Alec Berg

Last updated

Alec Berg
Alec Berg at SXSW 2016.jpg
Berg at SXSW 2016
Born1969or1970(age 54–55)
Alma mater Harvard University
Occupations
  • Screenwriter
  • producer
  • director
Years active1991–present
Known for

Alec Berg (born 1969or1970 [1] ) is an American television writer, producer, and director.

Contents

Early life and education

Berg is of Swedish descent, [2] and grew up idolizing the comedy of Bill Cosby and Steve Martin. [3] He attended high school in Pasadena, California, [4] before graduating from Harvard University, [1] where he wrote for The Harvard Lampoon . [3]

Career

Berg wrote for the final four seasons of the sitcom Seinfeld , as well as being the co-creator (with Bill Hader) and executive producer of Barry . [5] He also co-wrote the screenplays for the films The Cat in the Hat , EuroTrip , and The Dictator . Berg is also an executive producer (and sometime director) of Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm as well as an executive producer of Silicon Valley . [4] [6] In 2016, Berg signed an overall deal with HBO. [7]

Berg's name was used for a character in the Seinfeld episode "The Face Painter," where it is pronounced "Alec Buuurg" in a low dramatic voice. This practice was begun by Larry David when addressing the real life Berg, and it spread throughout the office. Berg said he was surprised to see his name in the script, and is occasionally addressed as such after "The Face Painter" is shown on television. [8] Berg was also the inspiration for a character in the Curb Your Enthusiasm episode "The Divorce," featuring a lawyer of the same name whom Larry assumes to be Jewish but is a Catholic of Swedish descent. [2]

Filmography

Writing

YearTitleNotes
1991MTV, Give Me Back My Life: A Harvard Lampoon ParodyTV movie
1992 Great Scott! Episode "Date Bait"
1994 Herman's Head Episode "Absence Makes the Head Grow Fonder"
1995–2000 The Moxy & Flea Show
1996 68th Academy Awards Wrote special material
1994–1998 Seinfeld 13 episodes
2002The Barenaked Ladies ShowTV movie
2003 The Cat in the Hat Screenplay
2004 EuroTrip
2004 Shark Tale Additional dialogue
1994, 1998–2009 Late Night with Conan O'Brien 13 episodes
2011 Curb Your Enthusiasm 10 episodes
2012 The Dictator
2013 Clear History
2014–2019 Silicon Valley 7 episodes
2018–2023 Barry 32 episodes

Directing

YearTitleNotes
2004 Eurotrip Co-director (uncredited)
2007–2011 Curb Your Enthusiasm 6 episodes
2013 New Girl 2 episodes
2014–2019 Silicon Valley 11 episodes
2018–2023 Barry 7 episodes

Producing

YearTitleNotes
1993–1994 Herman's Head 22 episodes; served as story editor
1996–1998 Seinfeld 44 episodes
2004 Eurotrip
2005, 2007–2011 Curb Your Enthusiasm 32 episodes
2012 The Dictator
2013 Clear History
2014–2019 Silicon Valley 53 episodes
2018–2023 Barry 32 episodes

Acting

YearTitleRoleNotes
1999 Best Laid Plans Phone Guy No. 1
2019 Silicon Valley DocumentarianEpisode “Exit Event”

Awards and nominations

YearCategoryProjectResultRef.
Primetime Emmy Awards
1997 Outstanding Comedy Series Seinfeld (season 8) Nominated [9]
1998 Seinfeld (season 9) Nominated [10]
2008 Curb Your Enthusiasm (season 6) Nominated [11]
2010 Curb Your Enthusiasm (season 7) Nominated [12]
2012 Curb Your Enthusiasm (season 8) Nominated [13]
2014 Silicon Valley (season 1) Nominated [14]
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series Silicon Valley (episode: "Optimal Tip-to-Tip Efficiency") Nominated
2015 Outstanding Comedy Series Silicon Valley (season 2) Nominated [15]
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series Silicon Valley (episode: "Two Days of the Condor") Nominated
2016 Outstanding Comedy Series Silicon Valley (season 3) Nominated [16]
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series Silicon Valley (episode: "The Uptick") Nominated
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series Silicon Valley (episode: "Daily Active Users") Nominated
2017 Outstanding Comedy Series Silicon Valley (season 4) Nominated [17]
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series Silicon Valley (episode: "Success Failure") Nominated
2018 Outstanding Comedy Series Silicon Valley (season 5) Nominated [18]
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series Silicon Valley (episode: "Fifty-One Percent") Nominated
Outstanding Comedy Series Barry (Season 1)Nominated
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series Barry (episode: "Chapter One: Make Your Mark") Nominated
2019 Outstanding Comedy Series Barry (Season 2)Nominated [19]
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series Barry (episode: "ronny/lily") Nominated
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series Barry (episode: "The Audition") Nominated
2022 Outstanding Comedy Series Barry (Season 3)Nominated [20]
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series Barry (episode: "starting now") Nominated
2023 Outstanding Comedy Series Barry (Season 4)Nominated [21]

References

  1. 1 2 Gay, Verne (December 29, 1997). "So, NBC, Who's Next?". Newsday . p. B2. ...Alec Berg and Jeff Schaffer, are 27-year-old Harvard grads...
  2. 1 2 Pfefferman, Naomi (May 2, 2012). "'Dictator' Scribes Dish on Sacha Baron Cohen's New Comedy". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles; jewishjournal.com. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  3. 1 2 Renfro, Kim; Carlson, Nicholas (April 24, 2017). "'Silicon Valley' showrunner Alec Berg on how to become a top comedy writer in TV and the challenges of satire". Business Insider . Retrieved August 20, 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Interview with "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Seinfeld" Writer Alec Berg". Austin Film Festival . July 20, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
  5. ↑ Hiatt, Brian (July 20, 2011). "'Curb Your Enthusiasm' and 'Seinfeld' Writers Talk About the Legend of Larry David". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  6. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (June 2, 2016). "Bill Hader Hitman Comedy 'Barry' Picked Up To Series By HBO". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  7. ↑ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (June 22, 2016). "HBO Inks Overall Deal with 'Silicon Valley' Showrunner Alec Berg (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  8. ↑ Maglio, Tony (April 24, 2016). "'Silicon Valley' EP Alec Berg on His Crazy 'Seinfeld' Connection". TheWrap . Retrieved August 20, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Nominees / Winners 1997 Emmy Awards". Television Academy . Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Nominees / Winners 1998 Emmy Awards". Television Academy . Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Nominees / Winners 1998 Emmy Awards". Television Academy . Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Nominees / Winners 2010 Emmy Awards". Television Academy . Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Nominees / Winners 2012 Emmy Awards". Television Academy . Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Nominees / Winners 2014 Emmy Awards". Television Academy . Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Nominees / Winners 2015 Emmy Awards". Television Academy . Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Nominees / Winners 2016 Emmy Awards". Television Academy . Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Nominees / Winners 2017 Emmy Awards". Television Academy . Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Nominees / Winners 2018 Emmy Awards". Television Academy . Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  19. ↑ "Nominees / Winners 2019 Emmy Awards". Television Academy . Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Nominees / Winners 2022 Emmy Awards". Television Academy . Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  21. ↑ "Nominees / Winners 2023 Emmy Awards". Television Academy . Retrieved July 10, 2024.

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