Daniel Bernhardt (born 31 August 1965) is a Swiss actor, stuntman, martial artist, and former model. He is known for his work on various

action film The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...

s. He made his acting debut in the leading role in the martial arts film '' Bloodsport II: The Next Kumite'' (1996), and appeared in two of its sequels, '' Bloodsport III'' (1997) and '' Bloodsport 4: The Dark Kumite'' (1999). Also known for playing villainous characters, he appeared opposite

Chuck Norris Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (born March 10, 1940) is an American martial artist and actor. Born in Oklahoma, Norris first gained fame when he won the amateur Middleweight Karate champion title in 1968, which he held for six consecutive years. H ...

in '' The Cutter'' (2005),

Jean-Claude Van Damme Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (, ; born 18 October 1960), known professionally as Jean-Claude Van Damme (, ), is a Belgian martial artist and actor. Born and raised in Brussels, his father enrolled him in a Shotokan karate schoo ...

in '' Kill 'Em All'' (2017),

Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Gardenzio "Sly" Stallone (; born July 6, 1946) is an American actor and filmmaker. In a Sylvester Stallone filmography, film career spanning more than fifty years, Stallone has received List of awards and nominations received by Syl ...

in '' Escape Plan: The Extractors'' (2019), and Keanu Reeves in ''

The Matrix Reloaded ''The Matrix Reloaded'' is a 2003 American science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the sequel to ''The Matrix'' (1999) and the second installment in the ''Matrix'' film series. The film stars Keanu Reeves, L ...

'' (2003) and '' John Wick'' (2014). He also starred as Siro in the television series '' Mortal Kombat: Conquest'' (1998–1999). As a stunt performer and fight choreographer, his work includes ''

Creed II ''Creed II'' is a 2018 American sports drama film directed by Steven Caple Jr. from a screenplay by Juel Taylor and Sylvester Stallone. It is the sequel to ''Creed'' (2015), a follow-up to '' Rocky IV'' (1985), and the eighth installment in t ...

'' (2018) and ''Nobody'' (2021). Bernhardt is a black belt in

Taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...

under ''Black Belt'' Hall of Fame member Hee-il Cho (the two also starred together in ''Bloodsport II''). He also studied Kyokushin karate under South Korean master

Mas Oyama , more commonly known as Mas Oyama, was a Zainichi Korean karate master who founded Kyokushin Karate, considered the first and most influential style of full contact karate. Early life Mas Oyama was born as Choi Yeong-eui () in Kintei, Kore ...

Early life

Bernhardt was born in Ittigen,

Canton of Bern The canton of Bern, or Berne (; ; ; ), is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. Its capital city, Bern, is also the ''de facto'' capital of Switzerland. The bear is the heraldic symbol of the c ...

in 1965, to Heidi and Horst Bernhardt. He began studying martial arts at the age of 15, learning what called “something cobbled together out of

kung fu Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...

and

kickboxing Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid Martial arts, martial art and Boxing (disambiguation), boxing type based on punch (combat), punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, norma ...

." He later earned black belts in

under Hee-il Cho, and Kyokushin Karate under

. In Paris, he was a pupil of Dominique Valera. He has also studied

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...

, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Prior to his acting career, Bernhardt worked at an

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

firm, and was a top model in Paris and New York, working for the likes of Claude Montana,

Thierry Mugler Manfred Thierry Mugler (; 21 December 1948 – 23 January 2022) was a French fashion designer, creative director and creative adviser of Mugler. In the 1970s, Mugler launched his eponymous fashion house; and quickly rose to prominence in the fol ...

Hugo Boss Hugo Boss AG (stylized in all caps) is a designer fashion company headquartered in Metzingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The company sells clothing, Fashion accessory, accessories, footwear, and Leather, leather goods. Hugo Boss is one of the ...

, and

Versace Gianni Versace S.r.l. (), usually referred to as Versace ( ), is an Italian luxury elite fashion company founded by Gianni Versace in 1978. The company produces Italian-made ready-to-wear and accessories, as well as '' haute couture'' under it ...

. His first exposure to the film world was in 1992, when he was featured in a martial arts-themed Versace ad campaign, featuring

. He subsequently moved to Los Angeles to pursue a film career.

Career

Acting

Bernhardt made his acting debut in the leading role in '' Bloodsport II: The Next Kumite'' (1996), a sequel to the 1988 Jean-Claude Van Damme

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

. He also appeared in two of its sequels and starred in '' Future War'' (1997), '' True Vengeance'' (1997), '' Perfect Target'' (1997), ''G2 – Mortal Conquest'' (1999), ''Black Sea Raid'' (2000) and ''Global Effect'' (2002). From 1998 to 1999, he starred in the TV series '' Mortal Kombat: Conquest''. In 2003, he appeared as Agent Johnson in ''

'' (2003), and in 2005 he appeared with

in '' The Cutter''. In 2013, he returned to acting with Jason Statham in '' Parker'' (2013) and in a cameo in '' The Hunger Games: Catching Fire'' (2013) as the male tribute from District 9. He trained with the 87Eleven Stunt Team and played Russian henchmen in '' John Wick'' and '' Atomic Blonde''. In 2015, he made his Bollywood debut as mixed martial arts fighter Max Potter in the remake of ''

Warrior A warrior is a guardian specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal society, tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracy, social class, class, or caste. History ...

'', titled ''

Brothers A brother (: brothers or brethren) is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingl ...

