Berg attended the Cooper Union Art School. He served a period of time in the Army Air Corps. Afterward he worked with Stan Lee at Timely Comics (now known as Marvel Comics) on a variety of comic books, including Combat Kelly.
Berg went to work for Mad in 1956. In 1961 he started the "The Lighter Side" cartoon, which would become his most famous creation. He worked at Mad for 40 years before retiring. He died May 17, 2002 after a long battle with cancer.