Daniel von Bargen, Cincinnati born actor and best remembered for his part as George Costanza’s boss Mr. Kruger in the last season of Seinfeld, passed away after battling a long-time illness, The Hollywood Reporter informs. Although the actual reason of death is not mentioned, other sources confirm that Daniel von Bargen was suffering from diabetes and died due to several complications.
Although Daniel von Bargen is mostly remembered due to his role in Seinfeld, he also starred in other television series like Guiding Light (1952), All My Children (1970), or Visions (1976). The movie portfolio of von Bargen includes notable titles, which brought the actor mainly law-enforcement parts, be it as a cop, lieutenant or judge. In the The Silence of the Lambs we see him as a SWAT Communicator (1991), Shadows and Fog bring him as a vigilante (1991). The following year, in 1992, he appears in Basic Instinct as Lieutenant Nilsen, and in 1993’s Rising Sun he becomes Chief Olson / Interrogator.
In 2000, he starred in the Joel Coen and Ethan Coen directed O Brother, Where Art Thou? again as public figure, under the name of Sheriff Cooley. His last roles were in movies like Drip, a 2005 romance, or the drama Things That Hang from Trees; London Betty, a comedy about misfits like thieves and immigrants, brought Daniel von Bargen as Maury in 2009.
Daniel von Bargen’s fight with his illness was a prolonged one and the actor was close to passing away a couple of years ago after to a suicide attempt. In February 2012, he shot himself in the temple, but although he was seriously injured, he survived. The reason behind his suicide attempt was the illness which now took over him. Back then, he was suffering from the fact that due to diabetes, he had to have two fingers removed.
Bob Colonna, actor and friend of Daniel von Bargen, made the following declaration as a tribute to the passing of the actor: ‘’I feel a huge wave of sorrow and relief at the passing of this remarkable man (…) I treasure the years when I worked with him at Trinity Rep and in a couple of TV films. 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.”