Bernie Van De Yacht, a native of Green Bay, Wisconsin, is the youngest of 13 siblings. He pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Theatre from The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, subsequently earning a Master of Fine Arts from California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). Following his academic endeavors, Bernie ventured into the animation industry, simultaneously cultivating his acting career. During this period, he was discovered by a studio artist and invited to portray Prince Derek in The Swan Princess, which led to an extensive promotional tour across the United States, a visit to the Cannes Film Festival, a float appearance in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, and the creation of a doll in his likeness. Throughout this time, Bernie remained active in theatre productions within and around the Los Angeles area. Eventually, he transitioned into animation casting direction, a profession he has maintained for over eighteen years, having worked on numerous films, including The King and I, Trumpet of the Swan, Alpha and Omega, and the entire Swan Princess franchise, as well as Happily N'ever After II, Ribbit, Norm of the North, and the upcoming Wheely. Bernie has collaborated with prominent studios such as Morgan Creek, Warner Bros., Columbia/Tri-Star, Sony, and Lionsgate. Recently, he has expanded his repertoire to live-action features, casting films like Blackjacks, Five Souls, The Speak, and No Tell Motel over the past two years. Bernie is a proud member of the Casting Society of America (CSA) and was nominated for an Artios award for his work on the animated feature film Alpha and Omega. Additionally, he is a screenwriter and director, having helmed a short film called There's Something About Meryl, which was an Official Selection at various film festivals across the country in 2004. In 2014, he directed his first full-length feature film, Salvation, based on his original screenplay, which has garnered multiple awards on the film festival circuit and is now available on VOD. Bernie is currently preparing his next feature, Midwest Farmers' Daughters, another original screenplay project. His debut novel, A Man Walks Into a Hardware Store, was recently published by Solstice Publishing and has received almost 100 5-Star reviews on Amazon. Bernie has been married to his wife for twenty-one years and is the proud father of two teenage sons.
