Casper Van Dien

Casper Robert Van Dien, Jr. (born December 18, 1968) is an American actor, best known for his role as Johnny Rico in Starship Troopers. Van Dien grew up in Ridgewood, New Jersey, the son of Diane (née Morrow), a retired nursery school teacher, and Casper Robert Van Dien, Sr., a retired U.S. Navy Commander and fighter pilot. The name Casper is a family tradition, given to the eldest son of his family for more than 11 generations. There is a long m... more

Casper Robert Van Dien, Jr. (born December 18, 1968) is an American actor, best known for his role as Johnny Rico in Starship Troopers. Van Dien grew up in Ridgewood, New Jersey, the son of Diane (née Morrow), a retired nursery school teacher, and Casper Robert Van Dien, Sr., a retired U.S. Navy Commander and fighter pilot. The name Casper is a family tradition, given to the eldest son of his family for more than 11 generations. 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 a descendant of an old Dutch family long settled in the New York area; his other heritage includes Swedish, French, English and Native American. The street on which Van Dien grew up in New Jersey — Van Dien Avenue — was named after his great great grandfather. In high school, Van Dien was often referred to as "Ken doll" due to his good looks, and got into many fights for that reason. Coincidentally, he was later... less