Johnny Bergh | |
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Actors Johnny Bergh and Tom Tellefsen while performing at The National Theatre in Oslo in 1958.
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Born |
Johnny Odd Berg May 6, 1934 Austrheim, Norway |
Died | December 23, 2014 Bærum, Norway |
(aged 80)
Occupation | TV producer, TV director, Scriptwriter, TV host, actor |
Spouse(s) | Bitte Monn-Iversen (1982—2014; 1 child) Bjørg "Buster" Tveten (c. 1958 — 1968; divorced; 2 children) |
Johnny Odd Bergh (May 6, 1934 - December 23, 2014) was a Norwegian producer, scriptwriter and director. He was a key player in the development of Norwegian television, and one of the most influential people in Norwegian entertainment until the mid 90s.
Bergh started his career as a jazz musician and comedy actor in Bergen, and studied acting at The Norwegian National Academy of Theatre. In 1958 he was recruited to The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation - two years before regular television broadcasts started in Norway - as employee number 12. After just a few years he became a prominent director and producer. As one of the first tv workers in Norway, Bergh worked for the first years with everything from The Nobel Peace Price and the news to theatre and large studio shows. It was however entertainment that would become his speciality.
During his career he produced several thousand tv programs. The shows went on to become benchmark productions for Norwegian entertainment, and many want on for many seasons, some still being in production. Programs include: Lørdagskveld med Erik Bye (talkshow), Kontrapunkt (quiz show), Momarkedet (live variety show), Kvitt eller dobbelt (Norwegian version of The $64,000 Question), Ta sjansen (annual event), Dette er ditt liv (Norwegian version of This is Your Life), Nyttårsshow (variety show), OL-show (olympic variety show), Spellemannprisen (Norwegian music awards) og Melodi Grand Prix (Eurovision Song Contest). He was the responsible national producer for the Nordic collaborative Nordivision-broadcasts in the early days of Norwegian television. Bergh also directed concerts with international artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Bill Evans, Jim Reeves and Otis Redding. From 1986 til 1990 Bergh was the editorial director at the NRK's entertainment department.