Peter R Bonerz (, born August 6, 1938) is an American actor and director.

Early life

Bonerzwas born in

Portsmouth, New Hampshire Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on the Piscataqua River bordering the state of Maine, Portsm ...

, to Elfrieda (née Kern) and Christopher Bonerz. He grew up in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, where he attended Marquette University High School. Here, performing with the Prep Players, he gained his first theatrical experience. At

Marquette University Marquette University () is a private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Martin Henni, the first Bishop of the diocese of ...

, he participated in the Marquette University Players. After graduating with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree in 1960, he decided to seek a career in theater, starting in New York City in improv with a troupe called The Premise. After compulsory service as a draftee in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

, he worked with an improv troupe in San Francisco known as The Committee, whose members included

Rob Reiner Robert Norman Reiner (born March 6, 1947) is an American actor and filmmaker. As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence with the role of Michael "Meathead" Stivic on the CBS sitcom '' All in the Family'' (1971–1979), a performa ...

David Ogden Stiers David Allen Ogden Stiers ( ; October 31, 1942 – March 3, 2018) was an American actor and conductor. He appeared in numerous productions on Broadway, and originated the role of Feldman in '' The Magic Show'', in which he appeared for fou ...

Howard Hesseman Howard Hesseman (February 27, 1940 – January 29, 2022) was an American actor known for his television roles as burned-out disc jockey Dr. Johnny Fever on ''WKRP in Cincinnati'', and the lead role of history teacher Charlie Moore on '' Head of ...

and

Hamilton Camp Hamilton Camp (Born Robin S. Camp, 30 October 1934 – 2 October 2005) was a London-born actor and singer, who relocated to the United States with his family when he was a young child. He became an American folk singer during he 1960s, and ev ...

Career

Bonerz's first network television appearance was in 1965 on ''

The Addams Family ''The Addams Family'' is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 unrelated single-panel cartoons, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' over ...

'' in the season-two episode "Morticia, The Writer". He had several more TV appearances in the late 1960s and also had roles in several films, including ''Funnyman'' (1967); ''

What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice? ''What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice?'' is a 1969 American neo-noir thriller film directed by Lee H. Katzin with Bernard Girard (uncredited), and starring Geraldine Page, Ruth Gordon, Rosemary Forsyth, Robert Fuller and Mildred Dunnock. The scree ...

'' (1969); '' Medium Cool'' (1969); ''

Catch-22 ''Catch-22'' is a satirical war novel by American author Joseph Heller. He began writing it in 1953; the novel was first published in 1961. Often cited as one of the most significant novels of the twentieth century, it uses a distinctive non- ...

'' (1970), which also included his future co-star

Bob Newhart George Robert Newhart (born September 5, 1929) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his deadpan and slightly stammering delivery style. Newhart came to prominence in 1960 when his album of comedic monologues, ''The Button-Down Mi ...

; ''

Jennifer on My Mind ''Jennifer on My Mind'' is a 1971 American drama film based on the 1968 novel ''Heir'' by Roger L. Simon. It was directed by Noel Black from a screenplay by Erich Segal, stars Michael Brandon and Tippy Walker, and features Robert De Niro in a mi ...

'' (1971); and '' Fuzz'' (1972). In 1971, Bonerz was part of an ensemble cast in the short-lived improvisational television show ''Story Theatre'', which also included

Alan Alda Alan Alda (; born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; January 28, 1936) is an American actor, screenwriter, and director. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for playing Captain Benjamin "Hawkeye" Pierce in the war come ...

and Valerie Harper. In 1972, he landed the popular supporting role of Dr. Jerry Robinson, the eccentric

orthodontist Orthodontics is a dentistry specialty that addresses the diagnosis, prevention, management, and correction of mal-positioned teeth and jaws, and misaligned bite patterns. It may also address the modification of facial growth, known as dentofacial ...

on ''

The Bob Newhart Show ''The Bob Newhart Show'' is an American sitcom television series produced by MTM Enterprises that aired on CBS from September 16, 1972, to April 1, 1978, with a total of 142 half-hour episodes over six seasons. Comedian Bob Newhart portrays a p ...

