By high school, the acting bug bit hard. Von Esmarch performed in a number of plays, as well as participating in football, shot-put and discus. He went on to attend Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Ore., where he earned a B.A. in theater with an English minor.

After graduating, he moved to Los Angeles and made his living working in a video game store. He landed a meeting with an agent through a friend and the rep immediately saw von Esmarch's potential for the role of Dwight, which was being cast at the time. The next day, von Esmarch went to the audition, his first since arriving in L.A., and got the part. He also has a role as a football player in the TNT movie Second String, to premiere in 2001.

In his off hours, von Esmarch is an admitted video game addict and film lover. The actor currently makes his home in Los Angeles, Calif.