Fred Berry
Encyclopedia
Fred "Rerun" Berry was an American
actor best known for the role of Fred "Rerun" Stubbs on the popular 1970s television show What's Happening!!
.
, Missouri
. Before starring on What's Happening!!, he was a member of the Los Angeles
based dance troupe The Lockers
, with which he appeared on the third episode of the first season of Saturday Night Live
. He also appeared on the dance music program Soul Train
, and was featured in the program's signature line dance segment doing the memorable early '70s dance step "the slo-mo." During that time Berry's nickname was “The Penguin”. What's Happening!! lasted from 1976 to 1979. He was a millionaire by age 29. After the show ended, Berry, who weighed over 300 pounds, had trouble finding work because he was permanently identified with the Rerun character.
Eventually however, he came to embrace his being typecast, and made his peace with it as the best means to maintain his celebrity. In public, he was often seen wearing the red beret
and red suspenders that are part of the Rerun character, and even went so far as to have his middle name legally changed to "Rerun".
, but he was only on that show for a year. Berry asked for more money than the rest of the cast (believing he was the reason people tuned in). Berry's widow, Essie Berry told Urbanite magazine at Georgia State University that their unwillingness to pay Fred Berry his due in both shows led to their early cancellations.
minister and lost 100 pounds after being diagnosed with diabetes. He made a living during this time mostly through making public appearances as Rerun.
Berry was married six times to four different women. His marriages include:
Berry made a brief cameo appearance in Insane Clown Posse
's film Big Money Hustlas
as Bootleg Greg, a merchandise counterfeiter. In 1996, he also made an appearance in Less Than Jake
's video “Dopeman” (which was never aired on television). In the second season of the comedy television series Scrubs
, he appeared in his iconic Rerun suspenders and beret in an extended dance sequence fantasized by Dr. John “J.D.” Dorian
(which included a dozen others also wearing the same outfit). Berry also appeared in a Snoop Doggy Dogg video, “It's A Doggy Dogg World”, which was a tribute to the Black culture of the 1970s. (He performed his legendary dance moves in a Soul Train
line.) He also appeared in fellow Locker Toni Basil
music video "Shopping From A to Z".
He returned to the screen in 1998 in the action movie In The Hood and made a cameo in Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star
(2003), playing himself in a song at the end. His final role was another memorable cameo in In the Land of Merry Misfits (produced by Maria Menounos
and narrated by John Waters
), which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival
.
Berry died on October 21, 2003, at his Los Angeles home where he was recovering from a stroke
. Berry leave behind widow Essie A.Berry his E children.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor best known for the role of Fred "Rerun" Stubbs on the popular 1970s television show What's Happening!!
What's Happening!!
What's Happening!! is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from August 5, 1976 to April 28, 1979. The show premiered as a summer series. With good ratings and reviews, and after the failure of several other shows on the network, What's Happening!! returned in November 1976 as a weekly...
.
Career
Berry was born in St. LouisSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. Before starring on What's Happening!!, he was a member of the Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
based dance troupe The Lockers
The Lockers
The Lockers were a dance group formed by Toni Basil and Don "Campbellock" Campbell in 1971. Active throughout the 1970s, they were pioneers of street dance. Don Campbell is the founder of the locking dance style and originally, Locking was called The Campbellock - a style that was based on the...
, with which he appeared on the third episode of the first season of Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
. He also appeared on the dance music program Soul Train
Soul Train
Soul Train is an American musical variety show that aired in syndication from October 1971 to March 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists have also appeared.As a nod to Soul Trains...
, and was featured in the program's signature line dance segment doing the memorable early '70s dance step "the slo-mo." During that time Berry's nickname was “The Penguin”. What's Happening!! lasted from 1976 to 1979. He was a millionaire by age 29. After the show ended, Berry, who weighed over 300 pounds, had trouble finding work because he was permanently identified with the Rerun character.
