After studying law at Université catholique de Lille, André Bernard joined the military, where he honed his skills in the modern pentathlon. He became the French national champion in 1959 and, the following year, was selected to represent his country at the 1960 Rome Olympics. There, he placed 42nd individually and 15th with the team. This was the highlight of his athletic activity, although he continued to compete through 1965 and later served extensively on the administrative side. By career, he continued to serve in the military until his 1983 retirement as chef de bataillon. He also ran the family trading business until 2000.
France