Some of you may be saying to yourselves, Erik von Detten? Who is that? But any girl who watched the Disney Channel in the ‘90s will be very familiar with this teen dreamboat, who we came to nickname EVD. He starred in one of the most popular of the Disney Channel Original Movies of that era (Brink!), and popped up in many other roles, both on the big and small screen, throughout that period.
On a more personal note, I actually started a fan website for him. I know, how embarrassing! It really just consisted of what pictures I could find online, along with information about his projects and anything else remotely interesting. My college roommate and I even came to Los Angeles to attend a taping of one of his last starring TV show roles (okay, that just happened to be at the same time as another reason for visiting LA, but still). At said taping, I had to go to the bathroom at one point, and when I was waiting to go back into the soundstage, who happened to walk up right next to me? I cannot tell a lie, it was Erik himself. Did I talk to him? No, he was with a girl, and I was much too shy.
But also? Later, when I moved to Los Angeles, I was walking by a Jamba Juice in Santa Monica, and who did I see? It was Erik – again! Did I finally have the courage to speak up then? Alas, no. Was the world trying to push us together for some weird Hollywood romance where a former fan dates the person they’re a fan of, and I was just too scared to follow through? Obviously.
Today, he doesn’t really act anymore, but instead is a father and seems to have recently joined Instagram. Hey, at least he didn’t go off the deep end like some Disney stars from that era! Now, let’s take a look at some of his more memorable roles below.
Escape to Witch Mountain (1995)
Some of you may remember the original series of Witch Mountain movies, but we’re talking about the TV movie remake here done in 1995, starring Erik and none other than Elisabeth Moss, she of Mad Men and The Handmaid’s Tale (among many other things) fame. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like there’s any way to watch this anymore, as Disney+ only has the original movie.
Toy Story (1995)
Wait a minute, Erik von Detten was the voice of Sid in Toy Story?! It’s true. I mean, I knew that already, but I figure a lot of people probably don’t. In fact, Erik did quite a bit of voice work throughout his career, including a stint on the animated show Recess. But Sid is by far one of his most memorable characters, so even though you don’t see his face, we had to include it here.
Brink! (1998)
Now we’re talking. If you were an EVD fan, then you loved Brink! Not only was Erik the star of this Disney Channel Original Movie, the movie itself was also about rollerblading, and you can’t really get much more ‘90s than that. Brink! is a tried and true tale of a young man getting sucked in by corporate sponsors and leaving his friends behind, only to realize that’s not him. It used to be you could only watch this when the Disney Channel decided to randomly replay some of their old movies, but now, thankfully, you can enjoy some sweet rollerblading anytime on Disney+.
Check out our post featuring Brink!: Brink! vs. Airborne: Which '90s Rollerblading Movie is Totally Da Bomb?
So Weird (1999-2001)
Sort of The X-Files lite for the Disney Channel audience, So Weird was about a girl named Fi who was traveling on the road with her rocker mom while encountering paranormal oddities. EVD played her cousin Clu (yes, really, that was his name), a sort of laid back goofy sidekick type. He was a regular in season one, but scaled back to recurring in the last two seasons since he was doing some other shows for ABC. For a long time, this show was not available to watch anywhere, but luckily it’s another one you can catch on Disney+.
Odd Man Out (1999-2000)
A short-lived show that was part of ABC’s TGIF lineup from 1999-2000, in Odd Man Out Erik starred as a young man in a house full of women. Apparently, ABC really tried to cash in on Erik’s popularity when promoting the show, going so far as to only show fans shouting “EVD!” in their promos, and not really explaining what the show was about. Sadly, it didn’t last, only getting 13 episodes before being canceled, and was the final sitcom to debut on TGIF before TGIF itself ended.
The Princess Diaries (2001)
Probably Erik’s most high-profile movie, he played the jerk bully kid in The Princess Diaries. He teases Anne Hathaway's Mia constantly (which somehow makes her crush on him deepen) until he finds out she’s actually a secret princess, and then decides to act like he likes her. Typical. Obviously, you can watch this movie for more than just Erik, but it doesn’t hurt that he has a small role in it as well.
Dinotopia (2002-2003)
Dinotopia the TV series was produced as a sequel to the miniseries that aired in 2002, but interestingly, none of the original cast participated. And, honestly, if you’ve seen this show at all, you can see why. It’s...not good. Very cheesy, in both plot and special effects. ABC only ended up airing 6 of the 13 episodes that were filmed, though eventually all 13 were released on DVD and via streaming services. Even as an EVD fan, I don’t think I actually watched all of the episodes.
Celebrity Mole Hawaii (2003)
Do you remember The Mole? It was a reality show that aired on ABC (are you seeing a trend of where Erik’s projects were?) for five seasons. For its third season, they decided to make it a celebrity version in Hawaii, and Erik was one of the celebrities chosen alongside Kathy Griffin, Corbin Bernsen, Stephen Baldwin, Michael Boatman, Kim Coles, and Frederique van der Wal. For those that don’t know the concept, essentially one person among the cast is the “mole,” secretly working against everyone else in various competitions. Erik made it all the way to the final episode -- I won’t give away who was the Mole and who won, though, in case you haven’t seen it. You can buy it on DVD.
Complete Savages (2004-2005)
Apart from some one off guest stints on various shows, this was EVD’s last starring role to date. ABC attempted to revive TGIF, and Complete Savages was one of the shows chosen to anchor that attempt. Unfortunately, it didn’t perform well enough for them, and was canceled after its first season. This show was the one I went to a live taping of, and I was sad because I was also a fan of Vincent Ventresca, who played the uncle, but he wasn’t in the episode I got to see taped live. Honestly, though cheesy, this show about a single dad trying to raise his five unruly sons wasn’t bad. Sadly, it doesn’t look like there’s any legit way to watch it anymore -- what a shame.
Were you an Erik von Detten fan? What were your favorite projects of his? Let us know in the comments!
- One of EVD’s first roles was on the long-running soap, Days of Our Lives, as Nicholas Alamain.
- His father is an immigrant from Munich, Germany.
- He has mostly left acting and show business, though he does do some local plays when he has the time.
- He became a father to a daughter in 2019 with his wife Angela.
- He’s from Southern California – he was born in San Diego and grew up in the Los Angeles area.
- One of EVD’s first roles was on the long-running soap, Days of Our Lives, as Nicholas Alamain.
- His father is an immigrant from Munich, Germany.
- He has mostly left acting and show business, though he does do some local plays when he has the time.
- He became a father to a daughter in 2019 with his wife Angela.
- He’s from Southern California – he was born in San Diego and grew up in the Los Angeles area.
