Southern Illinois University Carbondale alumnus Bert Belasco earned his theater degree from SIUC in 2005. As a senior, he starred in "Home," a play directed by Segun Ojewuyi, assistant professor in theater. The play centered on "a mans search for himself." He also played the lead in other SIUC plays, including "The Greenbird" and "Parade." Besides SIUC, Belasco put in time at Chicagos famed Second City, and participated in the TVI Actors Studio Summer Institute in Los Angeles, and a master class with acting instructor David Aulicino.
Belasco is featured in the Super Bowl commercial with Betty White for Snickers. In this commercial, Betty White gets tackled during a pick-up game of football among friends. As she sits on the ground, disgruntled, a friend says, "Mike, youre playing like Betty White today." The solution to Mikes problem is a Snickers. The actor who tells "Mike" he played like the famous actress and philanthropist is Bert Belasco. The commercial scored the No. 1 spot in the USA Today Ad Meter Poll. If you missed it, find it on YouTube under the heading "Betty White Snickers Commercial.".
