the 1960s, later a film producer. Their first cousin, also from Passaic, is musician/songwriter
Donald Fagen Donald Jay Fagen (born January 10, 1948) is an American musician best known as the co-founder, lead singer, co-songwriter, and keyboardist of the band Steely Dan, formed in the early 1970s with musical partner Walter Becker. In addition to his ...
, co-founder of the group Steely Dan. Rosenberg's parents gave him money to apply to graduate school. Rosenberg said that upon graduating in 1972 from
Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location in the Connecticut Western Res ...
, he found another passion, poker, and subsequently gambled away most of the money his parents sent him, leaving him only able to afford one application, to the
Yale School of Drama The David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University is a graduate professional school of Yale University, located in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1924 as the Department of Drama in the School of Fine Arts, the school provides training in e ...
. Rosenberg dropped out halfway through his second year at Yale. His "greatest influence and best friend" while there was classmate
Meryl Streep Mary Louise Meryl Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Often described as "the best actress of her generation", Streep is particularly known for her versatility and accent adaptability. She has received numerous accolades throu ...
. ''art/sci'' misspells Fagen's name but identification is clear.


Career

In 1979, Rosenberg appeared in the movie '' The Wanderers'', as Turkey. He is also well known for his character Ira Woodbine in the sitcom '' Cybill''. More recently, he was seen in the legal drama ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...
'' as Alvin Masterson. Rosenberg supplied the voice of the bounty hunter
Boba Fett Boba Fett ( ) is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. First appearing in the '' Star Wars Holiday Special'' (1978), where he was voiced by Don Francks, he is an armored bounty hunter featured in both the original and preque ...
on NPR's adaptation of ''
The Empire Strikes Back ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based on a sto ...
''. Rosenberg is also known for his appearance as the crazed "Mad Bomber" in the 1986 cult-classic '' Stewardess School'' and Paul Bartel's screwball comedy '' Not for Publication'' opposite Nancy Allen (1984). In 1991, he appeared in the TV film ''
The Boys Boys are young male humans. Boys or The Boys may also refer to: Film and television Films * ''The Boys'' (1962 British film), a courtroom drama by Sidney J. Furie * ''The Boys'' (1962 Finnish film), a war drama by Mikko Niskanen * ''Boys'' ( ...
''. In 1995, he received an
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
nomination for a guest-starring role in the hit drama '' ER''. He starred in the Temptations miniseries in 1998, as long-time manager Shelly Berger. In 1999, he began a recurring role as the hospital legal counsel, Stuart Brickman, on ''
Chicago Hope ''Chicago Hope'' is an American medical drama television series, created by David E. Kelley. It originally aired on CBS from September 18, 1994, to May 4, 2000. The series is set in a fictional private charitable hospital in Chicago, Illinoi ...
''. Halfway through their final season, he was added to the opening titles as a series regular. He appeared on Broadway in ''What's Wrong With This Picture'' and ''Lost In Yonkers'', and off-Broadway in ''Isn't It Romantic'', ''A Prayer for My Daughter'', and ''Kid Champion''. He most recently starred at the Delaware Theatre Company production of ''Partners'', written by Allan Katz. He was elected the 24th president of
Screen Actors Guild The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...
(SAG) on September 23, 2005. Rosenberg succeeded Melissa Gilbert, who had served as president since 2001 and chose not to run for a third two-year term. Rosenberg received 39.99 percent (10,748 total votes) of the nationwide vote of the Guild's general membership, defeating
Morgan Fairchild Morgan Fairchild (born Patsy Ann McClenny; February 3, 1950) is an American actress. She began acting in the early 1970s and has had roles in several television series since. Fairchild began her career on the CBS daytime soap opera '' Search for ...
and
Robert Conrad Robert Conrad (born Conrad Robert Falk; March 1, 1935 – February 8, 2020) was an American film and television actor, singer, and stuntman. He is best known for his role in the 1965–1969 television series ''The Wild Wild West'', playin ...
. In 2005, he appeared as shady defense attorney Adam Novak in an episode of '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' co-starring alongside his real-life wife Marg Helgenberger. Novak was portrayed as a womanizer who encountered Catherine (Helgenberger) in a bar and later became the prime suspect in two homicides. In a 2007 episode "Leaving Las Vegas" he appeared as a lawyer defending a client who turned out to be guilty of two separate crimes, and yet the evidence failed to pin him down, resulting in a not guilty verdict which annoyed Catherine so much that she began to undertake further investigation. In 2006, he appeared in a recurring role as Bruce Steinerman, the divorce attorney of Dr. James Wilson in the television-series '' House M.D.'' He has hosted episodes of the
public television Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...
program, ''Life: Part 2'', which began in 2007 and is produced in St. Paul, Minnesota. The show features panel discussions about issues that
baby boomers Baby boomers, often shortened to boomers, are the Western demographic cohort following the Silent Generation and preceding Generation X. The generation is often defined as people born from 1946 to 1964, during the mid-20th century baby boom. ...
face as they age. In 2015, he appeared as Dr. William Golliher in the Amazon original series '' Bosch''. In 2016, he had a recurring role as shady investor William Sutter on the USA Network drama '' Suits''. From 2016 to 2017, he had a recurring role in the
Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global ...
cable series '' Shameless (seasons 6 - 8)''. He portrayed Professor Youens, an
alcoholic Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomina ...
college professor and mentor to
Lip Gallagher The following is a list of fictional characters from the English comedy-drama '' Shameless'', created by Paul Abbott, which was on Channel 4 between 2004 and 2013. The programme is set on the fictional Chatsworth Estate in suburban Manchester a ...
. In 2021 he reappeared in Bosch S07E05 as he was retiring.


Personal life

Rosenberg's first marriage was to actress Robin Bartlett, from 1976 to 1984. He met Marg Helgenberger in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
in 1984, while guest-starring on her soap ''
Ryan's Hope ''Ryan's Hope'' is an American soap opera created by Claire Labine and Paul Avila Mayer, airing for 13 years on ABC from July 7, 1975, to January 13, 1989. It revolves around the trials and tribulations within a large Irish-American family in ...
''. The two became friends and started dating in 1986. They married in 1989 and have one son, Hugh Howard Rosenberg (born October 21, 1990). On December 1, 2008, Rosenberg and Helgenberger announced their separation. On March 25, 2009, Helgenberger filed for divorce. The divorce was finalized in February 2010. As a result of Helgenberger's mother's 27-year battle with
breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or ...
, Helgenberger and Rosenberg became involved in the fight against the disease. They have hosted a benefit called ''Marg and Alan's Celebrity Weekend'' every year in Omaha,
Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the so ...
since 1999.


Filmography


Film


Television


Video games


Radio


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rosenberg, Alan 1950 births American male film actors Presidents of the Screen Actors Guild American male television actors American male voice actors Case Western Reserve University alumni Jewish American male actors Living people People from Passaic, New Jersey Male actors from New Jersey American people of German-Jewish descent 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Activists from New Jersey 21st-century American Jews