Casper Robert Van Dien Jr. (born December 18, 1968) is an American actor. He is best known for his lead role as Johnny Rico in the 1997 science-fiction action film Starship Troopers. He has also appeared in a large number of television and film roles, often in daytime and primetime soap operas, and a large number of TV movies and direct-to-video films, including Starship Troopers 3: Marauder, a 2008 sequel to the original film.
Early life[]
Van Dien was born and raised in the Pensacola suburb of 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, and English.[2]
The street on which Van Dien grew up in Ridgewood, New Jersey, Van Dien Avenue, was named after his great-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, graduating 3rd in command. After high school, Van Dien attended Florida State University in Tallahassee, where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.
Career[]
After 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.
In 1996, Van Dien played King Tal in Beastmaster III: The Eye of Braxus, the second sequel to the 1982 cult classic, The Beastmaster. Van Dien also 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. His success in Starship Troopers subsequently resulted in his casting as Tarzan in Tarzan and the Lost City (1998).[4] 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. However, the scenes were unused in the final film.
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 web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy.[5]
In 2020, he joined the cast of the independent film Daughter.[6] In 2022, Van Dien played the role of Samual Hyst in the series Salvage Marines, where he was also credited as a producer, an adaptation of the Necrospace book series; in an interview, he favorably compared this role to that of Johnny Rico.[7]
Personal life[]
From 1993 to 1997 Van Dien was married to Carrie Mitchum (daughter of Christopher Mitchum and granddaughter of Robert Mitchum). Van Dien had co-starred with Robert Mitchum in James Dean: Race with Destiny. They have two children, including actress Grace Van Dien (born 1996).[8]
In 1999, Van Dien met actress Catherine Oxenberg during the filming of the TV movie The Collectors, and they soon worked together again in the 1999 thriller The Omega Code. On May 8, 1999, they married at Graceland Wedding Chapel 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,[9] 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. Oxenberg had a daughter from a previous relationship, India Riven Oxenberg (born 1991).[10] Van Dien and Oxenberg have two daughters, born 2001 and 2003. In 2015, Van Dien filed for divorce from Oxenberg.[11] Oxenberg and Van Dien were celebrity ambassadors for the non-profit organization Childhelp.[12]
Van Dien married Jennifer Wenger in June 2018.[13]
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Menu for Murder | Lifeguard | Television film |
| 1995 | P.C.H. | Randy | |
| 1996 | Night Eyes 4: Fatal Passion | Roy | |
| Backroads to Vegas | Adam | Television film | |
| Lethal Orbit | Tom Corbett | ||
| Beastmaster III: The Eye of Braxus | King Tal | ||
| The Colony | Sawyer | ||
| 1997 | Casper: A Spirited Beginning | Bystander | Direct-to-video |
| Starship Troopers | Johnny Rico | ||
| NightScream | Teddy Johnson / Ray Ordwell Jr. | Television film | |
| James Dean: Race with Destiny | James Dean | ||
| 1998 | Tarzan and the Lost City | Tarzan / John Clayton III | |
| Casper Meets Wendy | Crewcut Hunk | Direct-to-video | |
| Modern Vampires | Dallas | Television film; also producer | |
| On the Border | Jake Barnes | Television film | |
| 1999 | The Omega Code | Gillen Lane | |
| Sleepy Hollow | Brom Van Brunt | ||
| Shark Attack | Steven McKray | Television film | |
| The Collectors | A.K. | ||
| Thrill Seekers | Tom Merrick | ||
| 2000 | Sanctimony | Tom Gerrick | |
| Partners | Axel | Television film | |
| Python | NSA Special Agent Bart Parker | ||
| Road Rage | Jim Travis | ||
| Cutaway | Delmira | ||
| 2001 | Chasing Destiny | Bobby Moritz | |
| Under Heavy Fire | Captain Ramsey | ||
| The Tracker | Connor Spears | ||
