Peter Berg

Berg created the ABC series Wonderland (2000), and developed the NBC series Friday Night Lights (2006–11), adapted from the film, earning two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Billy Kronk on the CBS medical drama Chicago Hope (1995–99).

• Name — Peter Berg • Born — 11 March 1964 • Birthplace — New York City, U.S. • Education — The Taft School Macalester College • Occupation — * Director • producer • writer • actor • Years Active — 1988–present • Notable Works — Friday Night Lights, Hancock, Battleship, Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon, Patriots Day • Children — 1

Berg was born on March 11, 1964 in New York City, the son of Laurence "Larry" Berg, a US Marine, and Sally (née Winkler) Berg. Berg's father was Jewish, as was his maternal grandfather. His mother was Christian. Through his mother, Berg is a second cousin of writer H. G. Bissinger, whose book Friday Night Lights provided the basis for Berg's film and TV series of the same name. His mother co-founded a nonprofit directory of youth-focused charities named Catalog for Giving, and worked at a psychiatric hospital when Berg was growing up. He has a younger sister, Mary. Peter was a student in the Chappaqua School System. After graduating from The Taft School in 1980, Berg attended Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where he majored in theater arts and theater history and graduated in 1984. Berg later moved to Los Angeles to pursue his film career.

In his early days in Los Angeles, Berg worked such jobs as a prop assistant and a driver. Berg acted in 21 Jump Street and later in Never on Tuesday, Miracle Mile, Race For Glory, Shocker, Heart of Dixie, Tale of Two Sisters and Going Overboard in 1989. He acted in Genuine Risk in 1990 and in Late for Dinner and Crooked Hearts in 1991. In the early 1990s, he appeared in Fire in the Sky Aspen Extreme, Across the Moon and F.T.W.. In 1992, Berg played a World War II soldier in the film A Midnight Clear. In 1996, Berg performed in The 24th Day, with Noah Wylie, at the Coronet Theater in Los Angeles. In 1998, Berg made his feature directorial debut with Very Bad Things, a black comedy starring Jon Favreau, Christian Slater, Jeremy Piven, Daniel Stern, and Leland Orser. The film, which was shown at the Toronto and San Sebastian Film Festivals, received mixed reviews. In 2000, he created ABC’s Wonderland, dramatic television series set in a psychiatric emergency room. The show failed to deliver ratings and was canceled after the second episode had aired. In 2003, Berg directed the action comedy The Rundown. Starring Dwayne Johnson and Seann William Scott, the film received mixed reviews from critics and disappointed at the box office, only grossing $80 million of its reported $85 million budget. In 2004, Berg directed Friday Night Lights, a football film based on The New York Times bestseller written by Buzz Bissinger. In 2006, Berg was an executive producer of NBC's Peabody and Emmy Award-winning drama Friday Night Lights, which takes inspiration from the book and Berg's film of the same name, but features an original storyline and new characters. Berg appeared alongside Tom Cruise in the Robert Redford directed war film Lions for Lambs (2007) as Lt. Colonel Falco. Berg followed up in 2007 with directing The Kingdom, a Michael Mann-produced action-political thriller set in Saudi Arabia, starring Jamie Foxx and Chris Cooper, also with Jennifer Garner whom Berg met when he appeared on the television series Alias. Berg directed the 2008 film Hancock, starring Will Smith, Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman, that grossed over $600,000,000 million worldwide. Berg directed a Hulu commercial featuring Alec Baldwin, which both The New York Times and Time named best spot of Super Bowl XLIII. In 2009, Berg directed a two-hour pilot movie for the Fox television series Virtuality. Even though the show was not picked up for a full season, the pilot was released on DVD exclusively through Best Buy. Berg also directed the ESPN documentary 30 for 30: Kings Ransom in 2009. Berg also co-wrote the film The Losers (2010). Berg also directed the science-fiction action film Battleship (2012), a live-action adaptation of the board game which became one of the biggest flops of all time, and the war film Lone Survivor (2013), an adaptation of Marcus Lutrell's book of the same name. Variety writer Justin Chang said Berg delivered "his most serious-minded work to date with Lone Survivor." The following year, Berg acted as producer on the 2014 film Hercules, which he was originally slated to direct before being replaced by Brett Ratner. In 2013, Berg created the opening animation sequence for ESPN's Monday Night Football, the 80-second graphic featured Darth Vader, Pac-Man, President Ronald Reagan and football highlights of 44 years. In 2014, he directed the first two episodes of HBO's The Leftovers. In 2015, Berg launched the nonfiction studio Film 45 to complement his fiction studio Film 44. In 2016, Berg directed the film Deepwater Horizon, based on the Deepwater Horizon explosion. Berg replaced director J. C. Chandor, who had exited the film due to creative differences. That same year, he directed CBS Films' Patriots Day, about the Boston Marathon bombing, and the following year directed the action thriller Mile 22. All three films starred Mark Wahlberg. In 2017, Berg directed a Hyundai commercial which was recorded after the kickoff of Super Bowl LI and aired right after the game. His Film 44 company was recently signed to a first look deal with Netflix, which saw the release of his most recent film Spenser Confidential, the director's fifth collaboration with Wahlberg. In 2019, Berg directed a commercial for the National Football League, "...football fans witnessed another milestone moment with the premiere of the NFL's Super Bowl commercial entitled The 100-Year Game. The two minute ad, which kicked off the celebration of the NFL's 100th season garnered the No. 1 spot in USA Todays Ad Meter with the publication describing it as "a tour de force starring an assemblage of many of the greats of NFL history." In 2024, Berg announced he was working on a film based on the book The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II. The Mosquito Bowl is set to release on Netflix in 2026. In October 2025, Paramount Pictures announced that Berg had been attached to direct a live-action adaptation of Call of Duty (2028).

