Peter Van Norden, an actor best known for his roles in the big-screen crime comedy franchises Police Academy and The Naked Gun, has died. He was 75.
Robert, the actor’s son, announced his father’s death on social media on Thursday, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“Peter passed away peacefully last night with his wife, Wendy, at his side,” Robert wrote, per THR. “He was a terrific father, husband, friend, and a greatly respected member of the theater community. He will be missed.”
Wendy told TMZ her husband died peacefully in a Southern California hospice facility that morning. She added that Van Norden had several health conditions at the time of his death.
Van Norden played Officer Vinnie Schtulman, partner of Steve Guttenberg’s Carey Mahoney, in the 1995 crime comedy film Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment.
He returned to the genre in 1991, portraying a parody version of John H. Sununu, President George H.W. Bush’s chief of staff, in The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear.
Van Norden’s other film credits include Roadhouse 66 and The Accused.
On television, Van Norden portrayed farmer Ralph Brentner in the 1994 miniseries The Stand, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name.
He also had guest-starring parts on Cheers, St. Elsewhere, ER, and Without a Trace, plus recurring roles on In the Heat of the Night, Life Goes On, and L.A. Law. His most recent TV appearance came in 2019, when he guest-starred in an episode of 9-1-1.
On Broadway, Van Norden had featured parts in productions of the plays Romeo and Juliet, Saint Joan, The Inspector General, and Macbeth, as well as the musical Little Johnny Jones.
Robert, the actor’s son, is a film producer, and Van Norden praised Robert’s work in this year’s thriller Deep Water in an Instagram post this May, writing, “He actually worked on it every single day. Proud papa.”