Peter Van Norden, a frequent actor in films such as “Police Academy 2” and television projects such as “The Stand,” died Thursday in California, his son Robert confirmed on Instagram. He was 75 years old.

Born in New York, Van Norden graduated from Colgate University and got his start on stage in plays such as “Measure for Measure,” “A Country Scandal” and “Romeo and Juliet.” Her first screen role came in 1979’s “Squeeze Play” and she later appeared in films such as “Waitress!”, “The Accused” and “Gigli.” In “The Accused,” he played attorney Paulsen in the intense rape trial drama starring Jodie Foster and Kelly McGillis.

In “Police Academy 2: First Mission,” he played careless police dog Vinnie Schtulman, one of the gang in the 16th Precinct, who was associated with Steve Gutenberg’s Officer Mahoney.

During the 1980s, Van Norden had frequent guest roles in popular television series and films, including “Cheers,” “St. Elsehwere,” “TJ Hooker,” “Malibu,” “Silver Spoons,” “Family Ties” and “Murder, She Wrote.” In Stephen King’s 1994 miniseries “The Stand,” he played Ralph Brentner, a farmer who travels west with a group to escape the chaos caused by a weaponized virus. Van Norden played Henry Kissinger in the 1990s series “Dark Skies” and appeared in two episodes of “Tales From the Crypt,” as well as episodes of “Nash Bridges” and “Family Matters.”

Van Norden later appeared in series such as “9-1-1,” “Without a Trace,” “Days of Our Lives,” “ER,” and “The Invisible Man.” He continued to work on stage in several different theater companies.

Van Norden is survived by his wife, Wendy, and son, Robert.