Bernie Starzewski

Born in Brighton Park Chicago the son of a Polish WW II refugee and concentration camp survivor and a Chicago born German/American mother. The family moved to Wisconsin in the mid 60's so that Bernie's father could return to the more pastoral settings of his youth in Wolyn province in the eastern borderlands of Poland (today Western Ukraine). The family moved multiple times finally settling on a farm in rural Fond du Lac County. In high school Bernie was heavily involved in theater and any sort of performance class or event such as talent shows and class plays and oratorical contests. In 1975 he won the part of Ciaphas in an early community theater production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Unable to get accepted to veterinary college Bernie took up the challenge of the family farm eventually marrying the love of his life, Marilyn Nett who was from and old farm family herself. As farming fortunes turned south in the 1980s they moved to Manitowoc where Bernie entered the computer field after returning to school. Always interested in theater he began to realize that he had perhaps missed his calling and returned to community theater in his retirement which has begun to morph into work in commercial ads and small films. His true passions lie in certain "bucket list" parts on stage musicals and classic plays by the great authors including Shakespeare, Tennessee Williams any musical with an appropriately aged base voice character. To Bernie, story telling is the purpose for the art. Any production in any media that touches the heart or soul is of interest. Character development is of the highest interest. Married with four children and now four grandchildren. Married to his first love and high school sweetheart Marilyn Nett. Life long monogamous since our first date in 1968.