Barbara Berjer

Broadway, soap actress

By VARIETY STAFF

Barbara Berjer, a former Broadway actress who appeared in television soap operas for four decades, including 11 years as Bridget Connell on "Another World," died Oct. 20 of pneumonia while traveling in New York. She was 82.

Berjer, a Seattle native who changed her name from Berger to reflect the correct pronunciation, began her acting career as a drama student at the U. of Washington and worked in children's theater before leaving for the Goodman Theater in Chicago.

Moving to New York in 1956, Berjer had leading roles in Gore Vidal's political drama "The Best Man" and in "Dylan," based on the life of Dylan Thomas.

Her career on daytime television began in the 1950s. Over the years, she appeared in "From These Roots," "The Guiding Light," "The Edge of Night" and "As the World Turns."

When she left "As the World Turns," the writers decided she was irreplaceable and killed off her character, a woman who was married so many times that she is listed in a published filmography as "Claire English Lowell Cassen Shea."

As Bridget Connell on "Another World," Berjer was so popular that when her character's death was scripted in 1996, pressure from outraged fans resulted in her being written back into the series as Connell's ghost.

When she retired from soap operas, Berjer coached actors, including Anne Heche, and appeared in television shows such as "The Defenders" and "Law and Order."

Berjer is survived by her son.