| Casper Van Dien | |
|---|---|
Van Dien at the 2007 Scream Awards |
|
| Born | Casper Robert Van Dien, Jr. December 18, 1968 Milton, Florida, U.S. |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Spouse | Catherine Oxenberg (1999-present; 2 children) Carrie Mitchum (1993-1997; divorced; 2 children) |
| Website | |
| http://www.caspervandien.com | |
Casper Robert Van Dien, Jr. (born December 18, 1968) is an American actor.
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Van Dien was born and grew up in Milton, Florida, the son of Diane (née Morrow), a retired nursery school teacher, and Casper Robert Van Dien, Sr., a retired 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 a descendant of 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] In high school, Van Dien was often referred to as "Ken doll" due to his good looks, and got into many fights for that reason.[4] Coincidentally, he was later described as a "perfect life-sized Ken doll."[5] 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. Next, he went to Florida State University in Tallahassee.
Moving to Los Angeles, Van Dien landed a number of small parts in various television series and movies. Two early breaks were recurring roles 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 franchise, 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, a role he reprised in the 2008 film Starship Troopers 3: Marauder. 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.
Van Dien was married to 3½ years older 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 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.[7]
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Revenge of the Nerds | ROTC Javelin Thrower | uncredited |
| 1990 | Menu for Murder | Life Guard | |
| 1993 | The Webbers | Guy Miranda brings home | |
| 1995 | Kill Shot | Randy | |
| 1996 | Lethal Orbit | Tom Corbett | |
| Love Notes | Adam | ||
| Night Eyes 4 | Roy | ||
| Beastmaster III: The Eye of Braxus | King Tal | ||
| The Colony | unknown role | ||
| 1997 | Night Scream | Teddie/Ray Ordwell Jr. | |
| Casper: A Spirited Beginning | Bystander | ||
| James Dean: Race with Destiny | James Dean | ||
| Starship Troopers | Johnny Rico | ||
| 1998 | Tarzan and the Lost City | Tarzan/John Clayton | |
| Casper Meets Wendy | Crewcut Man | ||
| Modern Vampires | Dallas | ||
| On the Border | Jake Barnes | ||
| 1999 | Shark Attack | Steven McKray | |
| The Collectors | A.K. | ||
| The Omega Code | Gillen Lane | ||
| Thrill Seekers | Tom Merrick | ||
| Sleepy Hollow | Brom Van Brunt | ||
| 2000 | Sanctimony | Tom Merrick | |
| The Tracker | Connor Spears | ||
| Partners | Drifter | ||
| Python | Bart Parker | ||
| Cutaway | Delmira | ||
| A Friday Night Date aka Road Rage | Jim Travis | ||
| 2001 | Windfall | Ace Logan | |
| Chasing Destiny | Bobby Moritz | ||
| Danger Beneath the Sea | Commander Miles Sheffield | ||
| 2002 | The Vector File | Gerry | |
| 2003 | Big Spender | Eddie Burton | |
| 2004 | Maiden Voyage | Kyle Considine | |
| Skeleton Man | Staff Sgt. Oberron | ||
| What the #$*! Do We (Know!? | Romantic Moritz | ||
| Dracula 3000 | Capt. Abraham Van Helsing | ||
| 2005 | The Fallen Ones | Matt Fletcher | |
| Personal Effects | Chris Locke | ||
| Officer Down | Officer Philip Gammon | ||
| 2006 | The Curse of King Tut's Tomb | Danny Freemont | |
| Meltdown: Days of Destruction | Officer Tom Brackett | ||
| Slayer | Hawk | ||
| 2008 | Aces 'N' Eights | Luke Rivers | |
| Starship Troopers 3: Marauder | Johnny Rico | ||
| Mask of the Ninja | Jack Barrett | ||
| 2009 | One Hot Summer | Luther Simmonds | |
| 2010 | Turbulent Skies | Tom | |
| 2011 | Born To Ride | Mike Callahan |
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Dangerous Women | Brad Morris | |
| 1992 | Freshman Dorm | Zack Taylor | |
| Life Goes On | Guest Star | Udder Madness (episode) | |
| 1993–1994 | One Life to Live | Ty Moody | |
| 1994 | Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman | Jesse | The Cattle Drive (episode) |
| Beverly Hills, 90210 | Griffin Stone | ||
| Married with Children | Eric | Blonde and Blonder (episode) | |
| 1995 | Silk Stalkings | Jeff Chadwick | I Know What Scares You (episode) |
| 1997 | The Outer Limits | Jake Miller | Heart's Desire (episode) |
| 2000-2001 | Titans | Chandler Williams | |
| 2004 | Rock Me Baby | Michael | Love at First Flight (episode) |
| 2005 | I Married a Princess | Himself | |
| Premonition | Jack Barnes | ||
| 2006 | Watch Over Me | Andre | |
| 2008 | Chelsea Lately | Himself | |
| 2008-2009 | Monk | Lt. Albright | Mr. Monk Is Underwater Mr. Monk and the End (Part One) Mr. Monk and the End (Part Two) |
| Honorary titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Wolf Larson |
Actors to portray Tarzan 1998 |
Succeeded by Alex D. Linz / Tony Goldwyn |