Christopher Bernau

Christopher Bernau
150px Christopher Bernau as Alan Spaulding
Born	Herbert Augustine Bernau June 2, 1940(1940-06-02) Santa Barbara, California, USA
Died	June 14, 1989(1989-06-14) (aged 49) (complications from AIDS)
Occupation	Actor

Christopher Bernau (born Herbert Augustine Bernau, June 2, 1940 – June 14, 1989) was an American actor.

Life and career

Bernau trained in the drama department at the University of California before getting his big break, appearing in the New York Shakespeare Festival's production of Antony and Cleopatra in 1962. He continued in that role until 1964, when he toured nationally in the production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? These roles, in addition to performing at Canada's Stratford Festival, led to an appearance in a story arc on Dark Shadows in 1969 and 1970.

His most famous role, however, was that of villain Alan Spaulding on the soap opera Guiding Light, a role he played from 1977 to 1984 and again from 1986 until shortly before his death in 1989.

Though his famous character was portrayed as a habitual womanizer, Bernau is considered to be one of the only truly "out" soap opera actors, as it was fairly well known by both the actors he worked with and the soap press at large that he was gay.^[1]

Death

Bernau was diagnosed with AIDS but continued to work on Guiding Light. He left the show when he became too ill to show up at work, and he died of a heart attack brought on by complications from AIDS. He is buried at Santa Barbara Cemetery, Santa Barbara, California.

References

1. ^ Hamrick, Craig (2003), Barnabas & Company: The Cast of the TV Classic Dark Shadows, iUniverse, p. 213, ISBN 0595290299 

External links

• Christopher Bernau at the Internet Movie Database

Persondata
Name	Bernau, Christopher
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	June 2, 1940
Place of birth	Santa Barbara, California, USA
Date of death	June 14, 1989
Place of death