Editing Fred Berry

{{Short description|American actor and dancer (1951–2003)}}
{{distinguish|Fred Perry}}
{{other people}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Fred Berry
| image              = Fred Berry (cropped).JPG
| caption            = Berry in 1977
| birth_name         = Fred Allen Berry
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1951|3|19}}
| birth_place        = [[St. Louis]], [[Missouri]], U.S.
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|2003|10|21|1951|3|19}}
| death_place        = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], U.S.
| resting_place      = [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, California]], U.S.
| occupation         = Actor, [[Street dancing|street dancer]]
| spouse             = Franchesska Berry (1976)<br />(1978&ndash;1980)<br />Carol Ann Ross (1984&ndash;1991)<br />Darlene Bitten (1994&ndash;1999)<br />Essie Berry (1999&ndash;2003)
| children           = 3
| years_active       = 1972–2003
}}
[[File:What's Happening partial cast 1977.JPG|thumb|270px|{{center|From TV's ''[[What's Happening!!]]'' (1977). Seated, L-R: Fred Berry, [[Ernest Lee Thomas]], and [[Haywood Nelson]] (back to camera). Standing: [[Shirley Hemphill]].}}]]
'''Fred Rerun Berry''' (born '''Fred Allen Berry'''; March 19, 1951 – October 21, 2003) was an American actor and street dancer. He was best known for his role as Freddie "Rerun" Stubbs on the 1970s television show ''[[What's Happening!!]]'' and its sequel series ''[[What's Happening Now!!]]''<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/24/arts/fred-berry-52-actor-on-1970-s-sitcom.html| title=Fred Berry, 52, Actor On 1970's Sitcom| date=October 24, 2003| agency=[[Associated Press]]| newspaper=[[The New York Times]]| url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/04/arts/racism-writings-books-movies.html| title=Art That Confronts and Challenges Racism: Start Here| date=June 24, 2000| first1=Melena| last1=Ryzik| author2=Wesley Morris| author3=Mekado Murphy| author4=Reggie Ugwu| author5=Pierre-Antoine Louis| author6= Salamishah Tillet| author7=Siddhartha Mitter| newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref>

==Career==
Berry was born on March 19, 1951, in [[St. Louis, Missouri]], and grew up in the inner-city projects. He had aspirations of becoming a successful dancer and actor as a child. Early in his career, Berry was a member of the Los Angeles–based dance troupe [[The Lockers]], with whom he appeared on the third episode of ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' in 1975. He additionally appeared on the dance music show ''[[Soul Train]]'', and was featured in the program's signature line dance segment doing the memorable early 1970s dance step "the slo-mo".<ref>{{YouTube|r7MiG2fe8lE}}</ref>

Berry achieved more widespread fame playing the character Freddie "Rerun" Stubbs on the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] sitcom ''What's Happening!!'', which aired from 1976 to 1979 as he was in his mid 20s. The role was originally set for a skinny and white actor. The character was called Rerun as a [[sobriquet]] because he continuously repeated all of his classes during summer school. Rerun became one of the show's top characters, wearing a trademark red beret and suspenders while sporting the dance moves that Berry previously used during his time with The Lockers. In 1985, Berry returned to reprise his role in the series ''[[What's Happening Now!!]]''. He was fired before the first season ended due to a salary dispute, in which Berry requested more money than the rest of the cast.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.tvparty.com/recwhats3.html|title=What's Happening!!: Up From the Ashes| website=TVparty!| access-date=9 June 2010}}</ref>

Berry struggled with drug and alcohol issues throughout his life. In 1996, he told People magazine, “I was a millionaire by the time I was 29, but then the stress of success got to me. The fat jokes got to me. And I got heavily into drugs and alcohol.” In a 1996 interview, he said that he had been experimenting with drugs and alcohol since he was a teenager, and becoming more successful meant he could afford more drugs. Berry attempted suicide three times, but later recovered and spent his time visiting many churches.<ref>{{cite news| date=2003-10-24| title=Fred Berry, 52; Actor Became a Minister After Playing 'Rerun' on 1970s' 'What's Happening!'| url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-oct-24-me-berry24-story.html| access-date=2021-04-03| newspaper=Los Angeles Times| language=en-US}}</ref>

During the 1990s, Berry became a motivational speaker and [[Baptist]] minister,<ref name="watn.berry">{{cite news| url=http://edition.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/TV/07/30/watn.berry/index.html| title=Catch up with 'What's Happening!' star Fred Berry| last=Kappes| first=Serena| date=2002-07-30| work=CNN Entertainment| access-date=1 September 2016}}</ref> and lost 100&nbsp;lbs after being diagnosed with type 2 [[diabetes]].<ref name="peopleobit">{{cite magazine| url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,625398,00.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007203255/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,625398,00.html| url-status=dead| archive-date=October 7, 2008| title='70s Star Fred 'Rerun' Berry Dead at 52| last=Silverman| first=Stephen M.| date=2003-10-23| magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]]| access-date=9 August 2012}}</ref>

In 2001, he appeared as himself on the second Classic TV Stars edition of The Weakest Link where he was the first contestant voted off.

