This article is about the soap opera actor. For the Firesign Theatre member, see Peter Bergman (comedian).
Peter Bergman (born June 11, 1953) is an American soap opera actor. The son of an American serviceman, he was born in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
His most notable role has been his portrayal of Dr. Cliff Warner on All My Children, which he played from 1979 to 1987 and again from 1988 to 1989. His character helped form one of the serial’s first supercouples by falling in love and marrying Taylor Miller’s character, Nina Cortlandt. Soap columnists hypothesized that the two actors were so popular because they were the pinnacle of the image of the wholesome television couple, with their Nordic good looks, fair hair and blue eyes.
Staying true to the soap opera format, Cliff and Nina ended up marrying four times (1980, 1982, 1986 and 1989) and separating three times. As the characters left the serial, they had not divorced another time.
Bergman parlayed this success into a very successful Vicks Formula 44 cough syrup advertising campaign starting in 1986, in which he told the viewing audience, "I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV."
In a Soap Opera Digest interview, Bergman said that he had honestly thought he would become the next Joe Martin (a tenured doctor on the show, played by Ray MacDonnell). He still maintains to this day that he was shocked when the brass at All My Children fired him.
Since 1989, he has played the role of John "Jack" Abbott, Jr. on The Young and the Restless. While he has played this role longer than the role of Cliff Warner, many fans consider Terry Lester to be the one "true" Jack, so it can not be appropriately deemed his most lucrative role.
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