Actor David Birney has died at the age of 83. The cause of death was Alzheimer’s disease at his home in Santa Monica. His life partner Michele Roberge confirmed the news to The New York Times. He is survived by daughters, Kate and Mollie Birney, son Peter Baxter, stepdaughter Eva Bush, stepson Ted Bush, two grandchildren, and his brothers, Gregory and Glenn.

Birney’s television career spanned nearly 40 years. It all began with a part in the 1964 series Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing and lasted through to a guest appearance in Without a Trace in 2007. Birney also had recurring spots and roles in several classic shows, such as Murder, She Wrote, The Love Boat, and Hawaii Five-O. His best-known parts were as Dr. Ben Samuels on the first season of the 1982 drama St. Elsewhere, and the lead role in the 1972 sitcom Bridget Loves Bernie. The show introduced Birney to co-star Meredith Baxter, to whom he was married to from 1974 to 1989, having three children together. However, while Bridget Met Bernie was a hit with the ratings, it also faced criticism from Jewish groups due to accusations of stereotypes.

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“Why does everybody want to know if I’m Jewish?” Birney told The Times in 1972. “I really find it offensive because I don’t know whether they’re asking about my religion or my background. Actually, I’m an Irish Protestant, but I have no organized religious affiliation. And religion is much too serious a thing to talk about. After all, we’re all actors, and nobody asks if it’s difficult being Protestant and playing Macbeth, or being Jewish and playing Irish.”

David Birney Was Active in Theater

     Folger Shakespeare Library

Besides his roles on television, Birney was also very active in the theater community. Throughout his career, he had numerous roles in theatrical productions all over the United States, spanning from Chester, Massachusetts, to Santa Maria, California. He left St. Elsewhere due to a commitment that he had on Broadway. His Broadway debut was in a 1969 production of The Miser. He also played some of Shakespeare’s most famous roles, such as Hamlet, Romeo, and Macbeth.

“Listen, I’m a good actor. I only took the TV series because the options for actors get fewer and fewer. I came in in the mid‐sixties when British actors dominated the American theater, and for an actor wanting to do Shakespeare, you had to steal those parts around the country by hook or by crook. I’m very fortunate to have been almost steadily employed, but I haven’t always done what I’ve wanted to do.”

“Another reason I took Bridget Loves Bernie was that it is only a half‐hour show with not a lot of work to do and it only takes six months of the year to film, which I hope will leave me time to come back to New York and play parts I like on stage and in film. I’ll go anywhere at any time to do Romeo — you can print that.”