Celeste Van Dien comes from a relatively large family. She is one of two children Casper Van Dien and actress Catherine Oxenberg had during their marriage. However, Celeste has other siblings through her parents’ relationships/marriage. Her maternal grandmother is Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia.
Her family has deep roots in the entertainment industry and she has followed suit. The 20-year-old actress has featured in several movies including Sleeping Beauty (2014), Kismet (2018), and The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation (2010).
Celeste Van Dien’s Biography and Age
Celeste Alma Van Dien was born on October 3, 2003, to her parents Casper Van Dien and Catherine Oxenberg. The actress is the second child of the actors. Her older sister is Amanda Maya Van Dien.
Celeste has two half-siblings Casper Van Dien and actress, Caroline Grace Van Dien from her father’s first marriage with Carrie Mitchum. Also, she has a half-sister, Indian Riven Oxenberg, who was born during her mother’s relationship with a convicted drug smuggler named William Weitz Shaffer.
Celeste Van Dien is currently 20 years old.
Her Parents Married in 1999 and Divorced in 2015
During the filming of the movie, The Collectors in 1999, Celeste’s parents met and soon became friends. A couple of months after meeting, the pair went ahead to marry at Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada.
After they married, the two started their own reality series, I Married a Princess. Besides that, Casper and Catherine co-starred in the American drama series, Watch Over Me. Also, they were celebrity ambassadors for the non-profit organization, Childhelp.
Despite the bond the couple shared, the marriage crashed in 2015. Reports have it that Van Dien was the one who filed for divorce from Catherine after almost 16 years of marriage. At the time of the divorce filing, Celeste was 11 years old while her sister Amanda was 14 so their father asked for joint physical and legal custody of them.
Prior to marrying Catherine, Casper Van Dien married his first wife Carrie Mitchum in 1993 and divorced her in 1997. Celeste’s mother, Catherine was previously married to producer, Rober Evans as well. The marriage, however, was annulled nine days later.
Celeste Van Dien’s father remarried for the third time in 2018. The name of his wife is Jennifer Wenger.
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Here are Other Interesting Facts about the Child Actor
1. Celeste Van Dien is the Granddaughter of the Princess of Yugoslavia
Celeste’s mother, Catherine is from a royal family. Her grandparents are Princess Olga Paul of Yugoslavia and Prince Paul of Yugoslavia. Catherine’s parents are Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia and Howard Oxenberg. Princess Elizabeth is the only daughter of Prince Paul of Yugoslavia.
Also, through her maternal grandmother, Catherina is Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra, The Honorable Lady Ogilvy, and Prince Michael of Kent. Her other relatives from the royal family include Queen Sofia of Spain and also Charles III of the United Kingdom.
2. The 20 year-old Actress Has Acted Alongside Her Parents and Siblings
According to reports, Celeste’s father, who’s known for his roles in Starship Troopers(1997) and Tarzan and the Lost City (1998), is also known for appearing with his whole family in some of the movies he directed in the past.
A notable one is Sleeping Beauty, in which he and his ex-wife played the role of Sleeping Beauty’s parents while his daughter Grace, acted as Dawn(Sleeping Beauty). Celeste and her older sister Maya had small roles in the Disney film as well.
Van Dien was also featured on The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation(2010) with her parents.
3. Her Half-sister, India Had a Traumatic Experience with the NXIVM
At the age of 19, Celeste’s half-sister, India joined a cult group called NXIVM. The group was led by the self-proclaimed guru and New York-based marketer, Keith Raniere, who was later convicted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
Indian revealed in an interview that she was manipulated, raped, blackmailed, and branded with Raniere’s initials while she was in the group. For seven years, she left her family and stayed with the cult. While she was there, she was initiated into a female-only group within NXIVM called Dominus Obsequious Sororium.
Thankfully, in 2018, Catherine was able to get India out of the notorious group after several attempts. That same year, Raneire was arrested on charges such as sex trafficking and racketeering and he is said to be serving a 120-year sentence. He was also ordered by the court to pay about $3.46 million in restitution to 21 victims alongside Celeste’s half-sister.
In August 2018, Celeste’s mother shared her story in her book, Captive: A mother’s Crusade to Save Her Daughter from a Terrifying Cult.
4. Her father was Allegedly Abused When He was Eight Years
Some times back in the mid-2000s, Casper and his then-wife, Catherin Oxenberg revealed in an interview that the former was sexually abused when he was eight years. The actor also revealed that his character in Starship Troopers is said to be a PSA about his childhood abuse.
5. Celeste Van Dien’s Half-brother Attempted Suicide in 2012
Celeste’s half-brother, Casper Jr. reportedly tried to take his own life by hanging in 2012 while he was being treated at a psychiatric ward at a Solvang medical facility. Reports have it that he was found unresponsive.
Casper Jr. has since moved on with his life although his mother, Carrie allegedly shared on Facebook in 2018 that he was still having issues and even called him a “suicidal addict”.
