Casper Robert Van Dien Jr. (born December 18, 1968) is an American actor, best known for his lead role as Johnny Rico in the science-fiction action film Starship Troopers (1997). Other credits include Sleepy Hollow (1999), Sanctimony (2000), The Curse of King Tut's Tomb (2006), Watch Over Me (2006–2007), Born to Ride (2011), Shiver (2012), Mortal Kombat: Legacy (2013), Star Raiders: The Adventures of Saber Raine (2017), Alita: Battle Angel (2019), and Mad Heidi (2022).

Early life Van Dien was born in 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.

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.

The street that he grew up on: Van Dien Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey, was named after his great-great-great-grandfather."Tarzan of Tarzana" , Daily News of Los Angeles, April 22, 1998. Accessed September 22, 2011 When Van Dien was older, his family returned 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 big part 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, 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).Tarzan and the Lost City official site Michael Lake, producer 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 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 (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 (b. 1996).

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, 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 (b. 1991). Van Dien and Oxenberg have two daughters, born 2001 and 2003. In 2015, Van Dien filed for divorce from Oxenberg. Van Dien and Oxenberg were celebrity ambassadors for the non-profit organization Childhelp.

Van Dien married Jennifer Wenger in June 2018.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 1996 Night Eyes 4: Fatal Passion Roy Beastmaster III: The Eye of Braxus King Tal 1997 Casper: A Spirited Beginning Bystander Direct-to-video Starship Troopers Johnny Rico 1998 Tarzan and the Lost City Tarzan / John Clayton II Casper Meets Wendy Crewcut Hunk Direct-to-video 1999 The Omega Code Gillen Lane Sleepy Hollow Brom Van BruntShark Attacksteve mckray 2000 Sanctimony Tom Gerrick 2000 Road Rage Jim Travis 2002 The Rules of Attraction Patrick Bateman Deleted scene 2004 Dracula 3000Captain Abraham Van Helsing Direct-to-video2006Slayerhawk2008Aces N EightsLuke Rivers 2009 One Hot Summer Luther Simmonds 2008 Starship Troopers 3: Marauder Colonel Johnny Rico Direct-to-video 2011 Born to Ride Mike Callahan 2012 Shiver Sebastian Delgado Malibu Days Short film The Pact Bill Creek Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Sequels James K. Polk Short film Noobz Himself Also co-producer Christmas Twister Ethan Starship Troopers: Invasion Direct-to-video, executive producer 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 2016 Army Dog Tom Holloway Also producer Showdown in Manila Charlie Benz Storage Locker 181 Dayton Beyond the Edge Harold Richards original title Isra 88 2017 Star Raiders: The Adventures of Saber Raine Saber Raine All About the Money Kurt Pomeroy 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 LivingstonDeadpool The Musical 2 - Ultimate Disney ParodyCyclopsShort fan film Alpha Wolf Jack Lupo 2019 Alita: Battle Angel Amok Madness in the Method Tim Chokehold JavierLast Seen In IdahoBrock 2020 Acquitted by Faith Benjamin Stills The Warrant Virgil St. Denis / The Saint The Road to Camp Miracle Ernest Robertson Short film Roped Robert Peterson Lady Driver Elliot Lansing G-Loc DeckerDead WaterJohn The 2nd Melvin "The Driver" Sampras One Nation Under God Kingsley 2021 Real Talk Rick the Republican Shooting Paul Ben Serena's Game Ben 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 Dalton2023 Daughter Father The Flood Monsters of California MyersHeart Of A ChampionshipClint 2025 The Last Time VasilliasGuns Of RedemptionLukeRuthless BastardsNico Hawk

Television Year Title Role Notes 1990 Menu for Murder Lifeguard TV movie 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 Episode: "Cattle Drive: Part 1 & 2" Beverly Hills, 90210 Griffin Stone 7 episodes 1995 P. C. H. Randy TV movie Silk Stalkings Roger Barrows Episode: "I Know What Scares You" Married... with Children Eric Waters Episode: "Blonde and Blonder" 1996 Backroads to Vegas Adam TV movie Lethal Orbit Tom Corbett Beastmaster III: The Eye of Braxus King Tal The Colony Sawyer 1997 The Outer Limits Jake Miller Episode: "Heart's Desire" NightScream Teddy Johnson / Ray Ordwell Jr. TV movie James Dean: Race with Destiny James Dean 1998 Modern Vampires Dallas TV movie, also producer On the Border Jake Barnes TV movie 1999 Shark Attack Steven McKray The Collectors A.K. Thrill Seekers Tom Merrick 2000 Partners Axel Python Bart Parker Road Rage Jim Travis Cutaway Delmira 2000–2001 Titans Chandler Williams 14 episodes 2001 Chasing Destiny Bobby Moritz TV movie Under Heavy Fire Captain Ramsey The Tracker Connor Spears Danger Beneath the Sea Miles Sheffield 2002 The Vector File Gerry 2003 Big Spender Eddie Burton Windfall "Ace" Logan 2004 Skeleton Man Oberron Dracula 3000 Abraham Van Helsing What the Bleep Do We Know!? Romantic Moritz Documentary; uncredited Rock Me, Baby Michael Episode: "Love at First Flight" 2005 I Married a Princess Himself Also producer Hollywood Flies Zach TV movie Maiden Voyage Kyle Considine Personal Effects Chris Locke The Fallen Ones Matt Fletcher Officer Down Philip Hallows Premonition Jack Barnes 2006 Meltdown Tom The Curse of King Tut's Tomb Danny Freemont Slayer "Hawk" 2006–2007 Watch Over Me Andre Forester 64 episodes 2008 Aces 'N' Eights Luke Rivers TV movie Mask of the Ninja Jack Barrett 2008–2009 Monk Steven Albright 2 episodes 2009 One Hot Summer Luther Simmonds TV movie 2010 Turbulent Skies Tom Laugh Track Mash-ups James Episode: "Coopin' with Mr. Levy" The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation Randy McGovern TV movie 2012 Lake Effects Ash Henson Fugitive at 17 Spencer Oliphant Femme Fatales Joe Hallenbeck Episode: "One Man's Death" Baby's First Christmas Kyle TV movie 2015 Fire Twister Scott Sharktopus vs. Whalewolf Ray Patient Killer Jason TV movie; also director 2017 Hawaii Five-0 Roger Niles Episode: "Na La Ilio" 2018–2023 All American Harold Adams 11 episodes 2022 Salvage Marines Samuel Hyst 2025 Wednesday Arnold Gideon 2 episodes Stripped Chris Cameron

Web Year Title Role Notes 2013 Mortal Kombat: Legacy Johnny Cage 5 episodes 2015 Interns of F.I.E.L.D. Hawk Guy 2 episodes 2015–2016 Con Man Waiter (cameo) 6 episodes 2016 Crunch Time Casper Van Dien 3 episodes 2017 Super Power Beat Down - Boba Fett vs Star-Lord Hal Jordan / Green Lantern 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: The Video Game General Johnny Rico (voice)2024Starship Troopers: ExterminationGeneral Johnny Rico (voice)2026Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! General Johnny Rico

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