Died: March 1, 2015 (at age 64)
Birthplace: Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.

Daniel von Bargen (June 5, 1950 - March 1, 2015) was an American film, stage and television actor. He was known for his roles as Mr. Kruger on Seinfeld, Commandant Edwin Spangler on Malcolm in the Middle, and Chief Grady in Super Troopers.
Von Bargen was born to Juanita J. (née Bustle) and Donald L. von Bargen, and was of German and English descent. He grew up in Cincinnati for most of his childhood before moving with his family to Southern California. He graduated from Purdue University in Indiana.
In 1974, von Bargen made his television debut in Great Performances.
Von Bargen's film credits included London Betty, RoboCop 3, Basic Instinct, Broken Arrow, Truman, The Majestic, Philadelphia, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Snow Falling on Cedars, Thinner, A Civil Action, Disney's The Kid, Super Troopers and Universal Soldier: The Return.
Von Bargen played the maniacal sorcerer Nix in Clive Barker's Lord of Illusions and the Sheriff in The Postman. He played a terrorist in a season 5 episode of The X-Files.
Von Bargen's stage career included a long residency with Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, Rhode Island; he made his Off-Broadway debut in 1981 in Missing Persons. He also appeared in the debut of Larry Gelbart's Mastergate and other plays at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He made his Broadway debut when the show went to New York. In 1990, he won a Theatre World Award for Outstanding New Performer for his role in Mastergate. His last films roles were as Maury in London Betty and as George Burgess in Things That Hang from Trees.
In 1993, von Bargen narrated the unabridged Streets of Laredo audiobook.
On February 20, 2012, von Bargen shot himself in the temple during an apparent suicide attempt. After placing a phone call to a 911 operator, emergency crews were dispatched to his Montgomery, Ohio, apartment. Von Bargen suffered from diabetes and, at the time of his death, had been living with one leg amputated. He was due to have a couple of toes amputated on the other foot and reportedly did not want to submit to another surgery.
Von Bargen died on March 1, 2015, of undisclosed causes, having experienced complications from diabetes for years. He was 64 years old.
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1974 | Great Performances | Episode: "Feasting with Panthers" | |
1976 | Visions | Guard | Episode: "Life Among the Lowly" |
1979 | The Scarlet Letter | A Sailor | |
1983 | The Dean of Thin Air | George Berkeley | TV movie |
1985 | Right to Kill? | Det. Roberts | TV movie |
1985 | American Playhouse | Thomas | Episode: "Three Sovereigns for Sarah: Part I" |
1985-86 | Spenser: For Hire | Al / Mr. Hurley | 2 episodes |
1990 | H.E.L.P. | Whitehall | Episode: "Are You There, Alpha Centauri?" |
1991, 1997, 2004 | Law & Order | Supt. Cooper / Commander Billings / Lambrusco | 3 episodes |
1992 | Citizen Cohn | Clyde Tolson | TV movie |
1993 | The Last Hit | Nordlinger | |
1993 | With Hostile Intent | Officer Ted Campbell | TV movie |
1993 | Scam | Albert Magliocco | TV movie |
1993 | Guiding Light | Joe Morrison | |
1994 | One West Waikiki | Capt. Charlie Dalton | Episode: "'Til Death Do Us Part" |
1994 | The Gift of Love | Mr Brady | TV movie |
1994-95 | All My Children | Lt. Cody | |
1995 | The Shamrock Conspiracy | Sternhardt | TV movie |
1995 | Truman | General Douglas MacArthur | TV movie |
1995, 1997 | New York Undercover | Green / Omega Bomber / Duane | 2 episodes |
1996 | The Writing on the Wall | Rockwell | TV movie |
1996 | NYPD Blue | Sgt. Ray Kahlins | 2 episodes |
