This handsome, charismatic blond actor was poised for success in feature films with leads in two 1997 films: the title role in "James Dean: Race With Destiny" (shot in 1995) and as the leading soldier battling alien bugs in Paul Verhoeven's "Starship Troopers".
A focused young actor with his eyes on the prize, Casper Van Dien began acting professionally in the early 1990s, appearing on the Saturday morning TV series "Saved By the Bell" (NBC) and in the syndicated series "Dangerous Women" (1991). He played a surfer in the short-lived CBS series "Freshman Dorm" (1992), then went to New York for a year (1993-94) with a role in the ABC daytime drama "One Life to Live".
Returning to Hollywood in 1994, Van Dien scored his first big notice playing the recurring role of Griffin Stone, who dated Donna (Tori Spelling) with unfulfilling results, on Fox's "Beverly Hills, 90210". The attention he earned as a result led to roles in the TV-movies "The Colony" (ABC, 1996), and "Nightscreen" (NBC, 1997). On the big screen, Van Dien debuted in a bit part in 1991's "The Color of Evening" and had a prominent role in "Beastmaster III: The Eye of Braxus" (1995). But it was his turns as 50s icon James Dean (opposite real-life wife Carrie Mitchum as Pier Angeli) and as Johnny Rico, the unwitting soldier who finds the ability to lead the "Starship Troopers" that solidified his status as a rising star. Van Dien was then tapped to swing from a vine as Lord Greystoke in "Tarzan and the Lost City" (1998) and to portray a hip vampire in "Modern Vampires/Revenant" (1999).
- Also Credited As:
Casper Robert Van Dien
- Born:
December 18, 1968 in Ridgefield, New Jersey, USA
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Job Titles:
Actor, Bartender, Lifeguard
Family
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Daughter: Grace Van Dien. born c. 1996; mother, Carrie Mitchum
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Daughter: Maya Van Dien. born on September 20, 2001; mother, Catherine Oxenberg
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Father: Casper Robert Van Dien. born c. 1932
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Half-sister: Debbie Van Dien.
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Mother: Diane Can Dien.
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Sister: Kristin Van Dien.
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Sister: Sudi Van Dien.
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Son: Casper Robert Mitchum Van Dien. born September 23, 1993; mother, Carrie Mitchum
Education
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Admiral Farragut Military Academy, Florida
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Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
Milestones
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1988 Moved to L.A. to pursue acting career
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1991 Early film credit, bit part in The Color of Evening
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1991 Had early TV role in syndicated series Dangerous Women
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1992 Co-starred in TV series Freshman Dorm (CBS)
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1993 Had regular role of Ty Moody on the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live
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1994 Played suitor to Tori Spelling on Beverly Hills, 90210 (Fox)
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1995 Had prominent role in Beastmaster III: The Eye of Braxus
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1995 Played title role in James Dean: Race With Destiny (released 1997)
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1997 Co-starred in Starship Troopers , directed by Paul Verhoeven
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1998 Starred opposited Jane March in Tarzan and the Lost City
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1999 Appeared in the surprise hit The Omega Man
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2000 Had featured role in Titans , an NBC fall drama
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Early TV credits included parts in PBS Safe Kids and the NBC teen series Saved By the Bell
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Family settled in Ridgewood, New Jersey when Van Dien was about four years old
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Left home at age 16 and supported himself while attending military school in Florida
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Lived with family in Florida and Okinawa, Japan as a baby and toddler