| Danger Beneath the Sea | Commander Miles Sheffield | ||
| 2002 | The Vector File | Gerry | |
| The Rules of Attraction | Patrick Bateman | Deleted scene | |
| 2003 | Big Spender | Eddie Burton | Television film |
| Windfall | "Ace" Logan | ||
| 2004 | Skeleton Man | Staff Sergeant Oberron | |
| Dracula 3000 | Captain Abraham Van Helsing | ||
| What the #$*! Do We (K)now!? | Romantic Moritz | Documentary; uncredited | |
| 2005 | Hollywood Flies | Zach | Television film |
| Maiden Voyage | Kyle Considine | ||
| Personal Effects | Chris Locke | ||
| The Fallen Ones | Matt Fletcher | ||
| Officer Down | Officer Philip Hallows | ||
| Premonition | Jack Barnes | ||
| 2006 | Meltdown | Tom | |
| The Curse of King Tut's Tomb | Danny Freemont | ||
| Slayer | "Hawk" | ||
| 2008 | Aces 'N' Eights | Luke Rivers | |
| Mask of the Ninja | Jack Barrett | ||
| Starship Troopers 3: Marauder | Colonel Johnny Rico | Direct-to-video | |
| 2009 | Through the Air to Calais or the Wonderful Cruise of Blanchard's Balloon | Dr. John Jeffries | Short film; also executive producer |
| One Hot Summer | Luther Simmonds | Television film | |
| 2010 | Turbulent Skies | Tom | |
| The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation | Randy McGovern | ||
| 2011 | Born to Ride | Mike Callahan | |
| 2012 | Shiver | Detective Sebastian Delgado | |
| Malibu Days | Unknown | Short film | |
| The Pact | Bill Creek | ||
| Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Sequels | James K. Polk | Short film | |
| Noobz | Himself | Also co-producer | |
| Christmas Twister | Ethan | ||
| Lake Effects | Ash Henson | Television film | |
| Fugitive at 17 | Spencer Oliphant | ||
| Baby's First Christmas | Kyle | ||
| 2013 | 500 MPH Storm | Nathan Sims | |
| Assumed Killer | Sam Morrow | Also co-producer | |
| Higher Mission | John Perryman | ||
| 2014 | Sleeping Beauty | King David | Direct-to-video; also director |
| 2015 | Avengers Grimm | Rumpelstiltskin | Direct-to-video |
| June | Dave Anderson | Also co-executive producer | |
| Fire Twister | Scott | Television film | |
| Sharktopus vs. Whalewolf | Ray | ||
| Patient Killer | Jason | Television film; also director | |
| 2016 | Army Dog | Tom Holloway | Also producer |
| Showdown in Manila | Charlie Benz | ||
| Storage Locker 181 | Dayton | ||
| Isra 88 | Lieutenant Colonel Harold Richards | ||
| 2017 | Star Raiders: The Adventures of Saber Raine | Saber Raine | |
| All About the Money | Kurt | Also producer | |
| Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars | Colonel Johnny Rico (voice) | Direct-to-video; also executive producer | |
| 2018 | Last Seen in Idaho | Brock | Also co-producer |
| Darkness Reigns | Himself | ||
| Dead Water | John | ||
| Alpha Wolf | Jack Lupo | ||
| 2019 | Alita: Battle Angel | Amok | |
| Madness in the Method | Tim | ||
| Chokehold | Javier | ||
| 2020 | Acquitted by Faith | Benjamin Stills | |
| The Warrant | Virgil St. Denis / The Saint | ||
| The Road to Camp Miracle | Reverend Ernest Robertson | Short film | |
| Roped | Robert Peterson | ||
| Lady Driver | Elliot Lansing | ||
| G-Loc | Decker | ||
| The 2nd | CIA Operative Melvin "The Driver" Sampras | ||
| One Nation Under God | Headmaster Kingsley | ||
| 2021 | Real Talk | Rick the Republican | |
| Shooting Paul | Ben | ||
| Serena's Game | |||
| Monsters of California[14] | Myers | ||
| 2022 | A Tale of Two Guns | Abel Cruz | |
| Assailant | Michael | ||
| Mad Heidi | President Meili | ||
| The Most Dangerous Game | Baron Von Wolf | ||
| Battle of Saipan | Vic | ||
| County Line: No Fear | Zed Dalton | ||
| 2023 | Daughter | Father | |
| The Flood | Unknown |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Saved by the Bell | Student | Uncredited; episode: "Pipe Dreams" |
| Dangerous Women | Brad Morris | Recurring | |
| 1992 | Freshman Dorm | Zack Taylor | 5 episodes |
| Life Goes On | Unknown | Episode: "Udder Madness" | |
| 1993–1994 | One Life to Live | Tyler "Ty" Moody | TV series |
| 1994 | Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman | Jesse | 2 episodes |
| Beverly Hills, 90210 | Griffin Stone | 7 episodes | |
