Bardette began working in film in 1936, after leaving a planned mechanical engineering career. His first role was in the 1937 movie Borderland, a Hopalong Cassidy western.
He made over 172 movies and 72 television appearances in his career, and was seen as a rustler, gangster, wartime collaborator. On the Adventures of Superman, he played the sinister title character in the 1951 show The Human Bomb. In its 1954 episode "Great Caesar's Ghost", he was a member of a Criminal gang trying to drive Editor Perry White insane by making him think the subject of his oft-heard epithet had materialized. He played "Wally", the proprietor of Wally's Filling Station, in the "Gomer the House Guest" episode of "The Andy Griffith Show".
Bardette was cast in various roles in four episodes of the anthology series, The Ford Television Theatre between 1953 and 1956. He guest-starred six times each on the original CBS family drama, Lassie, and in Clint Walker's ABC/Warner Brothers western series, Cheyenne. Bardette appeared three times on John Payne's western series, The Restless Gun as well as Wagon Train, and Have Gun – Will Travel. Twice he appeared on Tales of Wells Fargo, Broken Arrow, Maverick, and Trackdown.
Bardette made two guest appearances on CBS's Perry Mason. In 1959, he played murder victim John Brant in "The Case of the Startled Stallion," and in 1963 he played murderer Garrett Richards in "The Case of the Two-Faced Turn-a-Bout," with Hugh O'Brian in the role of guest attorney Bruce Jason.
From 1959 to 1961, he was cast as the unscrupulous Old Man Clanton on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, with Hugh O'Brian in the title role of Wyatt Earp. His last appearance was in "The Requiem for Old Man Clanton" on May 30, 1961. Bardette appeared as well in different roles in five earlier Wyatt Earp episodes between 1956 and 1958. John Milford was cast with Bardette in eight episodes in the role of Ike Clanton
Bardette played Captain Warner in the 1962 episode "A Matter of Honor" on the syndicated western anthology series, Death Valley Days. In that episode, Vic Morrow played Lt. Robert Benson. In 1965, he played Stanley Conklin in the episode "The Unborn" of the CBS drama, Slattery's People, starring Richard Crenna as a state legislator. – The Unborn (1965)
Bardette made his final television appearance in the 1968 episode "Goodbye, Dolly" of the CBS sitcom, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., starring Jim Nabors. His final film appearance was the next year in Mackenna's Gold.
In 1977 Bardette died at his ranch in Green Valley, Arizona, just nine days after his 75th birthday.