'', whose most frequent

comic foil A double act (also known as a comedy duo) is a form of comedy originating in the British music hall tradition, and American vaudeville, in which two comedians perform together as a single act. Pairings are typically long-term, in some cases fo ...

was

Marcia Wallace Marcia Karen Wallace (November 1, 1942 – October 25, 2013) was an American actress and comedian, primarily known for her roles in television situation comedies. She is best known for her roles as receptionist Carol Kester on the 1970s sitc ...

as Carol, the sharp-tongued receptionist. Bonerz would reprise this role in a cameo appearance in the final, unaired episode of Bob Newhart's third series, '' Bob''. He also directed 29 episodes. The show ran for six seasons, with ratings among the top 20 in the first three seasons. His later acting roles included the TV miniseries '' The Bastard'' (1978) and as a psychiatrist in the movie '' Serial'' (1980). In 1979, Bonerz appeared on '' Password Plus'' as a game show contestant/celebrity guest star with Marcia Wallace, his costar from ''The Bob Newhart Show''. In 1986, Bonerz co-starred with Tuesday Weld and

River Phoenix River Jude Phoenix (; August 23, 1970 – October 31, 1993) was an American actor, musician and activist. Phoenix grew up in an itinerant family, as the older brother of Rain Phoenix, Joaquin Phoenix, Liberty Phoenix, and Summer Phoenix. He ...

in the television movie '' Circle of Violence: A Family Drama''. In 1999, he played

Ed. Weinberger Edwin B. "Ed." Weinberger is an American screenwriter and television producer. Life and career Born in 1938 and raised in Philadelphia, the only son of Jewish butcher Leon and his wife Helen Weinberger, Ed. Weinberger began his TV career after ...

in the movie '' Man on the Moon''. He voiced Sal in the ''

Aaahh!!! Real Monsters ''Aaahh!!! Real Monsters'' is an American animated television series developed by Klasky Csupo for Nickelodeon. The show focuses on three young monsters—Ickis, Oblina, and Krumm—who attend a school for monsters under a city dump and learn to ...

'' episode "Internal Affairs". In 2014, he played Doug Demarco in the "Anniversaries" episode of ''

Parks and Recreation ''Parks and Recreation'' (also known as ''Parks and Rec'') is an American political satire mockumentary sitcom television series created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur. The series aired on NBC from April 9, 2009, to February 24, 2015, for 125 ...

''. Beginning in 1974, Bonerz directed 29 episodes of ''

''. Between 1974 and 2011, he directed over 350 episodes of various shows, including series like ''

Murphy Brown ''Murphy Brown'' is an American television sitcom created by Diane English that premiered on November 14, 1988, on CBS. The series stars Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, a famous investigative journalist and news anchor for ''FYI'', a ...

'' (93 episodes), ''

Home Improvement The concept of home improvement, home renovation, or remodeling is the process of renovating or making additions to one's home. Home improvement can consist of projects that upgrade an existing home interior (such as electrical and plumbing), ...

'' (29 episodes), '' E/R'' (22 episodes), ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Li ...

'' (12 episodes), and many others such as ''

Wings A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expre ...

'', ''

NewsRadio ''NewsRadio'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from March 21, 1995 to May 4, 1999, focusing on the work lives of the staff of a New York City AM news radio station. It had an ensemble cast featuring Dave Foley, Steph ...

'', ''

Archie Bunker's Place ''Archie Bunker's Place'' is an American television sitcom produced as a continuation of ''All in the Family''. It aired on CBS from September 23, 1979, to April 4, 1983. While not as popular as its predecessor, the show maintained a large enough ...

'', and '' ALF''. He also directed films such as '' Nobody's Perfekt'' (1981) and '' Police Academy 6: City Under Siege'' (1989).Peter Bonerz Biography (1938-)
- Film Reference

Filmography as director

* 1979: '' McGurk: A Dog's Life'' * 1980: ''Love, Natalie'' * 1980: ''G.I.'s'' * 1981: '' Nobody's Perfekt'' * 1982: '' In Security'' * 1982: ''High Five'' (TV short) * 1983: ''Focus on Fishko'' (short) * 1984: ''Back Together'' * 1984: '' Suzanne Pleshette Is Maggie Briggs'' * 1985: ''The Recovery Room'' * 1988: ''Sharing Richard'' * 1989: '' Police Academy 6: City Under Siege'' * 1989: ''Julie Brown: The Show'' (TV short) * 1993: ''The Elvira Show'' (TV short) * 2006: ''Drive/II''

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bonerz, Peter 1938 births Living people Male actors from New Hampshire American male film actors American male television actors American television directors Comedy film directors Marquette University alumni People from Portsmouth, New Hampshire Military personnel from Milwaukee Military personnel from New Hampshire 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors United States Army soldiers Directors Guild of America Award winners Male actors from Milwaukee Film directors from New Hampshire Marquette University High School alumni