Jan Schwieterman, who played the villain in the 1997 movie Good Burger and earned more than a dozen credits in other movies and TV shows in the ’90s and 2000s, has died, his brother Chad Schwieterman announced on Facebook. He was 52.
“It is with a heavy heart that I share the passing of my brother, Jan (JP) Schwieterman. He recently found out he had an aggressive form of stage 4 cancer and passed yesterday evening,” he posted March 1. “Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers as we navigate this difficult time.”
He added, “Rest in peace, brother. We love you and miss you.”
Schwieterman was best known for playing Kurt Bozwell, the man behind Mondo Burger, a rival establishment that wants to put the titular fast food restaurant out of business in the Nickelodeon movie. Starring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell, Good Burger was based on a sketch the comedy duo did on the kid network’s All That. The comedy has become a cult classic in the decades since it was released, even spawning a long-awaited sequel in 2023.
After the news broke, Thompson paid tribute to Schwieterman on social media, writing “Very sad!!! Sending love to his family!!!” He shared an image of the actor as Kurt.
Jan Schwieterman in 2017. Jan Schwieterman/Facebook
Mitchell talked about the staying power of Good Burger in a 2023 interview with EW.
“Pretty much get it every day I go to a restaurant — it could be a five-star, it could be a drive-thru… They’re definitely going to talk about Good Burger or orange soda [from Kenan & Kel],” MItchell said. “People talk about Good Burger all the time, and I’m just happy to be a part of something that is so special to so many people. I mean, it’s even 5-year-olds that are doing Good Burger birthday parties, and they weren’t even born when we first did ‘Good Burger’ in ’94. So this is really cool.”
In addition to Good Burger, Schwieterman appeared in TV shows such as McKenna, in which he was cast alongside Jennifer Love Hewitt, as well as ER, Felicity, and MTV’s Undressed. Movies he costarred in included NightMan, Fallen Arches, and Warlock III: The End of Innocence. He made his final credited appearance in 2007’s Along the Way.
Born in Indiana, Schwieterman was known to his entire family as J.P., according to an online obituary. He was a Boy Scout and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. Then his acting aspirations took him to Los Angeles.
“J.P. loved to travel,” according to the obituary. “He has traveled to many countries throughout his life, most recently to Thailand. He was an artist of photography and painting. He studied martial arts and loved playing Dungeons and Dragons.”
The actor is survived by parents Clara Reed and LeeRoy Schwieterman, sisters Megan and Vanessa, and brother Chad, as well as a host of nieces, nephews, and cousins.
