If you were to seek out unique questions to ask, probably one of the most unique would be, “What kind of a host invites you to his house for the weekend and dies on you?” — it’s the one answered by the Weekend at Bernie’s cast.
Hitting theaters in 1989, the Weekend at Bernie’s cast features Andrew McCarthey as Larry Wilson and Jonathan Silverman as Richard Parker, a couple of friends invited on a weekend trip to the beach by their boss Bernie Lomax (Terry Kiser). While there, they learn that Bernie is planning on having them killed, but when he’s the one who ends up dead, Larry and Richard decide to lug Bernie’s corpse around and enjoy the weekend anyway.
To celebrate the film’s 35th anniversary, we’ve done a bit of digging to find out what the Weekend at Bernie’s cast has been up to and whether or not any of them have ended up like Bernie himself!
Wanting to watch Weekend at Bernie’s? The film is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Terry Kiser
CHARACTER PLAYED: Bernie Lomax
BORN: August 1, 1939 in Omaha, Nebraska.
BEST KNOWN FOR: The Doctors (1967-1968), Six Pack (1982), Friday the 13th: The New Blood (1988), A Christmas Tree Miracle and Mutilator (2023).
PERSONAL: Kiser was married to Sylvie Marmet from 1987-2004. They had one child together.
THOUGHTS ON WEEKEND AT BERNIE’S: In the film, Kiser’s does play a dead man, and his costar, Catherine Mary Stewart, opened up about how hard that was on the actor. “Terry Kiser was a real trooper playing Bernie. When they were shooting the scene where the boys discover him at his desk and realize he’s dead, it was really Terry sitting there and he had to hold his breath while they shot the scene. Ted [director Ted Kotcheff] let the camera roll after the scene had ended as a joke to see how long Terry could last. He slowly turned red and eventually gasped for breath. Everyone had a good laugh at his expense.”
FUN FACT: Terry Kiser used a stunt double in Weekend at Bernie’s. They reportedly received a few broken ribs while filming the bit where Bernie (Lomax) is dragged around the surface of the ocean, bumping into metal floating buoys.
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Andrew McCarthy: Weekend at Bernie’s Cast
CHARACTER PLAYED: Larry Wilson
BORN: November 29, 1962 in New York City
BEST KNOWN FOR: St. Elmo’s Fire (1985), Pretty in Pink (1986), Mannequin (1987), Weekend at Bernie’s II (1993), Things I Never Told You (1996), Anything But Love (2002), Kingdom Hospital (2004), Lipstick Jungle (2008-2009) and The Resident (2022-2023).
PERSONAL: McCarthy was married to Carol Schneider from 1999 t0 2005 and they had one child. Then, in 2011, he married Dolores Rice; the two have been together ever since and have one child.
THOUGHTS ON WEEKEND AT BERNIE’S: “There’s the old saying, ‘If it’s funny to you on set, it ain’t going to be funny on screen,’ but we found it really f—ng funny. We loved Bernie, and we just wanted to do more s–t to him. So a lot of the s–t we just thought of on set. I love Bernie’s. I think it’s great.”
FUN FACT: McCarthy was originally asked to play Richard, but after reading the script, he fell in love with Larry and asked to play him instead.
Jonathan Silverman
CHARACTER PLAYED: Richard Parker
BORN: August 5, 1966 in Los Angeles, California.
BEST KNOWN FOR: Death Becomes Her (1992), The Single Guy (1995-1997), Coffee Date (2006), Good Girls (2021) and Moonshine (2021-2023).
PERSONAL: Silverman has been married to Jennifer Finnigan since 2007. They have one child together.
THOUGHTS ON WEEKEND AT BERNIE’S: “I’m thrilled and shocked and confused that this little movie that we made 25 years ago has turned into a cult [hit]. When we made it, I was lucky just to have the job. I had no idea people would find it amusing. It’s about a guy who dies on page 20 and we drag him around the Hamptons for the rest of the weekend. But it made people laugh.”
FUN FACT: McCarthy directed the scene where Ted Kotcheff ruins Richard’s (Silverman) date with Gwen (Catherine Mary Stewart).
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Catherine Mary Stewart: Weekend at Bernie’s Cast
CHARACTER PLAYED: Gwen Saunders
BORN: April 22, 1959 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
BEST KNOWN FOR: The Apple (1980), The Last Starfighter (1984), Night of the Comet (1984), Samurai Cowboy (1994), A Christmas Snow (2009) and Ask Me to Dance (2022).
PERSONAL: Stewart was married to John Findlater from 1983 to 1985. Then she married Richard Allerton in 1992, and has been with him ever since. They have two children together.
THOUGHTS ON WEEKEND AT BERNIE’S: “When I first read the script I felt like it was a bit over the top. Bernie banging into the buoys behind the boat struck me as particularly offensive, but apparently I didn’t have my finger on the pulse of that kind of humor. I like to call it ‘sophomoric’ humor. It’s become a huge part of the industry and I believe Weekend at Bernie’s was a ground breaker. It cracks me up how often this movie is referred to in television sitcoms, etc. I’m very happy to have been a part of it.”
FUN FACT: In the scene where Gwen (Stewart) and Richard (Silverman) are kissing on the beach, a massive wave comes and crashes over them, but after Stewart sits back up her clothes and hair are completely dry.
Don Calfa
CHARACTER PLAYED: Paulie, Vito’s Hit Man
BORN: December 3, 1939 in Brooklyn, New York.
DIED: December 1, 2016. He was 76.
BEST KNOWN FOR: The Return of the Living Dead (1985), Treasure of the Moon Goddess (1987), Stay Tuned (1992) and Sharkskin (2015).
PERSONAL: Calfa was married to Trixie Flynn from 1977 to 1981.
FUN FACT: The phone recording of Bernie’s (Lomax) and Paulie’s (Calfa) conversation is different from the original. Paulie’s “Uh huh!” is missing.
Catherine Parks: Weekend at Bernie’s Cast
CHARACTER PLAYED: Tina, Vito’s Girl
BORN: December 10, 1956 in Tampa, Florida.
BEST KNOWN FOR: Looker (1981), Friday the 13th: Part 3 (1982), Aspen Extreme (1993) and Cool as Hell 2 (2019).
PERSONAL: Parks was 4th runner up in the 1978 Miss America Pageant.
FUN FACT: In the scene where Tina (Parks) walks down the stairs after being with Bernie, she is shown singing, but her lips never move.
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