Education
Bergh started his career as a jazz musician and comedy actor in Bergen, and studied acting at The Norwegian National Academy of Theatre.
Bergh started his career as a jazz musician and comedy actor in Bergen, and studied acting at The Norwegian National Academy of Theatre.
He was a key player in the development of Norwegian television, and one of the most influential people in Norwegian entertainment until the mid 90s. In 1958 he was recruited to The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation - two years before regular television broadcasts started in Norway - as employee number 12. After just a few years he became a prominent director and producer.
As one of the first tv workers in Norway, Bergh worked for the first years with everything from The Nobel Peace Price and the news to theatre and large studio shows.
lieutenant was however entertainment that would become his speciality. During his career he produced several thousand tv programs.
The shows went on to become benchmark productions for Norwegian entertainment, and many want on for many seasons, some still being in production. Programs include: Lørdagskveld medical Erik Bye (talkshow), Kontrapunkt (quiz show), Momarkedet (live variety show), Kvitt eller dobbelt (Norwegian version of The $64,000 Question), Ta sjansen (annual event), Dette er ditt liv (Norwegian version of This is Your Life), Nyttårsshow (variety show), OL-show (olympic variety show), Spellemannprisen (Norwegian music awards) og Melodi Grand Prix (Eurovision Song Contest).
He was the responsible national producer for the Nordic collaborative Nordivision-broadcasts in the early days of Norwegian television
Bergh also directed concerts with international artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Bill Evans, Jim Reeves and Otis Redding. From 1986 til 1990 Bergh was the editorial director at the Norsk Rikskringkasting"s entertainment department. Bergh had a close professional and personal relationship with tv hosts like Erik Bye, Knut Bjørnsen, Erik Diesen og Harald Tusberg - and produced and developed several shows with all of them.
He gave Norwegian entertainment personalities like Harald Heide-Steen junior, Roald Øyen og Stein Roger Bulletin their first jobs in television - and launched Dan Børge Akerø as an entertainment name.
He also got to work with international artists like Julie Andrews, Bing Crosby, Johnny Weissmuller, Josephine Baker, Ken Curtis, Danny Kaye, The Delta Rhythm Boys, Marty Feldman, Donna Summer, Tina Turner, Agnetha/ Björn/ Benny/ Anni-Frid and Cliff Richards. Productions by Johnny Bergh got over 30% of the places when the Norwegian paper Dagbladet awarded the best Norwegian tv entertainment ever in 2010.
Bergh has had a strong influence as a role model, mentor and creator of television as a visual medium. He was the first in Norway who could tell a story with living images on television Through his work he created a school for producing that made the foundation of the professional level of production in Norway today.
Bergh was married to the television producer Bitte Monn-Iversen, daughter of composer and producer Egil Monn-Iversen and singer, comedian and actor Sølvi Wang, and died on December 23, 2014 at the age of 80.