Daniel von Bargen, an actor who had memorable roles on sitcoms including Seinfeld and Malcolm in the Middle, died on Sunday, March 1, The Hollywood Reporter and local news outlets reported. He was 64 years old.
According to Cincinnati’s NBC affiliate WLWT5, von Bargen had been suffering an undisclosed illness for some time. Further details were not immediately available.
Perhaps best known as George Costanza’s boss Mr. Kruger in the final season of Seinfeld from 1997 to 1998, the Cincinnati native also played Commandant Edwin Spangler on Malcolm in the Middle. Other shows on his long, varied resume included NYPD Blue, The West Wing, and Law & Order.
He appeared in several films, as well. According to IMDb, he had small roles in movies like Super Troopers, O Brother, Where Are Thou?, G.I. Jane, and Basic Instinct.
In recent years, however, von Bargen appeared to be struggling. Back in 2012, he made headlines when he shot himself in the head in an apparent suicide attempt. According to reports at the time, he told the 911 dispatcher he was supposed to have part of his foot amputated that day because of diabetes complications.
Friend and fellow actor Bob Colonna mourned von Bargen’s death in a post about the actor on an entertainment blog. “I feel a huge wave of sorrow and relief at the passing of this remarkable man, Dan von Bargen,” he is quoted as saying.
“I treasure the years when I worked with him at [Rhode Island-based theater company] Trinity Rep and in a couple of TV films,” he continued. “I admire his excellent body of work in the movies. And I mourn for the darkness and pain that were his final years. God bless him. He was a hell of a guy.”
