Daniel Bernhardt was born on August 31, 1965, in Worblaufen, Bern, Switzerland.
After completing high school, he studied architectural design for four years and graduated in Bern. During this time, he opened a martial arts school with his brother.
After his studies, Daniel moved to Paris and started working as a model. He worked for renowned designers such as Montana, Mugler, Boss, Cerruti, and Versace, and was published in various fashion magazines.
Later, Bernhardt moved to New York, where he was cast in a TV commercial with Jean-Claude Van Damme for Gianni Versace. This led to his film debut in Bloodsport II (1996),opposite Pat Morita and James Hong.
The same year, Bloodsport III (1996) was released, again starring Morita and Hong. Bernhardt's next films were Future War (1997),Black Sea Raid (1997),True Vengeance (1997),and Perfect Target (1997).
Daniel's interest in acting grew, and he began studying acting in Los Angeles under Harry Mastrogeorge. He continued with G2 (1998),Bloodsport 4: The Dark Kumite (1999),and Global Effect (2002).
He also appeared in TV series "Mortal Kombat: Conquest" and the film Matrix Reloaded (2003),where he played upgraded agent Johnson and had a notable fighting scene with Laurence Fishburne.
In 2003, Bernhardt lent his voice to agent Johnson in the Enter The Matrix video game. He also appeared in independent films like The Librarians (2003) and Children of Wax (2005).
Bernhardt is married to Lisa Stothard and has a daughter, born on May 15, 2003, the night after the premiere of The Matrix Reloaded.