- Got acting advice from two time Oscar Academy Award nominee Richard Harris, fresh in from the Bahamas, on the set of Strike Commando 2 (1988) and vividly remembers listening to comical stories from Harris about his adventures with his drinking buddy Peter O'Toole.
- Met Willem Dafoe in 'Superstar' nightclub in Ermita, Manila and spent the night drinking with him.
- Was cast for Platoon (1986) as one of the soldiers, but refused the role when he was informed that he was to participate in a 2 week boot camp before the shooting of the film and that he was expected to live on set in a tent without proper sanitation.
- Formed a close friendship during the 1980's with Philippine action star and madcap daredevil Dante Varona, with whom he made Tiger Commando (1988) and Patron (1988). Named "The King Of Stunt", Dante Varona is a former Filipino actor and film director and was considered one of the most famous Philippine action stars from the 1970s up to the early 1990s. In 1981 Dante Varona performed a daring and spectacular stunt act when he jumped from the San Juanico Bridge (close to 100 meters) for a scene in "Hari ng Stunt"; the jump is on YouTube. It was a make-or-break for this struggling actor whose movie career could not seem to get a head start. That breathtaking leap changed his fortune overnight. The movie was dubbed as "The most death defying action thriller of the year!" He became an instant sensation and propelled him to superstardom in the Philippines. Dante almost lost his life after performing the jump and was hospitalized for several weeks. As of 2018, no one has ever broken Dante Varona's record of jumping the San Juanico Bridge without using any safety gear. In later life he wanted to jump from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, but never received permission. Dante Varona now lives a quiet live in the California.
- Spent a whole day conversing with BAFTA Awards winner Donald Pleasence on an airfield at Villamore Airbase in Manila, during the filming of Last Platoon (1988).
- Grew up watching early action films with Chuck Norris and was able to work with him on Braddock: Missing in Action III (1988). Bernhard's scene with Chuck ended on the cutting floor when the original Director Joseph Zito was replaced by Aaron Norris. Feeling sorry for Bernhard, Chuck signed a photo showing both of them with the words, 'Bernie, all the best Chuck Norris'. Bernhard was able to meet Chuck once more during the filming of Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection (1990) in which Bernhard plays a uniformed police officer.
- Known to have been a close friend of fellow actor Robert Marius with whom he worked on Assault Platoon (1990). The brutal torture scene of Bernhard as a POW is on YouTube and has more than 150,000 views.
- Known to have been a close with fellow actor Romano Kristoff with whom he worked on Black Fire (1985) and Above The War (1989) . While filming Black Fire, Bernhard was riding in a helicopter without doors in order to be able to lean out and fire his M-16 down into the movie set portraying a Vietnamese Village. The chopper had been rented from the Philippine Air-force and the battle proven pilot had seen actual combat in the South of the Philippines in Mindanao. In the film the helicopter flies low coordinated maneuvers above the ground and the Vietnamese huts were blown up closely below and beside the flying helicopter. 'The heat from the fireballs was so intense that it almost singed my eyelashes and eyebrows', Bernhard remembers.
- While working on Women Of Valor (1986) with Oscar Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon and being used to the Philippine climate, Bernhard was one of the very few who outlasted the brutal multi-day filming of the Bataan death march without a sunburn or a heat stroke. The heat that summer was so intense that two thirds of the extras needed for the massive scene did not show up for work after the first day. Director Buzz Kulik gave special acknowledgement to him for being 'indestructible' and professional, while working under harsh conditions.
- In Above The War (1989) playing a Soldier of Fortune he had to jump 3 meters to the ground from a landing helicopter to get ready to unload ammunition boxes. While standing next to the landing chopper, the shuttle of the helicopter landed on his right foot. Luckily Bernhard was wearing strong army boots and the ground had been softened from previous rain fall.
- In 1999 met Bob Hoskins by chance at the coffee shop of the Mandarin Hotel in Makati, Manila and had breakfast with him. Hoskins was filming Noriega: God's Favorite (2000) in the Philippines at that time.
- Known as a well-established collector of Philippine Tribal Art since the 1980's and having a massive collection. He also later became an avid collector of European and South East Asian contemporary art.
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