Erik von Detten, a talented actor with an undeniable charm, has built an impressive resume in the entertainment industry. Born in San Diego, California, to Susan (Farber),a photographer, and Volker von Detten, a German immigrant, Erik's mother is of English and Russian Jewish descent. He was raised in Southern California with two sisters, experiencing a vastly different upbringing from his character in the TV show Complete Savages.
At the age of nine, Erik accompanied his sister to an agent meeting, and soon after, he landed his first professional role as a series regular on NBC's Days of Our Lives. This marked the beginning of his two-year stint on the show, which he considers his training ground. After leaving the show, von Detten continued to accumulate an impressive list of film and television credits throughout his teenage years.
Von Detten's television credits include series regular roles on ABC's Complete Savages, ABC's Dinotopia, ABC's Odd Man Out, and The Disney Channel's So Weird. He has also guest-starred on numerous popular television series, including ABC's 8 Simple Rules, NBC's ER, and NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
His telefilm credits include the lead role in the hit rollerblading movie Brink!, which was one of the first Disney Channel Original Movies. Von Detten has also starred in Replacing Dad, Christmas Every Day, A Stranger to Love, A Season of Hope, and In the Line of Duty: Kidnapped.
In addition to his television work, von Detten has appeared in several feature films, including Disney's The Princess Diaries, Universal's Leave It to Beaver, and the highly successful Toy Story. He has also lent his voice to Disney's and Pixar's animated feature Tarzan and the television series The Legend of Tarzan.
Aside from acting, von Detten's interests include classical piano, landscape photography, and self-portraiture. He enjoys spending time on his classic 1969 sailboat, which he restored himself, and also enjoys hiking, surfing, tennis, and rollerblading on the Venice Boardwalk with his Dalmatian, Miles.
