What happened in the case of Brendan Fraser and former HFPA reporter Philip Berk?
Former HFPA reporter Philip Berk gained unfavorable notoriety after Hollywood star Brendan Fraser accused him of harassment.
He claimed she was illegally manipulated in 2003 by a former executive of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the group in charge of organizing the Golden Globes.
Brendan said his accusations of unlawful behavior were refuted by the HFPA. Fraser claimed earlier this year in a GQ article that Philip, the former HFPA president, groped him in 2003.
Fraser added that the company had quietly launched an internal investigation while defending Berk’s actions as “just a joke,” but he was not happy.
Philip Berk and Brendan Fraser
Philippe Berk: who is he? Wikipedia Bio
HFPA journalist Philip Berk was raised in a middle-class South African family and was born on February 13, 1933 in Cape Town, South Africa. He is almost 86 years old.
The UCLA School of Theatre, Film and Television is where he graduated. He was also past president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). For 44 years, Berk was a member of the organization, serving eight terms as president.
Along the same lines, Berk has a net worth of around $8.5 million.
Fraser claimed that his alleged encounter with Berk was one of the reasons he walked away from the spotlight. “The HFPA stands firm against harassment and the type of behavior depicted in this article,” the HFPA said in a statement to Us Weekly at the time.
A good working relationship has been maintained with Brendan over the years, including announcing Golden Globe nominees, attending the ceremony, and participating in press conferences.
After the Brendan Fraser case, former HFPA reporter Philip Berk was fired
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which is in charge of the Golden Globe Awards, has banned Philip Berk. For sending biased emails, the journalist was accused of harassing Brendan Fraser, a well-known Hollywood actor.
Philip also criticized Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of BLM, for buying a house in Topanga Canyon, California. He had been a member of the HFPA for over 40 years as of 2022 when he was fired for making racist remarks about people’s skin tones.
The Hollywood Reporter obtained a statement from the HFPA Board of Directors stating that “Phil Berk is no longer a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association at this time.”
According to a copy of the email correspondence obtained by the Los Angeles Times, Berk received harsh criticism from colleagues for his Sunday email. The HFPA COO told Berk his behavior was “not appropriate” after a member called his email “vile” and “a thunderous disgrace.”
Berk replied that his goal was just to expose the hypocrisy that surrounded us. He had no secret agenda; he only submitted it for clarification. He now regrets his choice. ”
Family and wife of Philip Berk
Alexander Berk, Melanie Berk, Ann Berk and Benjamin Berk are the four children of Philip Berk and Ruth Greenberg. They have been married for over a year.
Berk also doesn’t appear to be very active on social media sites, so his personal information is sparse. Although he is a journalist, there is not much information about the journalist’s personal life. They married on June 20, 1954 and have been happily married for almost three decades.
Philip did not provide any additional information about his sons or grandchildren, although they all appear to be adults with their own lives and going their own way.
Philip Berk and Brendan Fraser
Brendan Fraser Privacy
After moving to Los Angeles, Fraser first met Afton Smith on July 4, 1993, at a barbecue hosted at Winona Ryder’s house. Griffin Arthur Fraser, Holden Fletcher Fraser and Leland Francis Fraser are their three boys; they married on September 27, 1998. (born 2006). The couple decided to end their marriage and separate after selling their Beverly Hills, California home for $3 million in April 2007.
Fraser’s publicist announced this in December 2007. The court ordered Fraser to pay Afton $50,000 in child support each month for a period of 10 years or until she remarries, whichever comes first. eventuality, in addition to the $25,000 a month he was obligated to pay for the child. Support. The deadline for these grants was January 2019. Fraser originally asked the court in 2013 to reduce the amount of alimony and child support he was obligated to pay. Fraser said he couldn’t make the $900,000 annual payment and Smith accused him of hiding assets containing cash. Fraser has resided in Bedford, New York since early February 2018.
Fraser speaks French and sits on the board of FilmAid International. He is an experienced amateur photographer who has used many instant cameras in films and TV shows, including his appearances on the show Scrubs. He used a Polaroid pack video for his first attempt and a Holga that had been modified to incorporate another Polaroid, a Japanese-only model, for his second attempt. In the book “Collector’s Information to Instantaneous Cameras”, which he co-authored, Fraser is recognized. Additionally, he is a notable amateur archer who has lent his abilities to the historic channel series Texas Rising.
Fraser had to undergo numerous surgeries over a span of seven years due to the physical demands of the stunts and moves he performed for his comedy and action roles. These included a laminectomy, partial knee replacement and surgery on his vocal cords. Also, while removing a fallen tree in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy (2012), he suffered a serious back injury that required surgery as well as rehabilitation.
In the summer of 2003, Fraser recounts that Philip Berk, who at the time was head of the Hollywood Overseas Press Association, sexually assaulted him over lunch. These charges were laid in 2018. Due to the assault, his subsequent divorce, and the death of his mother, Fraser experienced a great deal of sadness. This, combined with his ongoing health problems, caused him to quickly lose interest in his professional pursuits.
Many others, including readers of publications and social media users, felt that Fraser had been “blacklisted” by Hollywood after speaking out about the sexual assault. Fraser, however, declined to use the phrase and added that he was unsure whether the event was within his professional jurisdiction or not. I don’t think the HFPA retains that much control, Fraser noted in a 2019 interview with the radio show Sway in the Morning. The person in question was the former president of this group of journalists; he or she was not a public servant.
About Philippe Berk
In February 2018, the Hollywood Overseas Press Association announced it was investigating sexual assault allegations made by actor Brendan Fraser against former HFPA President Philip Berk. The Mummy actor said in an interview with GQ that Berk abused him in the summer of 2003. Fraser said his alleged meeting with Berk was one of the reasons he left the limelight. “The HFPA strongly opposes sexual harassment and the type of behavior depicted in this piece,” the HFPA’s press release to Us Weekly read at the time.
Over the years, we’ve maintained a great working relationship with Brendan, including discussing Golden Globe nominees, attending the ceremony, and partnering at press conferences. Fraser’s claims were disputed by Berk, who said: “This report apparently includes material that the HFPA was not previously aware of, and at this time we are reviewing further details regarding the incident. ” “Mr. Fraser’s story is a complete fabrication, according to Berk, who spoke to GQ. I apologized as usual but made no admission of guilt: ‘If I did something that upset Mr. Fraser, it was unintentional and I apologize for that.
