Casper Van Dien
CASPER VAN DIEN
Date of Birth: December 18, 1968
Known for classic, all-American good looks, Casper Van Dien seems like the perfect Hollywood star. But sometimes being a stud can have its drawbacks. It's yet to be seen whether Van Dien is nothing more than the perfect life Ken doll.
Van Dien was born into a military family (a long line of military men, with his father a U.S. Navy Commander and his grandfather a marine in WWII) in Ridgefield, New Jersey. Van Dien briefly toyed with the idea of following in the family's footsteps and dropped out of regular high school in order to attend The Admiral Farragut Military Academy.
But that proved to be enough military for him and he soon decided that medicine was where his life was headed. Entering a pre-med program at Florida State, he took theater classes for electives. It wasn't long before his interest in medicine was eclipsed by drama.
After dropping out of Florida State and moving to Los Angeles, he soon landed some beginner roles on the soap opera One Life To Live and then on Beverly Hills 90210. Cashing in on his good looks, he had yet to show any formal acting chops. But the television exposure gave him what he needed to make it onto the big screen.
He began with a string of bit parts in straight-to-video releases: Night Eyes 4, Beastmaster 3 and, ironically, Casper: A Spirited Beginning. Next came James Dean: Race With Destiny, and the beginning of better things. He starred as an American icon in the film's title role. Next came his most successful and memorable role to date, Johnny Rico in Paul Verhoeven's futuristic action film, Starship Troopers.
Van Dien then played yet another American icon, Tarzan in Tarzan and the Lost City. Neither films did very well at the box office, but they did allow America to put a name to the handsome young actor.
He was seen in Tim Burton's remake of Sleepy Hollow and more recently, stars in Starship Troopers 3: Marauder (2008).
Van Dien has been married to Catherine Oxenberg since the spring of 1999. They have two children together. He also has two children from his previous marriage: Casper Robert Van Dien and Gracie Van Dien.
Filmography: 40 Love (2008)Starship Troopers 3: Marauder (2008) Sleepy Hollow (1999) The Omega Code (1999) Tarzan and the Lost City (1998) Starship Troopers (1997)