Casper Van Dien

Casper Van Dien

Van Dien in May 2012
Born Casper Robert Van Dien, Jr.
(1968-12-18) December 18, 1968
Milton, Florida, U.S.
Occupation Actor
Years active 1984present
Spouse(s) Carrie Mitchum
(m. 1993; div. 1997)

Catherine Oxenberg
(m. 1999; div. 2015)
Children 4

Casper Robert Van Dien, Jr. (born December 18, 1968) is an American actor.

Early life

Van Dien was born and grew up in Milton, Florida, the son of Diane (née Morrow), a nursery school teacher, and Casper Robert Van Dien, Sr., a U.S. Navy Commander and fighter pilot.[1] There is a long military tradition in Van Dien's family. Aside from his father, his grandfather was a Marine during World War II. Van Dien is descended from an old Dutch family long settled in the New York area; his other heritage includes Swedish, French, English, and Native American.[2]

The street on which Van Dien grew up in Ridgewood, New Jersey, Van Dien Avenue, was named after his great-great-grandfather.[3] When Van Dien was older, his family moved to Florida, where he enrolled at the St. Petersburg campus of the Admiral Farragut Academy,[4] graduating 3rd in command. While in the Florida prep school, Van Dien was often referred to as "Ken doll" due to his good looks, and got into many fights for that reason.[4] Even some writers later described him as a "perfect life-sized Ken doll."[5] After high school, Van Dien attended Florida State University in Tallahassee, where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and trained under boxing coach Eric Johnson.

Career

Moving to Los Angeles, Van Dien landed a number of small parts in various television series and movies. Two early breaks were recurring roles as Ty Moody on the daytime soap opera One Life to Live and the prime time drama Beverly Hills, 90210. Keen to expand his acting talents, Van Dien took a bit part in the video game, Wing Commander IV.

Van Dien starred in the 1997 James Dean biopic James Dean: Race with Destiny. Soon after, he got the breakthrough role of Johnny Rico in Paul Verhoeven's 1997 science fiction action film Starship Troopers. This directly led to his being cast as Tarzan in Tarzan and the Lost City (1998).[6] Van Dien next played Brom von Brunt in Tim Burton's 1999 film Sleepy Hollow, a reworking of the classic Washington Irving tale.

In 2000 Van Dien appeared in Cutaway as well as Aaron Spelling's short-lived NBC prime time soap Titans with Yasmine Bleeth, John Barrowman, Perry King and Victoria Principal. He filmed several scenes as Patrick Bateman in 2002's The Rules of Attraction, the character that Christian Bale had played in 2000's American Psycho. However, the scenes wound up on the cutting room floor.

In 2008 Van Dien returned to the role of Rico in Starship Troopers 3: Marauder, a direct-to-video sequel to Starship Troopers.

Van Dien replaced Matt Mullins as Johnny Cage for the second season of the YouTube webseries Mortal Kombat: Legacy.[7]

Personal life

Van Dien was married to Carrie Mitchum (granddaughter of Robert Mitchum) from 1993 to 1997. They have two children, Casper "Cappy" Robert Van Dien III and Caroline Dorothy Grace "Gracie" Van Dien, of whom Van Dien holds full custody. Van Dien had co-starred with Robert Mitchum in James Dean: Race with Destiny.

Van Dien met actress Catherine Oxenberg, who is 7 years his senior, during the filming of the 1999 TV movie The Collectors, and they soon worked together again in the 1999 thriller The Omega Code. On May 8, 1999 they married in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2005 the couple appeared in their own reality series, I Married a Princess, which aired on the Lifetime Television channel[8] in the United States, LIVINGtv in the United Kingdom and Lifestyle You in Australia; Oxenberg's mother is Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia. During the 2006-2007 TV season, Van Dien and Oxenberg co-starred in the American drama series Watch Over Me on MyNetworkTV.

Van Dien and Oxenberg have two daughters, Maya (born September 20, 2001) and Celeste Alma (born October 3, 2003) Oxenberg and Van Dien are celebrity ambassadors for the non-profit organization Childhelp.[9]

Van Dien filed for divorce from Oxenberg in 2015.[10]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1997 Casper: A Spirited Beginning Bystander Video
1997 Starship Troopers Johnny Rico
1998 Tarzan and the Lost City Tarzan
1998 Casper Meets Wendy Crewcut Hunk Video
1999 Omega Code, TheThe Omega Code Gillen Lane
1999 Sleepy Hollow Brom Van Brunt
2000 Sanctimony Tom Gerrick
2000[11] Road Rage Jim Travis
2002 The Vector File Gerry Anderson
2004 Dracula 3000 Captain Abraham Van Helsing
2006 The Curse of King Tut's Tomb Danny Freemont
2008 Starship Troopers 3: Marauder Colonel Johnny Rico
2009 Through the Air to Calais or the Wonderful Cruise of Blanchard's Balloon Dr. John Jeffries Short film
2011 Shiver Det. Sebastian Delgado
2011 Born to Ride Mike Callahan
2012 Malibu Days Short film
2012 Pact, TheThe Pact Bill Creek
2012 Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Sequels James K. Polk Short film
2012 noobz Casper Van Dien Completed
2012 Christmas Twister Ethan
2013 500 MPH Storm Nathan Sims
2013 Assumed Killer Sam Morrow
2013 11 Seconds Benjamin Stills
2013 Mucho Dinero Kurt Post-production
2013 Higher Mission John Perryman Post-production
2014 Sleeping Beauty Director Direct-to-video by The Asylum
2015 Avengers Grimm Rumpelstiltskin
2015 June Dave Anderson
2016 Showdown In Manila

