Christopher Bernau was born in
Santa Barbara, California to Herbert Bernau, a
physiotherapist, and Emma Bernau (née Vercellino), a homemaker. Bernau showed a love for the theatre at an early age, and was frequently cast in high school plays. Bernau trained in the drama department at the
University of California before getting his big break, appearing in the
New York Shakespeare Festival's production of
Antony and Cleopatra in 1962. He continued in that role until 1964, when he toured nationally in the production of ''
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' These roles, in addition to performing at Canada's
Stratford Festival, led to an appearance in a brief story arc on
Dark Shadows in 1969 and 1970, where he portrayed Philip Todd. His most famous role, however, was that of villain
Alan Spaulding on the
soap opera Guiding Light, a role he played from 1977 to 1984 and again from 1986 until 1988. He left the show due to illness shortly before his death in 1989. Though Bernau's famous character Alan was portrayed as a habitual womanizer, Bernau is considered to be one of the only truly "
out" soap opera actors, ==Death==