1997-98 | Seinfeld | Mr. Kruger | 4 episodes |
1998 | The Pretender | Captain Prentiss McClaren | Episode: "Collateral Damage" |
1998 | Significant Others | David Lerner | Episode: "The Plan" |
1998 | The X-Files | Jacob Steven Haley | Episode: "The Pine Bluff Variant" |
1998 | Arliss | Episode: "Whatever It Takes" | |
1998 | Party of Five | Dr. Dick Grayson | Episode: "Love and War" |
1999 | Fantasy Island | District Attorney Flynn | Episode: "Innocent" |
1999 | The Practice | Det. Smiley | Episode: "Happily Ever After" |
2000 | City of Angels | Stewart Rafferty | Episode: "Unhand Me" |
2000 | Time of Your Life | Mr. Halloway | Episode: "The Time They Got E-Rotic" |
2000 | The Fearing Mind | P.F. O'Horgan | Episode: "Good Harvest" |
2000 | The West Wing | Air Force General Ken Shannon | 2 episodes |
2000-01 | Malcolm in the Middle | Commandant Edwin Spangler | 15 episodes |
2001 | Ally McBeal | Judge William Kopesky | Episode: "The Ex-Files" |
2001 | Judging Amy | Judge | Episode: "Grounded" |
2003 | Without a Trace | Chief Patrick Finn | Episode: "Trip Box" |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1991 | The Silence of the Lambs | SWAT communicator | |
1991 | Company Business | Mike Flinn | |
1991 | Shadows and Fog | Vigilante | |
1991 | The Good Policeman | ||
1992 | Complex World | Malcom | |
1992 | Basic Instinct | Lieutenant Nilsen | |
1993 | RoboCop 3 | Moreno | |
1993 | Rising Sun | Chief Olson / Interrogator | |
1993 | The Saint of Fort Washington | Boat Captain | |
1993 | Six Degrees of Separation | Detective | |
1993 | Philadelphia | Jury Foreman | |
1994 | I.Q. | Secret Service Agent | |
1995 | Crimson Tide | Vladimir Radchenko | |
1995 | Lord of Illusions | Nix | |
1996 | Looking for Richard | Ratcliffe | Documentary |
1996 | Broken Arrow | Air Force General Creely | |
1996 | Before and After | Fran Conklin | |
1996 | Thinner | Chief Duncan Hopley | |
1997 | G.I. Jane | Theodore Hayes | |
1997 | Trouble on the Corner | Cecil, the butcher | |
1997 | Amistad | Warden Pendleton | |
1997 | The Postman | Pineview Sheriff Briscoe | |
1998 | The Real Blonde | Devon | |
1998 | Desert Blue | Sheriff Jackson | |
1998 | I'm Losing You | Dr. Litvak | |
1998 | Inferno | Gen. Craig Maxwell | |
1998 | The Faculty | Mr. Tate | |
1998 | A Civil Action | Mr. Granger | |
1999 | The General's Daughter | Police Chief Yardley | |
1999 | Universal Soldier: The Return | General Radford | |
1999 | Snow Falling on Cedars | Carl Heine, Sr. | |
2000 | A Question of Faith | Adrian | |
2000 | O Brother, Where Art Thou? | Sheriff Cooley | |
2000 | Shaft | Lieutenant Kearney | |
2000 | Disney's The Kid | Sam Duritz | |
2001 | Super Troopers | Chief Grady | |
2001 | Trigger Happy | Harold | |
2001 | The Majestic | Federal Agent Ellerby | |
2002 | Coastlines | Sheriff Tate | |
2002 | S1m0ne | Chief Detective | |
2003 | Artworks | Howard Deardorf | |
2004 | Dead Horse | Stu Conklin | |
2005 | Drip | Daniel | |
2006 | Things That Hang from Trees | George Burgess | |
2009 | London Betty | Maury |
Year | Title | Role | Venue |
---|---|---|---|
1981 | Missing Persons | Tucker | |
1987 | Uncle Vanya | Vanya | Hasty Pudding Theater |
1988 | Platonov | Pavel Petrovich Scherbuk | |
1988 | Life is a Dream | King Basilio | |
1988 | Nobody | Carl | |
1989 | Mastergate | Maj. Manley Battle | American Repertory Theater |
1990 | Macbeth | Ross | Joseph Papp Public Theater |
1991 | Beggars in the House of Plenty | Pop | |
1992 | Angel of Death | Gunther Ludwig | American Jewish Theater |
1993 | The Treatment | Andrew | Joseph Papp Public Theater |
2003 | Secret Order | Robert Brock | Laguna Playhouse |
'Tis Pity She's a Whore | |||
The Changeling |
[ Source: Wikipedia ]