Bern Cohen
Encyclopedia
Bern Cohen is an American actor and educator. He spent many years in the New York City education system before returning to acting in 2005.
in Chinatown, Manhattan
. After attending Valley Stream South High School
, he attended Adelphi University
on full scholarship
and started his New York professional acting career while still in college.
at Columbia University
and City College of New York
.
Cohen led seven group trips to the Amazon Rainforest
and wrote three college textbooks in the fields of bilingual education
, school evaluation, and race relations. He was President of BCR&D, a large private research and development
group that specialized in assessing public education programs.
In New York City, he was a District Director of Instruction in two school districts and eventually served in that capacity for the entire New York City school system. He was assigned to take over and lead several low-achieving New York schools and became known for his ability to turn failing schools into successful schools with demanding academic models and supportive behavior remediation.
and Ruth Nerkin, and rejoined the New York acting corps. He is a member of the Screen Actors Guild
, Equity, and AFTRA
.
He created the role of Morris Bober in the first stage adaptation of Bernard Malamud
's The Assistant
at New York's Turtle Shell Theater. He appeared in several other off-Broadway
shows and 15 films since retiring as a high school principal in 2005.
Cohen played Rebbe Horowitz in the 2010 Sundance Festival
selection, Holy Rollers
. His other principal film roles include Tickling Leo
with Eli Wallach
, 27 Dresses
with Katherine Heigl
, Fallen Star (formerly Goyband
) with Tovah Feldshuh
, and Brooklyn Rules
with Alec Baldwin
.
Early years
Cohen grew up in New York's Al Smith Projects on South StreetSouth Street (Manhattan)
South Street is a street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, located immediately adjacent to the East River.It runs from Whitehall Street near the southern tip of Manhattan to Jackson Street near the Williamsburg Bridge. The Franklin D...
in Chinatown, Manhattan
Chinatown, Manhattan
Manhattan's Chinatown , home to one of the highest concentrations of Chinese people in the Western hemisphere, is located in the borough of Manhattan in New York City...
. After attending Valley Stream South High School
Valley Stream South High School
Valley Stream South High School is a combined public junior and senior high school in the village of Valley Stream, New York, more specifically, the hamlet of South Valley Stream, New York in southwest Nassau County on Long Island...
, he attended Adelphi University
Adelphi University
Adelphi University is a private, nonsectarian university located in Garden City, in Nassau County, New York, United States. It is the oldest institution of higher education on Long Island. For the sixth year, Adelphi University has been named a “Best Buy” in higher education by the Fiske Guide to...
on full scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
and started his New York professional acting career while still in college.
Career in education
By age 26, Cohen decided to leave acting in favor of a more involved role in parenting his two children. He went into education and was a fourth-grade teacher before teaching secondary Remedial Reading and becoming an administrator. He earned two graduate degrees in education administration and psychologyPsychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
and City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
.
Cohen led seven group trips to the Amazon Rainforest
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
and wrote three college textbooks in the fields of bilingual education
Bilingual education
Bilingual education involves teaching academic content in two languages, in a native and secondary language with varying amounts of each language used in accordance with the program model.-Bilingual education program models:...
, school evaluation, and race relations. He was President of BCR&D, a large private research and development
Research and development
The phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
group that specialized in assessing public education programs.
In New York City, he was a District Director of Instruction in two school districts and eventually served in that capacity for the entire New York City school system. He was assigned to take over and lead several low-achieving New York schools and became known for his ability to turn failing schools into successful schools with demanding academic models and supportive behavior remediation.
Acting areer
Cohen took early retirement from his academic career to return to acting studies with Penny TempletonPenny Templeton
Penny Templeton is an American acting instructor based in New York City. Her primary focus is teaching an eclectic approach to the craft based on the great master teachers that supports modern actors coping with today's fast-paced acting industry.-Career:Penny Templeton is a fourth generation...
and Ruth Nerkin, and rejoined the New York acting corps. He is a member of the Screen Actors Guild
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
, Equity, and AFTRA
American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists is a performers' union that represents a wide variety of talent, including actors in radio and television, as well as radio and television announcers and newspersons, singers and recording artists , promo and voice-over announcers and other...
.
He created the role of Morris Bober in the first stage adaptation of Bernard Malamud
Bernard Malamud
Bernard Malamud was an author of novels and short stories. Along with Saul Bellow and Philip Roth, he was one of the great American Jewish authors of the 20th century. His baseball novel, The Natural, was adapted into a 1984 film starring Robert Redford...
's The Assistant
The Assistant (novel)
The Assistant is Bernard Malamud's second novel. Set in a working-class neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, it explores the situation of first- and second-generation Americans in the early 1950s, as experienced by three main characters and the relationships between them: an aging Jewish refugee...
at New York's Turtle Shell Theater. He appeared in several other off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
shows and 15 films since retiring as a high school principal in 2005.
Cohen played Rebbe Horowitz in the 2010 Sundance Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
selection, Holy Rollers
Holy Rollers
Holy Rollers is a 2010 independent film written by Antonio Macia, directed by Kevin Asch, and starring Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Bartha, Ari Graynor, Danny Abeckaser, Q-Tip and Jason Fuchs...
. His other principal film roles include Tickling Leo
Tickling Leo
Tickling Leo is a 2009 independent drama film about three generations of a Jewish family whose silence about their past has kept them apart. The film was directed by Jeremy Davidson, and stars Lawrence Pressman, Daniel Sauli, Annie Parisse, Eli Wallach, Ronald Guttman and Victoria...
with Eli Wallach
Eli Wallach
Eli Herschel Wallach is an American film, television and stage actor, who gained fame in the late 1950s. For his performance in Baby Doll he won a BAFTA Award for Best Newcomer and a Golden Globe nomination. One of his most famous roles is that of Tuco in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly...
, 27 Dresses
27 Dresses
27 Dresses is a 2008 romantic comedy film directed by Anne Fletcher and written by Aline Brosh McKenna. The film stars Katherine Heigl and James Marsden. The film was released January 10, 2008 in Australia and opened in the United States on January 18....
with Katherine Heigl
Katherine Heigl
Katherine Marie Heigl is an American actress and producer. She is possibly best known for her role as Dr. Izzie Stevens on ABC's Grey's Anatomy from 2005 to 2010, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Drama Series in 2007...
, Fallen Star (formerly Goyband
Goyband
Goyband is a 2008 American comedy film from directed by Christopher Grimm, starring Adam Pascal. Called a "gefilte fish out of water tale", this independent film is described as Dirty Dancing meets My Big Fat Greek Wedding with a touch of a hip hop Fiddler on the Roof...
) with Tovah Feldshuh
Tovah Feldshuh
Tovah Feldshuh is an American actress, singer and playwright.-Early life:Terri Sue Feldshuh was born to a Jewish family in New York City, the daughter of Lillian and Sidney Feldshuh, who was a lawyer. She was raised in Scarsdale, New York, an affluent community in Westchester County and graduated...
, and Brooklyn Rules
Brooklyn Rules
Brooklyn Rules is a 2007 film starring Alec Baldwin, Scott Caan, Freddie Prinze Jr., Jerry Ferrara, and Mena Suvari. The film was directed by Michael Corrente and written by Terence Winter.-Plot:...
with Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
.
Sources
- "Bilingual Education Models", NY Times
- Who's Who in Education
- BACKSTAGE, March, 2009
- Times Herald Record, June, 2005
- Rockland Review, August, 2009