Xander Berkeley
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| Xander Berkeley | |
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| Born | December 16, 1958 Brooklyn, New York |
| Notable roles | George Mason on 24 |
Xander R. Berkeley (born December 16, 1958) is an American actor.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Career
Berkeley began playing minor roles in 1981, with early appearances in M*A*S*H, Cagney & Lacey, Remington Steele, Miami Vice, Moonlighting and The A-Team. Although not becoming a household name, Berkeley's face was increasingly recognizable into the 1990s. His later television guest roles included The X-Files, CSI, ER and Law & Order.
On the big screen, Berkeley appeared in North Country, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, A Few Good Men, Candyman, Apollo 13, Leaving Las Vegas, Gattaca, The Rock (uncredited), Air Force One, Sid and Nancy, Spawn, Amistad, Shanghai Noon, and Timecode. Several of his earlier roles were in films by director Alex Cox. Most of his roles have been unsympathetic characters.
In 2001, Berkeley became a recurring guest star on 24 as George Mason, the head of the Counter Terrorist Unit. His character, initially presumed evil by other characters and the fans, was revealed to be one of the good guys and became a main character in season 2, only to meet an untimely (but heroic) end. However, the show did give Berkeley the chance to meet his future wife, Sarah Clarke, who played turncoat agent and villainess Nina Myers for the first three seasons of the show. On September 23, 2006, she gave birth to their first daughter, Olwyn Harper Berkeley.
Berkeley has also provided voices for animated series such as Aaahh!!! Real Monsters and Gargoyles.
[edit] Personal life
Berkeley was born in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated from Hampshire College.
Berkeley is a painter and a sculptor, as well as a skilled make-up artist and designed his own make up on 24 when his character was suffering from the deteriorating effects of radiation sickness. Both he and his wife Sarah Clarke have played turncoat federal agents: he played a traitorous Secret Service agent in Air Force One, and she played the CTU mole Nina Myers in 24.
