Bernard Piven (September 24, 1929 – February 18, 2002) was an American actor, director and the co-founder of the Playwrights Theatre Club, a forerunner of comedy enterprise The Second City.

They returned to Chicago in 1967 to rejoin Sills, Sheldon Patinkin, Bernie Sahlins and Joyce Sloane in forming Second City Repertory and then Story Theatre.

Piven, charismatic, balding and bearded, with a beautifully resonant voice, spent some time as an acting teacher at Northwestern University, offering his expertise in improvisation as well as his peculiarly sage view of life, combining a respect for zen and the torah.

The production also featured Arthur Treacher (Pellinore) and Kathryn Grayson (Guenevere) prior to her replacement by Jan Moody.

Piven also starred as the river boat captain in the Uncle Ben's rice commercials in the 1970s, and had many television appearances, including Miami Vice, Magnum PI and Frasier.