Eventually however, he came to embrace his being typecast, and made his peace with it as the best means to maintain his celebrity. In public, he was often seen wearing the red beret
Beret
A beret is a soft, round, flat-crowned hat, designated a "cap", usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, or wool felt, or acrylic fiber....
and red suspenders that are part of the Rerun character, and even went so far as to have his middle name legally changed to "Rerun".
Substance abuse problems
During the 1980s, Berry battled drug addiction and alcoholism. He revived the character of Rerun in the series What's Happening Now!!What's Happening Now!!
What's Happening Now!! is an American television sitcom spinoff of What's Happening!!. It ran in syndication from 1985 to 1988. Like the previous series, What's Happening Now!! is loosely based on the motion picture Cooley High...
, but he was only on that show for a year. Berry asked for more money than the rest of the cast (believing he was the reason people tuned in). Berry's widow, Essie Berry told Urbanite magazine at Georgia State University that their unwillingness to pay Fred Berry his due in both shows led to their early cancellations.
Later life and death
During the 1990s, Berry became a BaptistBaptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
minister and lost 100 pounds after being diagnosed with diabetes. He made a living during this time mostly through making public appearances as Rerun.
Berry was married six times to four different women. His marriages include:
- Franchesska Berry (?–?; divorced; 1st time - Franchesska appeared alongside Fred in an episode of "What's Happening" as Rerun's dance partner)
- Essie Berry (widow)
- Franchesska Berry (1976–1977; divorced; 2nd time)
- Essie a Berry (married-1999:widow 2003)
- Carol Ann Ross (1984–?; divorced)
- Darlene Bitten (1994–1999; divorced)
Berry made a brief cameo appearance in Insane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse is an American hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan. The group is composed of Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler, who perform under the respective personas of the "wicked clowns" Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope. Insane Clown Posse performs a style of hardcore hip hop known as horrorcore...
's film Big Money Hustlas
Big Money Hustlas
The film's music was written by Psychopathic Records producer Mike E. Clark. A soundtrack album was released in 2001, and featured new music from the film, in addition to previously released tracks by Insane Clown Posse and Twiztid, and the theme to the 1976 film The Human Tornado, performed by...
as Bootleg Greg, a merchandise counterfeiter. In 1996, he also made an appearance in Less Than Jake
Less Than Jake
Less Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida. Originally formed in 1992 as a power pop trio, the band evolved into a hybrid of ska punk. Less Than Jake have also been cited as showing influences from a wide variety of genres including post-grunge, heavy metal, alternative...
's video “Dopeman” (which was never aired on television). In the second season of the comedy television series Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
, he appeared in his iconic Rerun suspenders and beret in an extended dance sequence fantasized by Dr. John “J.D.” Dorian
John Dorian
John Michael "J.D." Dorian, M.D. is a fictional character on the American comedy-drama Scrubs, played by Zach Braff. He is the narrator and main character of the series. He provides voice-over to the series which fills the roles of his internal thoughts and an overall narration in the show, often...
(which included a dozen others also wearing the same outfit). Berry also appeared in a Snoop Doggy Dogg video, “It's A Doggy Dogg World”, which was a tribute to the Black culture of the 1970s. (He performed his legendary dance moves in a Soul Train
Soul Train
Soul Train is an American musical variety show that aired in syndication from October 1971 to March 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists have also appeared.As a nod to Soul Trains...
line.) He also appeared in fellow Locker Toni Basil
Toni Basil
Antonia Christina Basilotta , better known by her stage name Toni Basil, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, filmmaker, film director, choreographer, and dancer, best known for her multi-million-selling worldwide #1 hit "Mickey" from 1982.-Early life:Basil was born Antonia Christina...
music video "Shopping From A to Z".
He returned to the screen in 1998 in the action movie In The Hood and made a cameo in Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star
Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star
Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star is a 2003 American comedy film directed by Sam Weisman and starring David Spade and Mary McCormack.- Plot :...