''. He co-starred in a particularly acclaimed episode of HBO's Barry as Ronny Proxin. In September 2020, it was announced that Bernhardt was reprising his ''Matrix'' role as Agent Johnson in '' The Matrix Resurrections''; however, his scenes were cut from the final film. Bernhardt is set to play the title character in ''

Deathstalker The deathstalker (''Leiurus quinquestriatus'') is a species of scorpion, a member of the family (biology), family Buthidae. It is also known as the Palestine yellow scorpion, Omdurman scorpion, and Naqab desert scorpion, as well as by many oth ...

,'' an upcoming remake of the 1983 cult film of the same.

Stunts

Bernhardt's credits as a stunt performer include '' A Good Day to Die Hard'' (2013), ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (2014), '' Captain America: Civil War'' (2016), ''

Deadpool 2 ''Deadpool 2'' is a 2018 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Deadpool. It is the sequel to ''Deadpool (film), Deadpool'' (2016) and the eleventh installment in the X-Men (film series), ''X-Men'' film series. The film wa ...

'' (2018), '' Alita: Battle Angel'' (2019), '' Hobbs & Shaw'' (also 2019), and '' Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3'' (2023). He was the principal fight trainer and fight choreographer for ''

'' (2018) and ''Nobody'' (2021), and ''The Equalizer'' television series.

Personal life

Bernhardt has two brothers, Cliff and Dirk. He is married to actress Lisa Stothard, whom he met on the set of ''Bloodsport: The Dark Kumite''. They have a daughter together.

Filmography

Cinema

* '' Bloodsport II: The Next Kumite'' (1996) – Alex Cardo * '' Bloodsport III'' (1997) – Alex Cardo * '' Future War'' (1997) – The Runaway * '' True Vengeance'' (1997) – Allen Griffin * '' Perfect Target'' (1997) – David Benson * '' Bloodsport 4: The Dark Kumite'' (1999) – John Keller * ''G2 – Mortal Conquest'' (1999) – Steven Conlin * ''Black Sea Raid'' (2000) – Rick Halsey * ''Global Effect'' (2002) – Lieutenant Marcus Poynt * ''

'' (2003) – Agent Johnson * '' The Librarians'' (2003) – Toshko * '' Confessions of an Action Star'' (2005) – Jason Everstrong * ''Tornado – Rain to Kill'' (2005) * '' The Cutter'' (2005) – Dirk Cross * ''Children of Wax'' (2007) – Murat * ''Supreme Champion'' (2010) – Lucien Gallows * '' Creature'' (2011) – Lockjaw / Grimley * '' Foodfight!'' (2012) – Additional Voices (voice) * ''Santa's Summer House'' (2012) – Bryan * '' Parker'' (2013) – Kroll * '' The Hunger Games: Catching Fire'' (2013) – District 9 Male Tribute * ''Zombeo & Juliécula'' (2013) – Vladimir * ''Knock 'em Dead'' (2014) – Victor The Butler * '' John Wick'' (2014) – Kirill * '' The Vatican Tapes'' (2015) – Psych Ward Security (uncredited) * ''

'' (2015) – Max Potter * '' Precious Cargo'' (2016) – Simon * ''

Term Life ''Term Life'' is a 2016 American action drama film based on the graphic novel of the same name. It is directed by Peter Billingsley from a screenplay by A.J. Lieberman. The film stars Vince Vaughn, who also produces the film, Hailee Steinfeld, J ...

'' (2016) – Detective Rick DiNardi (uncredited) * '' Logan'' (2017) – 'Bone Breaker' * '' Atomic Blonde'' (2017) – Soldier * '' Kill 'Em All'' (2017) – Radovan Brokowski * '' Escape Plan: The Extractors'' (2019) – Silva * '' Hobbs & Shaw'' (2019) – Henchman (uncredited) * ''

Birds of Prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...

'' (2020) – Sionis' Chauffeur * '' Skylines'' (2020) – Owens * ''Hell Hath No Fury'' (2021) – Von Bruckner * '' Nobody'' (2021) – Bus Goon * '' Red Notice'' (2021) – Drago Grande (cameo role) * '' The Matrix Resurrections'' (2021) – Agent Johnson * '' Extraction 2'' (2023) – Konstantine * '' The Killer's Game'' (2024) – Max * ''

Matchbox A matchbox is a container or case for matches, made of paperboard, cardboard, thin wood, or metal, generally in the form of a box with a separate drawer sliding inside the cover. Matchboxes generally measure 5 x 3.5 x 1.5 cm, and commonly have ...

'' (2025) * ''

'' (TBA) – Deathstalker

Television

* '' Mortal Kombat: Conquest'' (1998–1999, 22 episodes) – Siro * ''

Desire Desires are states of mind that are expressed by terms like "wanting", "wishing", "longing" or "craving". A great variety of features is commonly associated with desires. They are seen as propositional attitudes towards conceivable states of affa ...

'' (2006, 4 episodes) – Vincent * ''

Castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

'' (2016, Episode: "XX") – Vincent * '' Jean-Claude Van Johnson'' (2017) * '' Altered Carbon'' (2018) – Jaeger * '' Barry'' (2019, Episode: " ronny/lily") – Ronny Proxin

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bernhardt, Daniel 1965 births 20th-century Swiss male actors 21st-century Swiss male actors Kyokushin kaikan practitioners Living people Swiss male film actors Swiss male television actors Swiss male karateka Swiss male models Swiss male taekwondo practitioners 20th-century Swiss sportsmen