As Commandant Edwin Spangler, Daniel von Bargen was known as the strict and hard-nosed military veteran on Malcolm in the Middle.  He was noted for suffering various injuries, including a missing eye and several fingers, which he ironically endured outside the war.  He was introduced as the person in charge of the cadets at Marlin Academy, where he deemed Francis (Christopher Masterson) as his most rebellious student.  In the course of the series, however, Francis helped Spangler find a new job, after getting dismissed from the academy, at a retirement home where he gets to boss around senior citizens.  Next year, the 57-year-old actor will be gracing the silver screen with a high comic-adventure project.

From the award-winning company Hale Manor Productions comes London Betty, a new touching black comedy about thieves, whores and immigrants within a small town.  It features the former Malcolm in the Middle actor as Maury, the eccentric boss of lead character Betty (Nicole Lewis), who gets caught up in the Mayor's wrath and is rescued by her ragtag group of friends.  The movie is currently in post-production stages and is expected for release in 2008.

After his stint on Malcolm in the Middle, Daniel von Bargen pursued several movie projects.  Some of his credits included S1mone, Artworks, and Dead Horse.  On television, he continued to take on military/police roles, including Chief Patrick Finn on Without A Trace and Commander Billings on Law & Order.  Most recently, he became part of the drama Drip and Things That Hang from Trees.


-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image courtesy of ocmetro)