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 ''Starship Troopers'' is a military science fiction novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein. Written in a few weeks in reaction to the US suspending nuclear tests, the story was first published as a two-part serial in ''The Magazine of F ...

''. He has also appeared in a large number of television and film roles, often in daytime and primetime

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio drama ...

s, and a large number of TV movies and

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy w ...

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 Milton is a city in and the county seat of Santa Rosa County, Florida, located in the Pensacola– Ferry Pass– Brent Metropolitan Statistical Area, also known as the Pensacola Metropolitan Area. Milton is located in the geographic center ...

, the son of Diane (''née'' Morrow), a

nursery school A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary schoo ...

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

, and Casper Robert Van Dien Sr., a U.S. Navy

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

and fighter pilot. There is a long military tradition in Van Dien's family. Aside from his father, his grandfather was a

Marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Van Dien is descended from an old Dutch family long settled in the

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

area; his other heritage includes Swedish,

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

. The street on which Van Dien grew up in

Ridgewood, New Jersey Ridgewood is a village in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 24,958,Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

, where he enrolled at the St. Petersburg campus of the

Admiral Farragut Academy Admiral Farragut Academy, established in 1933, is a private, college-prep school serving students in grades K-12. Farragut is located in St. Petersburg, Florida in Pinellas County and is surrounded by the communities of Treasure Island, Gulfpo ...

, graduating 3rd in command. After high school, Van Dien attended

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

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 This is a list of characters from the ABC Daytime soap opera, '' One Life to Live'', that began their run between the beginning of 1990 and the end of 1999. Nigel Bartholomew-Smythe Nigel Bartholomew-Smythe is a fictional character on the A ...

on the daytime

One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as a web series on Hulu and iTunes ...

'' and the

prime time Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...

drama ''

Beverly Hills, 90210 ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to by its short title, ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling under his production company Spelling Television. The series ran for ...

''. Keen to expand his acting talents, Van Dien took a bit part in the video game, ''

Wing Commander IV ''Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom'' is the fourth main game in the '' Wing Commander'' science fiction space combat simulator video game series, produced by Origin Systems and released by Electronic Arts for the PC in 1996 and the Son ...

''. 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 James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He is remembered as a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment and social estrangement, as expressed in the title of his most celebrated film, '' Rebel Without a Caus ...

biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudr ...

''James Dean: Race with Destiny''. Soon after, he got the breakthrough role of Johnny Rico in

Paul Verhoeven Paul Verhoeven (; born 18 July 1938) is a Dutch director, producer and screenwriter, active in the Netherlands, France and the United States. His blending of graphic violence and sexual content with social satire is a trademark of both his dram ...

's 1997

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include l ...

''. His success in ''Starship Troopers'' subsequently resulted in his casting as

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

in '' Tarzan and the Lost City'' (1998). Van Dien next played Brom von Brunt in

Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as '' Beetlejuice'' (1988), '' Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), '' The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993 ...

's 1999 film '' Sleepy Hollow'', a reworking of the classic

Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and " The Legen ...

tale. In 2000 Van Dien appeared in '' Cutaway'' as well as

Aaron Spelling Aaron Spelling (April 22, 1923 June 23, 2006) was an American film and television producer and occasional actor. His productions included the TV series ''Family'' (1976–1980), '' Charlie's Angels'' (1976–1981), '' The Love Boat'' (1977–198 ...

's short-lived NBC prime time soap '' Titans'' with

Yasmine Bleeth Yasmine Amanda Bleeth (born June 14, 1968) is an American actress and model. Her television roles include Caroline Holden on ''Baywatch'', Ryan Fenelli on ''Ryan's Hope'', and LeeAnn Demerest on ''One Life to Live''. Early life and career Bleeth ...

John Barrowman John Scot Barrowman (born 11 March 1967) is a Scottish-American actor, author, presenter, singer and comic book writer. He is known for his role as Captain Jack Harkness in ''Doctor Who'' and '' Torchwood'', and as Malcolm Merlyn in the Arrowv ...

Perry King Perry Firestone King (born April 30, 1948) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles on television and in films. King received a Golden Globe nomination for his role in the television film ''The Hasty Heart'' (1983), which is a rem ...

and Victoria Principal. He filmed several scenes as

Patrick Bateman Patrick Bateman is a fictional character created by novelist Bret Easton Ellis. He is the villain protagonist and narrator of Ellis' 1991 novel ''American Psycho'' and is portrayed by Christian Bale in the 2000 film adaptation.Guardian Unlim ...

, 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 YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

webseries '' Mortal Kombat: Legacy''. In 2020, he joined the cast of the independent film ''Daughter''. 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.

Personal life

From 1993 to 1997 Van Dien was married to Carrie Mitchum (granddaughter of

Robert Mitchum Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He rose to prominence with an Academy Award nomination for the Best Supporting Actor for ''The Story of G.I. Joe'' (1945), followed by his starring in ...

). Van Dien had co-starred with Robert Mitchum in ''James Dean: Race with Destiny''. They have two children, including actress

Grace Van Dien Grace Van Dien (born ) is an American actress and Twitch streamer. She is known for playing Brooke Osmond in the Netflix teen drama series '' Greenhouse Academy'' (2017) and Katie Campbell in NBC drama series '' The Village'' (2019). She also ...

(born 1996). In 1999 Van Dien met actress

Catherine Oxenberg Catherine Oxenberg (born September 22, 1961) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Amanda Carrington on the 1980s prime time soap opera '' Dynasty''. Oxenberg is the daughter of Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia and Howard O ...

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 Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

. In 2005, the couple appeared in their own

reality series Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early ...

, '' I Married a Princess'', which aired on the

Lifetime Television Lifetime is an American basic cable channel that is part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, a subsidiary of A&E Networks, which is jointly owned by Hearst Communications and The Walt Disney Company. It features programming that is geared toward ...

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 MyNetworkTV (unofficially abbreviated MyTV, MyNet, MNT or MNTV, and sometimes referred to as My Network) is an American commercial broadcast television syndication service and former television network owned by Fox Corporation, operated by its ...

. Oxenberg had a daughter from a previous relationship, India Riven Oxenberg (born 1991). Van Dien and Oxenberg have two daughters, born 2001 and 2003. In 2015, Van Dien filed for divorce from Oxenberg. Oxenberg and Van Dien were celebrity ambassadors for the non-profit organization Childhelp. Van Dien married Jennifer Wenger in June 2018.

Filmography

Film

Television

Producer

Web

Video games

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Dien, Casper 1968 births Admiral Farragut Academy alumni American male film actors American male soap opera actors American male television actors American producers American people of Dutch descent American people of English descent American people of French descent American people of Swedish descent Florida State University alumni Living people Participants in American reality television series People from Ridgewood, New Jersey People from Milton, Florida American people of Scandinavian descent 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors