Edmonton Journal (06/Jul/1990) - Film pioneer trained The Birds' avian actors
Details
- article: Film pioneer trained The Birds' avian actors
- newspaper: Edmonton Journal (06/Jul/1990)
- keywords: Alfred Hitchcock, Ray Berwick, The Birds (1963), Universal Studios
Article
Film pioneer trained The Birds' avian actors
Ray Berwick, the Hollywood animal trainer who put 25,000 animals through their paces for films like The Birds and Birdman of Alcatraz, has died. He was 75.
Berwick died of a heart attack Monday night in suburban Westlake Village.
First an animal trainer for circuses and vaudeville, Berwick broke into movies in 1962 training birds for Birdman of Alcatraz, starring Burt Lancaster as a convict who became a world authority on birds.
In 1963, he trained 300 birds for Alfred Hitchcock's thriller The Birds about a California coastal town repeatedly attacked by birds.
Berwick was a pioneer in using positive reinforcement — food and petting — to get animals to perform. He produced Universal Studios' first live animal show and created shows for the San Diego Wild Animal Park.
One of his television stars was Fred, Robert Blake's pet cockatoo, in the Baretta series.
"In my work I've trained more than 25,000 animals and I've only lost one in an accident," Berwick once told the Los Angeles Times.
"He had an incredible love for animals, a great deal of sensitivity and patience," said Steve Berens, Berwick's nephew who studied animal training under Berwick.
Berwick is survived by his wife, Suzanne, a son and a daughter.