(2003), playing himself in a song at the end. His final role was another memorable cameo in In the Land of Merry Misfits (produced by Maria Menounos
Maria Menounos
Maria Menounos is a Greek-American actress, journalist, and television presenter known in America for her appearances as a correspondent for Today, Access Hollywood, Extra, and abroad for co-hosting the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in Athens, Greece.-Early life and beauty pageants:Menounos, a...
and narrated by John Waters
John Waters (filmmaker)
John Samuel Waters, Jr. is an American filmmaker, actor, stand-up comedian, writer, journalist, visual artist, and art collector, who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films...
), which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
.
Berry died on October 21, 2003, at his Los Angeles home where he was recovering from a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
. Berry leave behind widow Essie A.Berry his E children.
Filmography
- HammerHammer (film)Hammer is a 1972 blaxploitation film directed by Bruce Clark. The film was released following the successes of Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song and Shaft, notable 1971 films that popularized black cinema....
(1972) - What's Happening!!What's Happening!!What's Happening!! is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from August 5, 1976 to April 28, 1979. The show premiered as a summer series. With good ratings and reviews, and after the failure of several other shows on the network, What's Happening!! returned in November 1976 as a weekly...
— Fred 'Rerun' Stubbs (1976–1979) - Battle of the Network Stars III (1977)
- Vice SquadVice Squad (film)Vice Squad is a 1982 action/drama film, starring Wings Hauser, Season Hubley, and Gary Swanson, directed by Gary Sherman. The original music score was composed by Joe Renzetti and Keith Rubenstein...
(1982) - A Stroke of Genius (1984)
- AliceAlice (TV series)Alice is an American sitcom television series that ran from August 31, 1976 to July 2, 1985 on CBS. The series was based on the 1974 film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. The show stars Linda Lavin in the title role, a widow who moves with her young son to start her life over again, and finds a job...
(TV Series) 1 episode played "Bobo" a break dancer in the "B.A.D.S" (1984) - What's Happening Now!!What's Happening Now!!What's Happening Now!! is an American television sitcom spinoff of What's Happening!!. It ran in syndication from 1985 to 1988. Like the previous series, What's Happening Now!! is loosely based on the motion picture Cooley High...
(1985–1986) - "I Wonder Who She's Seeing Now", The TemptationsThe TemptationsThe Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
(music videoMusic videoA music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
) (1988) - The Howard Stern Show (1992)
- In Living ColorIn Living ColorIn Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series, which originally ran on the Fox Network from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote, and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in association with 20th Century...
(1993, "East Hollywood Squares" as Himself) - Martin (TV series)Martin (TV series)Martin is an American sitcom produced by HBO Independent Productions that aired for five seasons, from August 27, 1992 to May 1, 1997 on Fox...
(1993)--1 episode played himself - Murder Was the Case: The Movie (1995)
- In The Hood (1998)
- Big Money HustlasBig Money HustlasThe film's music was written by Psychopathic Records producer Mike E. Clark. A soundtrack album was released in 2001, and featured new music from the film, in addition to previously released tracks by Insane Clown Posse and Twiztid, and the theme to the 1976 film The Human Tornado, performed by...
(2000) - The Freshest Kids: A History of the B-Boy (2001) --as himself
- Bum Runner (2002)
- I Love the '70sI Love the '70s (U.S. TV series)I Love the '70s is a decade nostalgia television mini-series produced by VH-1. The series is based on a BBC series of the same name. It examines the pop culture of the 1970s, using footage from the era, along with "Where Are They Now?" interviews with celebrities from the decade. Additionally, the...
(2003) - Dickie Roberts: Former Child StarDickie Roberts: Former Child StarDickie Roberts: Former Child Star is a 2003 American comedy film directed by Sam Weisman and starring David Spade and Mary McCormack.- Plot :...
(2003) - In the Land of Merry Misfits (2005)