Actor Peter Van Norden, best known for his memorable roles in Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment and The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear, has died aged 75.
The veteran performer passed away peacefully at a hospice facility in Southern California on Thursday, July 9, 2026 while dealing with several health conditions.
His wife, Wendy Van Norden, was by his side when he died, she confirmed to TMZ. Peter is also survived by the couple’s son, Robert.
Born in New York City on December 16, 1950, Peter began his screen career during the late 1970s, making one of his earliest appearances in the comedy Squeeze Play!.
He went on to become a familiar face across film and television, often making an impression in supporting roles alongside some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
Comedy fans will remember him as Officer Vinnie Schtulman in 1985’s Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment. The character was the unhygienic and eccentric partner assigned to Bobcat Goldthwait’s timid Officer Carl Sweetchuck.
© CBS via Getty ImagesPeter later played former White House Chief of Staff John Sununu in the 1991 comedy sequel The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear, starring Leslie Nielsen as the famously incompetent Lieutenant Frank Drebin.
His other film credits included Roadhouse 66, opposite Willem Dafoe and Judge Reinhold, as well as the Jodie Foster courtroom drama The Accused.
© CBS via Getty ImagesPeter also appeared in numerous popular television shows, including Cheers, T.J. Hooker, St. Elsewhere, Family Ties, Murder, She Wrote, Matlock, L.A. Law and In the Heat of the Night.
Stephen King fans may recognise him as Ralph Brentner in the 1994 television miniseries The Stand, based on the author’s sprawling post-apocalyptic novel.
© ABCAlongside his screen work, Peter enjoyed a distinguished stage career spanning Broadway and regional theatre. His Broadway credits included productions of Macbeth at Lincoln Center and Saint Joan alongside Lynn Redgrave.
Peter’s career across television, film and theatre spanned more than four decades.
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