Once upon a time in America, Chris Berman graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Northwestern University with honors in European diplomatic history, a field both unfashionable and tedious to his listeners. Despite scoring in the 99th percentile on the GMAT, GRE, and LSAT, he fell in with evil companions and went to a method acting school in New York.

However, he never abandoned the acclaimed tutoring career that began with the GRE and eventually included both the GMAT and LSAT. He is very proud of his tutoring career (partly because, as an actor, it kept him out of restaurants except as a customer). Recent students wrote, “Chris is a brilliant instructor…His humor, examples, and resonant voice made the concepts clear and the class lively and exciting…He has the ability to transform a dull and difficult subject into a lively and well-informed discussion. He is an excellent communicator and educator…His explanations are so clear, eloquent, and expressive…Chris is one of the best instructors that I have ever had.”

Aside from sporadic appearances Off and Off-Off Broadway, as well as on All My Children and The Guiding Light (when, as an ex-girlfriend put it, they needed “designer scum”), Chris has also taught college mathematics and worked as an editor and writing coach (“Have annoying comments, will travel”). Eventually moving to Hollywood (it’s all true!), he has written screenplays—sometimes for money—as well as a novel and a collection of short stories under the name “Christopher Horton.”