Casper Van Dien

Born: December 18, 1968
Where: New Jersey

This charismatic actor was bound for success in feature films since leads in two 1997 films: he played the screen legend in James Dean: Race With Destiny and the leading soldier battling alien bugs in Paul Verhoeven's Starship Troopers.

Casper began acting professionally in the early 1990s, appearing on the Saturday morning TV series Saved By the Bell and in the syndicated series Dangerous Women in 1991.

After a few more years of small roles in a couple of series, he returned to Hollywood in 1994.

Van Dien scored his first big notice playing the role of Griffin Stone, who dated Donna (Tori Spelling) on Beverly Hills, 90210. The attention he earned as a result led to roles in a couple of TV-movies in '96 & '97.

But it wasn't until his roles in the James Dean biopic and Starship Troopers that Casper solidified his status as leading-man material.