Anna Berger (July 26, 1922 – May 26, 2014) was an American character actress in film and television, who specialized in playing frazzled housewives and matriarchs.

Early life and education

Anna Berger was born on July 26, 1922, in Manhattan, the third of eight children of William and Bella (Heller) Berger. She grew up on the

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Traditionally an im ...

and began acting as a child. After graduating from

Seward Park High School __NOTOC__ The Seward Park Campus is a "vertical campus" of the New York City Department of Education located at 350 Grand Street at the corner of Essex Street, in the Lower East Side/Cooperative Village neighborhoods of Manhattan, New York City. ...

, she studied acting in 1948.

Career

She appeared in such films as

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

's '' Crimes and Misdemeanors'' (1989) and the

Adam Sandler Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, producer and singer. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1990 to 1995, before going on to star in numerous Hollywood films, those of wh ...

vehicle '' You Don't Mess with the Zohan'' (2008), and on such television series as ''

Law & Order: Criminal Intent ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' is an American police procedural drama television series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 20 ...

'', '' Everybody Loves Raymond'' and ''

NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble c ...

''. She also acted on '' The Goldbergs''. On Broadway, Berger appeared in ''Unlikely Heroes'' (1971), ''The Rose Tattoo '' (1966), ''Gideon'' (1961), and ''Twilight Walk'' (1951). In the early-1960s, Berger was the New York City Board of Education's drama specialist for community center programs.

Death

Berger was married to Robert Malatzky, and they had two daughters. Berger died on May 26, 2014, aged 91, in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

."Anna Berger, an Actress With a Gift for Matriarchs, Dies at 91"
nytimes.com; June 3, 2014; accessed June 7, 2014.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* 1922 births 2014 deaths 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from New York City American child actresses American film actresses American television actresses People from the Lower East Side Seward Park High School alumni {{US-screen-actor-1920s-stub