He acted in John Cecil Holm and George Abbott's play, "3 Men on a Horse," at the Wyndham's Theatre in London, England with Romney Brent, Claire Carleton, William Butler Hixon, Tucker McGuire, David Burns, Edmond Ryan, Maurice Freeman, Ralph Chambers, Sara Seegar, and Jack Arnold in the cast.
His parents, William Nedell and Rose Speyer, were both theatrical actors. Bernard appeared on stage from early childhood. Though he entertained ambitions of becoming a violinist, he decided on an acting career, initially as a movie extra. He appeared on stage in London in the mid-1920s, and then had regular film roles as a supporting player from 1928 to 1950.