==Personal life and death==
Berry was married six times to four different women, the first two of whom he married twice each.<ref name="watn.berry" /><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/APPRECIATION-Fred-Berry-s-Rerun-a-role-to-be-2551884.php| title=Fred Berry's 'Rerun' a role to be cherished| first=Peter| last=Hartlaub| date=2003-10-27| newspaper=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]| access-date=13 September 2021}}</ref> He had three children: DeShannon, Portia and Freddy, who works as Fred Berry Jr.<ref>{{cite journal| url=https://news.amomama.com/153773-remember-rerun-whats-happening-he-has-ad.html| title=Remember Rerun from 'What's Happening!!'? He Has an Adult Daughter Who Looks Just like Him| first=Oyin| last=Balogun| journal=Amo Mama| date=2 June 2019}}</ref>

Berry was born with the name Allen as his middle name, later legally changing his middle name to Rerun due to the widespread public association to his role as the character on ''What’s Happening!!''<ref>{{Cite news |last=Adenekan |first=Shola |date=2003-11-07 |title=Fred Berry |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2003/nov/07/guardianobituaries.film |access-date=2023-10-31 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=McLellan |first=Dennis |date=2003-10-24 |title=Fred Berry, 52; Actor Became a Minister After Playing 'Rerun' on 1970s' 'What's Happening!' |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-oct-24-me-berry24-story.html |access-date=2023-10-31 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

On October 21, 2003, Berry was found dead at his Los Angeles home, where he was recovering from a [[stroke]]. The cause of death was listed as natural causes.<ref name="peopleobit"/> He is interred at [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills|Forest Lawn Memorial Park]] in the [[Hollywood Hills]] of Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite book| last=Wilson| first=Scott| title=Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons| edition=3d| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FOHgDAAAQBAJ&q=fred+berry| date=9 August 2016| page=61| publisher=McFarland| isbn=978-1-4766-2599-7}}</ref>

==Filmography==
*[[Hammer (1972 film)|''Hammer'']] (1972) – Dancer (uncredited)
*''[[What's Happening!!]]'' (1976–1979) – Freddie "Rerun" Stubbs 
*''[[The Brady Bunch Variety Hour]]'' (1977) – Rerun (one episode)
*''[[Vice Squad (1982 film)|Vice Squad]]'' (1982) – Sugar Pimp Dorsey
*''A Stroke of Genius'' (1984)
*''[[Alice (American TV series)|Alice]]'' (1984) – Bobo (one episode)
*''[[What's Happening Now!!]]'' (1985–1986) – Freddie "Rerun" Stubbs 
*''[[Martin (TV series)|Martin]]'' (1993) – Himself (one episode)
*''In the Hood'' (1998) – Uncle Paul
*''[[Big Money Hustlas]]'' (2000) – Bootleg Greg
*''Bum Runner'' (2002) – Can Man (short film)
*''[[Scrubs (TV series)|Scrubs]]'' (2003) – Himself (one episode)
*''[[Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star]]'' (2003) – Himself
*''In the Land of Merry Misfits'' (2007) – Himself (posthumous release)

===Other selected appearances===
*''[[Battle of the Network Stars III]]'' (1977) – Himself 
*"[[Together Again (The Temptations album)|I Wonder Who She's Seeing Now]]" by [[The Temptations]] (1988) – Club Patron (music video)
*''[[The Howard Stern Show]]'' (1992) – Himself (one episode)
*''[[Phil Donahue Show]]'' (1992) – Himself | Episode: "Famous Past Celebrities"
*''[[In Living Color]]'' (1993) – Himself (one episode){{citation needed|date=August 2020}} 
*''[[Murder Was the Case|Murder Was the Case: The Movie]]'' (1995) – Rerun (music video short)
*''The Freshest Kids: A History of the B-Boy'' (2001) – Himself{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}
*''[[The Weakest Link (American game show)|The Weakest Link]]'' (2001) - Himself (Classic TV Stars Special Edition #2)
*''[[I Love the '70s (American TV series)|I Love the '70s]]'' (2003) – Himself (one episode)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Biography}}
* {{IMDb name|0077544}}
* {{Find a Grave|8010480}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110723190129/http://lockerlegends.net/memorial-tribute/ Lockerlegends.net Fred Berry]

{{authority control}}

{{Commons category|Fred Berry}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berry, Fred}}
[[Category:1951 births]]
[[Category:2003 deaths]]
[[Category:African-American Baptist ministers]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:Male actors from St. Louis]]
[[Category:Male actors from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American people]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American people]]
[[Category:20th-century Baptist ministers from the United States]]