Casper grew up in Ridgewood, New Jersey on Van Dien Avenue (Named after his great, great grandfather). When he and his family moved to Florida he enrolled at the elite military college prep school Admiral Farragut Academy where he graduated third in command. After attending Florida State University he moved to LA to pursue an acting career where he found success in both film and TV.

His breakthrough role was as the lead in Paul Verhoeven’s cult-classic Starship Troopers for Sony/Touchstone. He was also cast in Tim Burton’s critically acclaimed film Sleepy Hollow for Paramount Pictures with Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci and Christopher Walken. Van Dien starred as ‘Lord of the Jungle’ in the Warner Bros. film Tarzan and the Lost City.

Casper has starred in over 60 films and television projects. Some of his credits include Chasing Destiny with Lauren Graham & Christopher Lloyd, Modern Vampires with Kim Cattrall & Rod Steiger, Thrill Seekers with Catherine Bell & Martin Sheen, Personal Effects with Penelope Ann Miller, Officer Down with Sherilyn Fenn, Big Spender with Graham Green, James Dean: Live  Fast Die Young with Robert Mitchum, The Curse of King Tut’s Tomb for Hallmark Entertainment and the surprise independent hit The Omega Code.