Casper Van Dien facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Casper Van Dien
Van Dien in 2013
Born	Casper Robert Van Dien Jr. (1968-12-18) December 18, 1968 (age 56) Milton, Florida, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1984–present
Spouse(s)	Carrie Mitchum ​ ​ (m. 1993; div. 1997)​ Catherine Oxenberg ​ ​ (m. 1999; div. 2015)​ Jennifer Wenger ​ (m. 2018)​
Children	4, including Grace Van Dien

Casper Robert Van Dien Jr. (born December 18, 1968) is an American actor. He is famous for playing Johnny Rico in the 1997 science-fiction action movie Starship Troopers. He has also acted in many TV shows and movies. These include TV movies and films released straight to video. He even returned as Johnny Rico in Starship Troopers 3: Marauder, a sequel to the first movie.

Discovering Casper Van Dien: Early Life and Family History

Van Dien was born in Milton, Florida. His mother, Diane, was a nursery school teacher. His father, Casper Robert Van Dien Sr., was a U.S. Navy Commander and a fighter pilot.

His family has a long history of serving in the military. His grandfather was a Marine during World War II. Van Dien's family came from the Netherlands a long time ago. They settled in the New York area. He also has Swedish, French, and English family roots.

The street where Van Dien grew up in Ridgewood, New Jersey, called Van Dien Avenue, was named after his great-great-great-grandfather. Later, his family moved back to Florida. He went to the Admiral Farragut Academy in St. Petersburg. He graduated as 3rd in command. After high school, Van Dien studied at Florida State University.

Casper Van Dien's Acting Journey: From TV to Sci-Fi Stardom

After moving to Los Angeles, Van Dien got small parts in many TV shows and movies. He had early roles as Ty Moody on the TV show One Life to Live. He also appeared in the drama Beverly Hills, 90210. To improve his acting, Van Dien took a small role in the video game Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom.

In 1996, Van Dien played King Tal in Beastmaster III: The Eye of Braxus. This was a sequel to the 1982 movie The Beastmaster. Van Dien also starred in the 1997 movie James Dean: Race with Destiny. This film was about the famous actor James Dean.

His big break came when he played Johnny Rico in the 1997 science fiction action film Starship Troopers. Because of his success in Starship Troopers, he was cast as Tarzan in Tarzan and the Lost City (1998). Van Dien then played Brom von Brunt in Tim Burton's 1999 movie Sleepy Hollow. This movie was a new version of a classic story.

In 2008, Van Dien returned to play Rico in Starship Troopers 3: Marauder. This was a direct-to-video sequel to the first Starship Troopers movie.

Van Dien also took over the role of Johnny Cage for the second season of the YouTube web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy. In 2022, Van Dien played Samuel Hyst in the series Salvage Marines. He was also a producer for this show. He said this role was similar to playing Johnny Rico.

Casper Van Dien's Family Life

From 1993 to 1997, Van Dien was married to Carrie Mitchum. They have two children together. One of their children is the actress Grace Van Dien (born in 1996).

In 1999, Van Dien met actress Catherine Oxenberg. They worked together on a TV movie and a thriller film. They got married on May 8, 1999, in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2005, the couple had their own reality series called I Married a Princess. This show aired on TV channels in the United States and other countries. Catherine Oxenberg's mother is Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia. Van Dien and Oxenberg have two daughters together. In 2015, they divorced. Van Dien and Oxenberg were also ambassadors for the non-profit group Childhelp.

Van Dien married Jennifer Wenger in June 2018.

Filmography: Movies

Filmography: Television Roles

Filmography: Web Series and Video Games

Video games

See also

In Spanish: Casper Van Dien para niños