Peter Van Norden, an actor known for his roles in Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment and The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear, has died. He was 75.
Van Norden died peacefully on Thursday morning, July 9, at a hospice facility in Southern California, his wife, Wendy, confirmed to TMZ.
Wendy, who was by his side when he died, said Van Norden had been dealing with several health issues.
The actor had a long career in film, television and theater. Over the years, he appeared in popular movies, classic TV shows and many stage productions.
Van Norden was born in New York City on December 16, 1950. He began acting professionally in the 1970s.
One of his early stage roles came in 1975, when he appeared in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. He went on to perform in several other productions later that decade, including Antigone, Tartuffe, Romeo and Juliet and Saint Joan.
His first screen role came in 1979 with the comedy Squeeze Play!
In the early 1980s, Van Norden appeared in the films Headin’ for Broadway and Waitress! He also began showing up on television, with roles in episodes of Cheers, St. Elsewhere and T.J. Hooker.
In 1984, he appeared alongside Rick Springfield in the musical drama Hard to Hold. That same year, he played Moss in Roadhouse 66, which also starred Willem Dafoe, Judge Reinhold, Kate Vernon and Stephen Elliott.
Van Norden became familiar to comedy fans in 1985, when he played Officer Vinnie Schtulman in Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment.
The movie was the sequel to the 1984 hit Police Academy and featured Steve Guttenberg, Bubba Smith, David Graf, Michael Winslow, Bruce Mahler and Colleen Camp.
He continued to work steadily on television throughout the 1980s, appearing in Hardcastle and McCormick, Family Ties and Hill Street Blues.
In 1988, Van Norden played Attorney Paulsen in The Accused, the legal drama starring Jodie Foster and Kelly McGillis. The film was a critical success, and Foster won both the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Actress.
Van Norden later appeared in three episodes of Murder, She Wrote, as well as episodes of Family Matters, The Invisible Man and ER.
In 1991, he appeared in The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear, starring Leslie Nielsen.
Three years later, he was seen in the 1994 TV miniseries The Stand, based on Stephen King’s novel.
Along with his screen work, Van Norden remained active in theater. His stage credits included Hamlet, The Cradle Will Rock, Don Quixote, Hairspray, Macbeth and Art.
Last year, he appeared in Corktown ’39 at the Matrix Theatre in Los Angeles.
His most recent screen credit was the short film No Sound But the Sea, which was released in 2025.
Van Norden’s career spanned five decades. He worked across comedy, drama, television and theater, becoming a familiar face to viewers and a longtime presence on stage.