David Birney, actor on St. Elsewhere and guest on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, has passed away at 83
David Birney as Bernie Steinberg in Bridget Loves Bernie (left) and as Letant in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (right)
MAY 5, 2022 - He might be best known for his roles as cab driver Bernie Steinberg on Bridget Loves Bernie and as Dr. Ben Samuels on St. Elsewhere, but he also got to take some verbal potshots at the Klingons.
Stage, screen, and film actor David Birney died last Wednesday, April 27, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He was 83.
Birney grew up in Cleveland and, after the army and another theater stint, appeared in 1967 in The Comedy of Errors, King John and Titus Andronicus in the New York Shakespeare Festival. His characters ranged from Frank Serpico to John Adams to Antonio Salieri and on to Letant, the Romulan senator, in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season six episode, “Tears of the Prophets.”
In that episode Birney as Letant represents the Romulan Star Empire at a meeting of the Federation Alliance on Deep Space Nine. He manages to upset General Martok by saying, according to Memory Alpha, "Notice the primitive rage in his eye… the uncontrolled brutality. Klingons can be quite entertaining, don't you agree? I think every Romulan zoo should have a pair."
Birney’s final appearance on screen was in a 2007 episode of Without a Trace. According to Wikipedia, he also “co-chaired the American Diabetes Association, speaking and fund raising for the Association. He was an advisor for the Children’s Rights Council, a national nonprofit advocating access to both parents after divorce or separation. His contribution to classical theatre was recognized with Washington's Shakespeare Theatre's Millennium Award.”
For more on the life and career of David Edwin Birney, head over to The Hollywood Reporter.
Please join us in offering our condolences to Mr. Birney’s friends and family.
David is a contributing writer for Daily Star Trek News on the Roddenberry Podcast Network. He is a librarian, baseball fan, and book and movie buff. He has also written for American Libraries and Skeptical Inquirer. David also enjoys diverse music, but leans toward classical and jazz. He plays a mean radio.
