The Walking Dead

Xander Berkeley

Xander Berkeley made his career debut as Christopher Crawford in the cult classic Mommy Dearest. Following came television guest roles in The Incredible Hulk, M.A.S.H., and then the film, Volunteers, where Berkeley was cast as Tom Hanks’ college roommate. An aspiring sculptor and painter, Berkeley developed skills as a make-up man in the theater as well. It was here the idea of transformation and character influenced Berkeley as an actor, showing in his portrayal of Bowery Snax, the junkie drug dealer in Sid and Nancy. Berkeley then found another love, independent film. He joined director Alex Cox for two films in one year: Straight to Hell, shot on location in Spain; and Walker, with Ed Harris, shot on location in Nicaragua during the war. Berkeley then began collaborative relationships with other directors like Mike Figgis, with whom he did Internal Affairs, Leaving Las Vegas, One Night Stand, and Timecode; Steven Spielberg’s Amistad; William Friedkin’s The Guardian; Clint Eastwood’s The Rookie; Rob Reiner’s A Few Good Men; James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day; Ron Howard’s Apollo 13; Wolfgang Peterson’s Air Force One; Stephen Frears’ The Grifters; Michael Mann’s Heat; and countless more. Berkeley also has a distinct association with nefarious organizations within his television acting credits, such as George Mason, the head of the Counter Terrorist Unit in 24; Percy, who created Division on Nikita; Sheriff McAllister on The Mentalist, before revealing he was Red John; Magistrate Hale on Salem; and The Man in The Booth at the End, earning Berkeley a multitude of awards for what many consider his most emblematic role. Berkeley recently shot roles in the Miramax feature Labyrinth, for director Brad Furman, opposite Johnny Depp; and the Screen Gems feature Proud Mary, opposite Taraji P. Henson. In addition to these studio films, watch for Berkeley in the independent films Shot, by Jeremy Kagan, and The Maestro, by Adam Cushman, which garnered Berkeley two best actor awards on the international film festival circuit. Recently, Berkeley was honored with The Carney Award and received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Garden State Film Festival.