What Happened In The Case Of Brendan Fraser And Former HFPA Reporter Philip Berk?

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 asserted that she had been illegally handled in 2003 by a former executive of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the group in charge of staging the Golden Globes.

Brendan said that his charges of illegal behavior were refuted by the HFPA. Fraser claimed earlier this year in a GQ article that Philip, the previous HFPA president, had groped him in 2003.

Fraser added that the firm quietly launched an internal investigation while defending Berk’s actions by calling them “just a joke,” but he was not happy.

Philip Berk: Who Is He? Wikipedia Bio
HFPA reporter Philip Berk was raised in a middle-class South African family and was born on February 13, 1933, in Cape Town, South Africa. He’s nearly 86 years old.

The UCLA School of Theatre, Film, and Television is where he received his degree. He has also served as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s president in the past (HFPA). For 44 years, Berk has been a member of the organization, serving eight terms as president.

In a similar vein, Berk has a net worth of roughly US$8.5 million.

Fraser asserted that his alleged encounter with Berk was one of the reasons he stepped away from the spotlight. “The HFPA remains firm against harassment and the type of behavior represented in this article,” the HFPA said in a statement to Us Weekly at the time.

A good working connection has been maintained with Brendan throughout the years, including announcing the Golden Globe candidates, attending the ceremony, and participating in press conferences.

After the Brendan Fraser Case, former HFPA reporter Philip Berk was dismissed
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which is in charge of the Golden Globe Awards, has banned Philip Berk. For sending biased emails, the reporter was charged with harassing Brendan Fraser, a well-known Hollywood actor.

Philip also criticized Patrisse Cullors, a co-founder of BLM, for buying a house in Topanga Canyon, California. He had been a member of the HFPA for more than 40 years as of 2022 when he was let go for making racist remarks about people’s skin tones.

The Hollywood Reporter has obtained a statement from the HFPA board stating that “Phil Berk is no longer a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as of right now.”

According to a copy of the email correspondence obtained by the Los Angeles Times, Berk received harsh criticism from his fellow members for his Sunday email. The HFPA’s COO told Berk his behavior was “not suitable” after a member called his email “vile” and “a thundering disgrace.”

Berk replied that his goal was just to expose the hypocrisy that surrounded us. He didn’t have a secret agenda; he only submitted it to provide clarification. He now regrets his choice, though. ”

Family And Wife Of Philip Berk
Alexander Berk, Melanie Berk, Ann Berk, and Benjamin Berk are Philip Berk and Ruth Greenberg’s four children. They’ve been married for more than a year.

Berk also does not seem to be much active on any social media site, therefore his personal information is rare. Despite being a journalist, there is not much information about the journalist’s personal life. They got married on June 20, 1954, and have been happily married for almost three decades.

Philip has not provided any additional information about his sons or grandkids, although they all appear to be adults leading their own lives and following their own paths.

Brendan Fraser Private Life
After relocating to Los Angeles, Fraser first encountered Afton Smith on July 4, 1993, during a barbecue held at Winona Ryder’s house. Griffin Arthur Fraser, Holden Fletcher Fraser, and Leland Francis Fraser are their three boys; they were united in marriage 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 mandated that Fraser pay Afton $50,000 in alimony every month for a period of 10 years or until she remarried, whichever came first, in addition to the $25,000 per month that he was obligated to pay for child support. The deadline for these grants was January 2019. Fraser initially petitioned the court in 2013 to have the amount of alimony and child support payments he was forced to pay reduced. Fraser said he couldn’t make the $900,000 annual payment, and Smith charged him with hiding assets containing money. Fraser has been a resident of Bedford, New York, as of the beginning of February in 2018.

Fraser is able to speak French and serves on the board of directors for FilmAid International. He is a skilled amateur photographer who has used numerous various immediate cameras in movies and television shows, most notably during his guest appearances on the show Scrubs. He used a Polaroid pack video for his first attempt and a Holga that had been altered to incorporate another Polaroid, a Japanese-only mannequin, for his second attempt. In the book “Collector’s Information to Instantaneous Cameras,” which he co-wrote, Fraser is acknowledged. Additionally, he is a notable amateur archer who has lent his abilities to the Historical Channel series Texas Rising.

Fraser had to have numerous surgeries over the period of seven years due to the physical demands of the stunts and movements he performed for his comedy and action roles. These included a laminectomy, a partial knee replacement, and surgery on his vocal cords. Additionally, while removing a fallen tree in the wake of Hurricane Sandy (2012), he had a severe back injury that required surgery as well as rehabilitation.

In the summer of 2003, Fraser says that Philip Berk, who was at the time the head of the Hollywood Overseas Press Association, sexually assaulted him during a luncheon. These accusations were leveled 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 continued health problems, caused him to swiftly lose interest in his professional endeavors.

Many others, including readers of publications and users of social media, felt that Fraser had been “blacklisted” from Hollywood as a result of speaking out about the sexual assault. Fraser refused to use the phrase, though, and added that he wasn’t sure if the occurrence fell under his professional purview or not. I don’t think the HFPA actually maintain that much control, Fraser remarked in a 2019 interview with the radio show Sway in the Morning. The person in question was the former president of that group of journalists; he or she was not an official.

About Philip Berk
In February 2018, the Hollywood Overseas Press Association announced that it was looking into allegations of sexual assault made by actor Brendan Fraser against former HFPA President Philip Berk. The Mummy actor said in a GQ interview that Berk had abused him in the summer of 2003. Fraser stated that his alleged meeting with Berk was one of the reasons he left the highlight. “The HFPA stands firmly against sexual harassment and the kind of behavior represented on this piece,” the press release from the HFPA to Us Weekly at the time said.

Through the years, we’ve kept up a great working relationship with Brendan, which has included discussing the Golden Globe candidates, attending the ceremony, and partnering at press conferences. Fraser’s claims were challenged by Berk, who said, “This report apparently includes materials that the HFPA was previously unaware of, and at this time, we’re examining further details surrounding the incident.” “Mr. Fraser’s story is a complete fabrication, according to Berk, who talked to GQ. I apologized as usual but made no admission of guilt: “If I’ve done something that has upset Mr. Fraser, it was not intended and I apologize.”