David Birney

David Edwin Birney (April 23, 1939 – April 29, 2022) was an American actor and director. His career lasted from 1965 until his retirement in 2007. He was known for his role as Dr. Ben Samuels in "St. Elsewhere" from 1982 until 1983. He also played Bernie Steinberg in "Bridget Loves Bernie".
Birney appeared in the movies "Caravan to Vaccares" (1974), "Trial by Combat" (1976), "Au revoir à lundi" (1979), "Oh, God! Book II" (1980), "Prettykill" (1987), and "Nightfall" (1988)
He played Anakin Skywalker in the radio version of "Return of the Jedi".
Birney was born in Washington, D.C.. He was raised in Brooklyn, Ohio and Cleveland, Ohio. He studied at Dartmouth College and the University of California, Los Angeles. He was married to actress Meredith Baxter from 1974 until their divorce in 1989. They had three children.
In December 2017, it was announced that Birney was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. He died from the disease on April 29, 2022 in Santa Monica, California, one week after his 83rd birthday.