c. 2019
His book Mr. Confidential was named a ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year finalist, and Liz Smith said, “It reads like a house afire in a sultry swamp!” His anthology Uncommon Heroes won a Stonewall Book Award from the American Library Association. Sam began his career as an actor and singer. In the early ‘90s he started writing. When his first play, The Liquidation of Granny Peterman, was produced, the Los Angeles Times said, "Bernstein's insights into what keeps families together are as rich as a holiday pudding." He has developed other plays through the Directors Company (NYC) and the Playwrights Company (LA), and Silent Lies, his dark, violent film about incest, caused a stir, and was banned in England until cuts were made. Though press materials for the film said otherwise, Bernstein was often erroneously introduced in the media as an “incest survivor,” a misimpression that is not unrelated to his fascination with Bob Harrison and Confidential Magazine, which not only inspired the book, but also his recent musical version of Mr. Confidential that premiered at the 2014 New York Musical Theatre Festival. His Paramount and Showtime film Bobbie's Girl starred Bernadette Peters, Rachel Ward, and Jonathan Silverman. Ms. Peters received an Emmy nomination and the film received a GLAAD nomination and a citation from The Advocate as one of the top ten television events of the year. He has also written for Judging Amy and the ABC Family show W.I.T.C.H., as well as his semi-autobigraphical web-series Kill Your Inner Child, produced for Hearst Entertainment. He lives in West Hollywood with Babyhead Productions partner and husband of 20 years, Ronald Shore, and their four incorrigible dachshunds. samuelgarzabernstein.com