In 1993, Berg was married to Elizabeth Rogers; they have one child and divorced in 1998. In July 2015, Berg criticized ESPN's decision to honor Caitlyn Jenner with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award by sharing his opinion on Instagram, where he posted a Facebook photo of Army veteran and double amputee Gregory D. Gadson alongside one of Jenner. The meme's caption said: "One man traded 2 legs for the freedom of the other to trade 2 balls for 2 boobs. Guess which man made the cover of Vanity Fair, was praised for his courage by President Obama, and is to be honored with the 'Arthur Ashe Courage Award' by ESPN?" After being criticized for the meme, Berg later said: "I have the utmost respect for Caitlyn Jenner and I am a strong supporter of equality and the rights of trans people everywhere. I also believe that we don’t give enough attention to our courageous returning war veterans, many of whom have sacrificed their bodies and mental health for our country and our principals--principals that include the freedom to live the life you want to live without persecution or abuse."

• Year — Title — Director — Executive producer — Writer — Notes • 1994–1997 — Chicago Hope — Episodes "Colonel of Truth" and "Quiet Riot" (as Peter W. Berg) • 2000 — Wonderland — Creator, Episode "Pilot" • 2006–2011 — Friday Night Lights — Creator, Episodes "Pilot" and "East of Dillon" • 2009 — 30 for 30 — Episode "Kings Ransom", Also producer • Virtuality — TV movie • 2009–2010 — Trauma • 2011–2012 — Prime Suspect — Episode "Pilot" • 2014–2017 — The Leftovers — Episodes "Pilot" and "Penguin One, Us Zero" • 2015–2019 — Ballers — Episode "Pilot" • 2018 — The People's Fighters: Teofilo Stevenson and the Legend of Cuban Boxing — Documentary film, also narrator • 2019–2020 — Dare Me • 2021 — McCartney 3,2,1 — Documentary series • 2022 — Victoria's Secret: Angels and Demons — 3 episodes, Documentary series • 2023 — Painkiller • 2024 — God Save Texas — Documentary series • 2025 — American Primeval • TBA — The Green Beret's Guide to Surviving the Apocalypse Acting roles • Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1988 — 21 Jump Street — Jerome Sawyer — Episode "Champagne High" • 1995 — Fallen Angels — Augie / Joe Wales — 2 episodes • 1995–1999 — Chicago Hope — Dr. Billy Kronk — 106 episodes • 1996 — The Naked Truth — 1 episode • 2002 — The King of Queens — Lil' Eddie — Episode "Kirbed Enthusiasm" • Alias — Agent Noah Hicks — Episodes "Snowman" and "Masquerade" • 2008 — Friday Night Lights — Morris "Mo" McArnold — Episode "May The Best Man Win" • 2008–2010 — Entourage — Himself — Season 5 and Season 7 • 2011 — Prime Suspect — Deputy Chief Daniel Costello — 2 episodes • 2012 — Californication — Himself — Episode "The Way of the Fist" • 2014 — The Leftovers — Pete — 2 episodes • 2015–2017 — Ballers — Coach Berg — 7 episodes • 2017 — Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television — Himself — Episode: "Eight Is the New Se7en" • 2025 — American Primeval — Fancher — 1 episode • 2025 — The Studio — Pete — Episode "The Promotion"

• Year — Title — Artist • 2003 — "Addicted" — Enrique Iglesias • 2008 — "Keeps Gettin' Better" — Christina Aguilera • 2012 — "One More Night" — Maroon 5 • 2014 — "Maps"

• Year — Title — Artist(s) — Role — Ref. Reference • 1993 — "Leaving Las Vegas" — Sheryl Crow — Driver • 2026 — "Do Me Right" — Mr. Fantasy — Himself