| 1995 | Silk Stalkings | Roger Barrows | Episode: "I Know What Scares You" |
| Married... with Children | Eric Waters | Episode: "Blonde and Blonder" | |
| 1997 | The Outer Limits | Jake Miller | Episode: "Heart's Desire" |
| 2000–2001 | Titans | Chandler Williams | 14 episodes |
| 2004 | Rock Me, Baby | Michael | Episode: "Love at First Flight" |
| 2006–2007 | Watch Over Me | Andre Forester | 64 episodes |
| 2008–2009 | Monk | Lieutenant Steven Albright | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | Laugh Track Mash-ups | James | Episode: "Coopin' with Mr. Levy" |
| 2012 | Femme Fatales | Joe Hallenbeck | Episode: "One Man's Death" |
| 2017 | Hawaii Five-0 | Roger Niles | Episode: "Na La Ilio" |
| 2018–present | All American | Harold Adams | 10 episodes |
| 2022–present | Salvage Marines | Samuel Hyst | Also producer[7] |
| TBA | Stripped[15] | Chris Cameron | 6 episodes |
Producer[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | I Married a Princess | Producer | Television film |
| 2012 | Starship Troopers: Invasion | Executive producer | Direct-to-video |
Web[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Mortal Kombat: Legacy | Johnny Cage | 5 episodes |
| 2015 | Interns of F.I.E.L.D.[16] | Hawk Guy | 2 episodes |
| 2015–2016 | Con Man | Waiter (cameo) | 6 episodes |
| 2016 | Crunch Time | Himself | 3 episodes |
| 2017 | Super Power Beat Down - Boba Fett vs Star-Lord | Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) | Fan film |
| 2018 | Deadpool The Musical 2 - Ultimate Disney Parody! | Cyclops | |
| 2021 | Batman: Dying Is Easy | James Gordon | Fan film |
Video games[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom | Confed Redshirt #3 | |
| 2005 | Starship Troopers | General Johnny Rico (voice) |
Roles[]
(Femme Fatales)
References[]
- ↑ "Sarasota studio brings actor Casper Van Dien home". Sarasota Herald Tribune (November 13, 2010). Retrieved on November 13, 2010.
- ↑ Breaking News, Latest News and Videos. CNN.com (November 24, 2000). Archived from the original on April 24, 2006. Retrieved on April 24, 2006.
- ↑ "Tarzan of Tarzana". Daily News of Los Angeles (April 22, 1998). Retrieved on 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.”
- ↑ Lake, Michael. Tarzan and the Lost City official site. WarnerBros.com. Archived from the original on March 27, 2006.
- ↑ Web Series 'Mortal Kombat: Legacy 2' Hitting February 17th. Latino Review. Archived from the original on December 6, 2012. Retrieved on December 3, 2012.
- ↑ Ramos, Dino-Ray (March 10, 2020). "Casper Van Dien, Ian Alexander, Vivien Ngô, Elyse Dinh And Megan Le Join Corey Deshon's Thriller 'Daughter'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved on March 29, 2020.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Milakovic, Hrvoje (August 13, 2022). "EXCLUSIVE: SF Legend Casper Van Dien Talks With Us About His New Show, 'Salvage Marines'!". Fiction Horizon. Retrieved on August 14, 2022.
- ↑ Warner, Kara (March 8, 2019). "Starship Troopers Star Casper Van Dien Is a Proud Dad at Daughter Grace's Premiere". People.
- ↑ Setoodeh, Ramin (July 11, 2012). "What Happened to Big-Screen Hunk Casper Van Dien?". The Daily Beast.
- ↑ McNeil, Liz (October 13, 2020). "India Oxenberg Says She Was First 'to Be Branded' in Nxivm".
- ↑ "Casper Van Dien – I'm Divorcing Catherine Oxenberg". TMZ (September 25, 2015). Retrieved on January 3, 2016.
- ↑ Celebrity Ambassadors. ChildHelp.org. Archived from the original on May 10, 2008. Retrieved on August 6, 2008.
- ↑ Casper and Jenny's Wedding, Honeysuckle Hills Farm. Watson-studios.com. Archived from the original on February 25, 2020. Retrieved on July 22, 2018.
- ↑ White, Peter (October 7, 2020). "Ex-Blink-182 Frontman Tom DeLonge To Make Directorial Debut With Sci-Fi Feature 'Monsters Of California'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved on October 18, 2020.
- ↑ "Stripped". IMDb. Retrieved on November 20, 2020.
- ↑ "Interns of F.I.E.L.D. (Marvel Agent's of S.H.I.E.L.D. Parody)". Retrieved on November 14, 2020.
External links[]
- Casper Van Dien at Femme Fatales Wiki
Casper Van Dien at the Internet Movie Database
