Pacific Palisades World War II Vet Receives France's Highest Honor

A former television producer, screenwriter, network executive and longtime Palisadian was one of five World War II veterans honored by the French government in September with its highest honor, the Legion of Honor, for helping to liberate France from Nazi Germany.

Ted Bergmann, 93, received the medal from the Los Angeles French Consul General Axel Cruau at an award ceremony at the First United Methodist Church in Orange, Calif on Sept. 26.

Along with Bergmann, William Becker, 87; Barney Van Noy, 89; Robert Meyer, 91; and Dale Towers, 90 also received the honor.

France began awarding the Legion of Honor, its equivalent of the Medal of Honor, to American veterans starting in 2004 — the 60th anniversary of D-Day. This year, about 100 medals were given out to U.S. veterans across the country.

Bergmann, who is a retired Army 2nd lieutenant, worked as a page at NBC before enlisting in 1942. After the war, he returned to television where he worked on such shows as Sanford and Son, Three’s Company and The Munsters.

Bergmann retired from television in 1998.