His father Henry (Harry) Berman, was general manager of Universal Pictures during Hollywood's formative years.

In 1933, he joined RKO as an editor and worked on musicals, including the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers films Follow the Fleet and Swing Time (both 1936), which were produced by his older brother Pandro S. Berman.

[5] During World War II, Berman served in the US Army with the rank of captain and worked with Frank Capra on the documentary film series Why We Fight.

[5] Some of the films he produced at MGM after the war include Just This Once (1952), Torch Song (1953), Men of the Fighting Lady (1954), Bedevilled (1955), It's a Dog's Life (1955), and The Great American Pastime (1956).

He won the Academy Award for Best Film Editing for Grand Prix in 1966.