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1990 Menu for Murder Life Guard TV movie
1991 Saved by the Bell Student (uncredited) Episode: "Pipe Dreams"
1991 Dangerous Women Brad Morris 1 episode
1992 Freshman Dorm Zack Taylor 5 episodes
1992 Life Goes On Episode: "Udder Madness"
19931994 One Life to Live Tyler "Ty" Moody TV series
1994 Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman Jesse Episode: "Cattle Drive: Part 1"
Episode: "Cattle Drive: Part 2"
1994 Beverly Hills, 90210 Griffin Stone 7 episodes
1995 P.C.H. Randy TV movie
1995 Silk Stalkings Roger Barrows Episode: "I Know What Scares You"
1995 Married... with Children Eric Waters Episode: "Blonde and Blonder"
1996 Backroads to Vegas Adam TV movie
1996 Lethal Orbit Tom Corbett TV movie
1996 Night Eyes Four: Fatal Passion Roy TV movie
1996 Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom Confed Redshirt #3 (voice) Video game
1996 Beastmaster: The Eye of Braxus King Tal TV movie
1996 Colony, TheThe Colony TV movie
1997 Outer Limits, TheThe Outer Limits Jake Miller Episode: "Heart's Desire"
1997 NightScream Teddy Johnson / Ray Ordwell Jr TV movie
1997 James Dean: Race with Destiny James Dean TV movie
1998 Modern Vampires Dallas TV movie
1998 On the Border Jake Barnes TV movie
1999 Shark Attack Steven McKray TV movie
1999 Collectors, TheThe Collectors A.K. TV movie
1999 Thrill Seekers Tom Merrick TV movie
2000 Partners Axel TV movie
2000 Python Bart Parker TV movie
2000 Road Rage Jim Travis TV movie
2000 Cutaway Delmira TV movie
2001 Chasing Destiny Bobby Moritz TV movie
20002001 Titans Chandler Williams 14 episodes
2001 Going Back Capt. Ramsey TV movie
2001 Tracker, TheThe Tracker Connor Spears TV movie
2001 Danger Beneath the Sea Commander Miles Sheffield TV movie
2002 Vector File, TheThe Vector File Gerry TV movie
2003 Big Spender Eddie Burton TV movie
2003 Windfall Ace Logan TV movie
2004 Skeleton Man Staff Sgt. Oberron TV movie
2004 What the #$*! Do We (K)now!? Romantic Moritz (uncredited) Documentary
2004 Rock Me, Baby Michael Episode: "Love at First Flight"
2005 Hollywood Flies Zach TV movie
2005 Starship Troopers General John Rico (voice) Video game
2005 Maiden Voyage Kyle Considine TV movie
2005 Personal Effects Chris Locke TV movie
2005 Fallen Ones, TheThe Fallen Ones Matt Fletcher TV movie
2005 Officer Down Officer Philip Hallows TV movie
2005 Premonition Jack Barnes TV movie
2006 Meltdown Tom TV movie
2006 Curse of King Tut's Tomb, TheThe Curse of King Tut's Tomb Danny Freemont TV movie
2006 Slayer Hawk TV movie
20062007 Watch Over Me Andre Forester 64 episodes
2008 Aces 'N' Eights Luke Rivers TV movie
2008 Mask of the Ninja Jack Barrett TV movie
2008 Monk Lt. Steven Albright Episode: "Mr. Monk Is Underwater"
2009 Monk Lt. Steven Albright Episode: "Mr. Monk and the End: Part 1 & 2"
2009 One Hot Summer Luther Simmonds TV movie
2010 Turbulent Skies Tom TV movie
2010 Laugh Track Mash-ups James Episode: "Coopin' with Mr. Levy"
2010 Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation, TheThe Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation Randy McGovern TV movie
2012 Lake Effects Ash Henson TV movie
2012 Fugitive at 17 Spencer Oliphant TV movie
2012 Femme Fatales Episode: "One Man's Death"
2012 Baby's First Christmas Kyle TV movie
2013 Mortal Kombat: Legacy Johnny Cage
2014 Fire Twister Scott TV movie
2015 Sharktopus vs. Whalewolf Ray TV movie
2015 Patient Killer Jason (also as director) TV movie

Digital Media

2016 Crunch Time Himself Episode: "The Brain Frame"
2016 Rooster Teeth Short Himself Episode: "Casper Van Dien"
2016 Screen Junkies Presents: The Roast of Captain America Captain America

References

  1. "Sarasota studio brings actor Casper Van Dien home". Retrieved November 13, 2010. Sarasota Herald Trubune, November 13, 2010
  2. Casper Van Dien: Cast in conflict
  3. Staff. "Tarzan of Tarzana", Daily News of Los Angeles, April 22, 1998. Accessed September 22, 2011. "When I was growing up in Ridgewood, NJ, we lived on Van Dien Avenue, which was named after my great-great-great grandfather."
  4. 1 2 People Magazine interview
  5. Casper Van Dien bio at Tribute.ca
  6. Tarzan and the Lost City official site Michael Lake, producer
  7. "Web Series 'Mortal Kombat: Legacy 2′ Hitting February 17th". Latino Review. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
  8. Ramin Setoodeh (July 11, 2012). "What Happened to Big-Screen Hunk Casper Van Dien?". The Daily Beast.
  9. Celebrity Ambassadors - ChildHelp.org Retrieved August 6, 2008.
  10. Casper Van Dien I'm Divorcing Catherine Oxenberg, TMZ, 25 September 2015, retrieved 3 January 2016
  11. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250390/releaseinfo#release_dates
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