Peter Van Norden, comic actor from Police Academy and Naked Gun, dies at 75
The American actor, best known for playing Officer Vinnie Schtulman in Police Academy 2 and John Sununu in The Naked Gun 2½, died on Thursday with his wife Wendy at his side, his son announced.
Death announced by family
Peter Van Norden died on Thursday at the age of 75, his son Robert confirmed via an Instagram post. The actor passed away in a Southern California hospice facility, where he had been dealing with multiple health conditions, according to a TMZ report cited by Deadline.
Peter passed away peacefully last night with his wife, Wendy, at his side. He was a terrific father, husband, friend, and a greatly respected member of the theater community. He will be missed.
The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline and German-language outlets 20 Minuten and Focus all carried the news on 11 July 2026, drawing on Robert Van Norden's public statement.
Career from the late 1970s to the 2020s
Born on 16 December 1950 in New York City, Van Norden graduated magna cum laude from Colgate University in Upstate New York before moving to Los Angeles in the 1970s. His first credited screen role came in the 1979 comedy Squeeze Play, directed by Lloyd Kaufman. He followed it with parts in Waitress! (1981), Headin' for Broadway! (1980), Hard to Hold (1984) and Roadhouse 66 (1984).
His most recognisable film work arrived in the mid-1980s and early 1990s. In 1985 he joined the Police Academy franchise for its second instalment, Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment, directed by Jerry Paris. Van Norden played policeman Vinnie Schtulman, the first partner of Steve Guttenberg's character Carey Mahoney. Six years later, in 1991, he appeared in The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear, portraying John Sununu, the former White House chief of staff under President George H. W. Bush.
- Born in New York City.
- First credited screen role in Lloyd Kaufman's comedy Squeeze Play.
- Appears as Officer Vinnie Schtulman in Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment.
- Plays John Sununu in The Naked Gun 2½.
- Recurring guest spots on Murder, She Wrote.
- Two episodes of Days of Our Lives.
- Guest role on 9-1-1.
- Final stage role in Corktown '39 at the Matrix Theatre, Los Angeles.
- Participates in The Rehearsal Room workshop on Shakespeare's Richard III.
- Dies at age 75 in a Southern California hospice facility.
Television roles across multiple decades
Van Norden built a steady television presence from the 1980s onward. His credits include appearances on Cheers, TJ Hooker, St. Elsewhere, Family Ties, Hill Street Blues, Newhart, Matlock, LA Law (1990–1992), The Stand, Tales from the Crypt and Nash Bridges. He also turned up repeatedly on Murder, She Wrote between 1989 and 1996, and later in two 2004 episodes of the soap opera Days of Our Lives. A 2019 guest role on the emergency-services drama 9-1-1 was among his final screen appearances.
Later film credits listed across the obituaries include The Accused (1988), An Innocent Man, Love Hurts, Hunky Dory, West Virginia and the 2003 feature Gigli.
Stage work and final years
Outside film and television, Van Norden maintained an extensive stage career. He performed in Broadway productions of St. Joan, Macbeth, Little Johnny Jones, Romeo and Juliet and The Inspector General, alongside Off-Broadway and regional theatre work. His last stage role came in 2024 in Corktown '39 at the Matrix Theatre in Los Angeles. The Hollywood Reporter notes he was also an active participant in The Rehearsal Room, an actors workshop that works with challenging material; in August 2025 he took part in a session on Shakespeare's Richard III.
Survived by wife and son
Van Norden is survived by his wife Wendy and their son Robert. The family has not announced memorial or funeral arrangements as of 11 July.
