Phil Berg (talent agent)

Philip Jay Berg[1] (February 15, 1902 – February 1, 1983) was a talent agent who co-founded the Berg-Allenberg talent agency.

Phil Berg
Born
Phillip Jay Berg

February 15, 1902
New York City, U.S.
DiedFebruary 1, 1983 (age 80)
EducationB.A. University of Pennsylvania
Known forco-founder of the Berg-Allenberg talent agency.
Spouse(s)
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1927; died 1977)​
  • Joan Hartley

Biography

Berg was born in New York City on February 15, 1902.[2] He was of Jewish descent.[3] He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania.[2] In 1924, he moved to Los Angeles where he worked as a talent agent, becoming a millionaire by the age of 26.[4] In 1927, he partnered with Bert Allenberg to form the Berg-Allenberg talent agency.[2] Berg created the concept of the "package deal" where he would find a script, a writer, actors, and a director; and then sold the entire package to a producer.[5] He represented such stars as Clark Gable, Judy Garland, Joan Crawford,[5] Lucille Ball, Wallace Beery, Walter Brennan, Olivia DeHavilland, Melvyn Douglas, Walter Huston, Buster Keaton, Alan Ladd, Charles Laughton, and Edward G. Robinson; directors Frank Capra, Victor Fleming, Vincent Minnelli, Jean Renoir, and William Wellman; and writers Michael Arlen, James Hilton, Dalton Trumbo, and Rogers and Hart.[2] He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.[4] He retired in 1947[5] to pursue his passion in archaeology.[4] In December 1949, the Berg-Allenberg Agency was acquired by the William Morris Agency.

Personal life

In 1927, he married vaudevillian performer and film actress Leila Hyams who predeceased him.[2] He remarried to Joan Hartley.[5] He left his collection of artifacts and art (valued at $1.5 million in 1969) to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.[2]

References
  1. "Deceased Members of The Explorers Club, 1904 to 23 May 2007" (PDF). explorers.org. The Explorers Club. p. 5. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  2. "Phil Berg, a pioneer talent agent who represented such Hollywood stars as Clark Gable, Judy Garland and Joan Crawford, died Tuesday of heart failure. He was 80". United Press International. February 3, 1983.
  3. Gabler, Neil (September 8, 1989). An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood. Anchor Books. p. 276. ISBN 978-0385265577.
  4. "He's One Man Who Quit Hollywood". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. May 12, 1953.
  5. "Phil Berg, 80, Talent Agent, Pioneered Movie Packages". The New York Times. February 4, 1983.
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