Peter Van Norden dies after prolonged battle with cancer

American actor Peter Van Norden passed away at the age of 75 after a decades-long career in Hollywood and on the stage.

On July 9, in an interview with TMZ, the late actor’s wife, Wendy, confirmed the news. She further said that he passed away peacefully on Thursday morning. While at a hospice facility in Southern California. His wife, who was at his side at the time of his passing, told the outlet that Norden had been battling various health conditions.

Norden was born in New York City on December 16, 1950, and began to professionally act when he appeared in Shakespeare’s play Measure for Measure in 1975. Then the actor kicked off his career in entertainment beginning in the 70s and appeared in films such as Police Academy 2 (1985) and Naked Gun 2½ (1991). He continued to star in more productions during the late 70s, including Antigone, Tartuffe, Romeo and Juliet, as well as Saint Joan.

In 1979, Norden appeared on screen for the first time as he took on a role in the comedic film Squeeze Play! The late actor also stepped into the world of television during the decade and appeared in episodes of Cheers, St. Elsewhere and T.J. Hooker. In 1984, Norden worked alongside Rick Springfield in the musical drama film titled Hard To Hold, and the same year, he portrayed the character of Moss in the drama Roadhouse 66.

The cast at the time also included Willem Dafoe, Judge Reinhold, Kate Vernon, and Stephen Elliot. Norden played Officer Vinnie Schtulman in Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment (1985), which was a sequel to the first film that was released the year before. He starred alongside Steve Guttenberg, Bubba Smith, David Graf, Michael Winslow, Bruce Mahler, and Colleen Camp.

Peter Van Norden was active in theater as well and appeared in many productions such as Hamlet, The Cradle Will Rock, Don Quixote, Hairspray and Macbeth.

Last year, the actor starred in the production of Corktown ’39, which was shown at the Matrix Theatre in Los Angeles.