Van Heflin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Van Heflin
Born	Emmett Evan Heflin Jr. (1908-12-13)December 13, 1908 Walters, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died	July 23, 1971(1971-07-23) (aged 62) Hollywood, California, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Oklahoma Yale University
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1928–1971
Spouse(s)	Eleanor Scherr (a.k.a. Eleanor Shaw) ​ ​ (m. 1934; div. 1936)​ Frances E. Neal ​ ​ (m. 1942; div. 1967)​
Children	3

Emmett Evan "Van" Heflin Jr. (born December 13, 1908 – died July 23, 1971) was a famous American actor. He performed in plays, on radio, and in many movies. While he often played supporting characters, he also had many main roles in the 1940s. Van Heflin won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the movie Johnny Eager (1942). He is also well-known for his parts in Western films like Shane (1953) and 3:10 to Yuma (1957).

Early Life and Education

Van Heflin was born in Walters, Oklahoma. His parents were Fanny Bleecker and Dr. Emmett Evan Heflin, who was a dentist. His family had Irish and French roots.

Heflin went to Classen High School in Oklahoma City. Some sources say he also attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School. He then studied at the University of Oklahoma, earning a bachelor's degree in 1932. He was part of the Phi Delta Theta club there. Later, he got a master's degree in theater from Yale University. Before becoming an actor, he was a skilled sailor. He also served in the military during World War II.

Acting Career Highlights

Starting on Broadway

Van Heflin began his acting journey on Broadway in the late 1920s. He appeared in several plays, including Mr. Moneypenny (1928) and The Bride of Torozko (1934). His role in End of Summer (1936) was quite successful. This success helped him get a movie contract with RKO Radio Pictures.

Early Film Roles with RKO

Heflin's first movie was A Woman Rebels (1936), where he acted alongside Katharine Hepburn. He had also worked with her in the stage play The Philadelphia Story. After this, he appeared in The Outcasts of Poker Flat (1937) and Flight from Glory (1937).

He then starred in Annapolis Salute (1937). His first main role was in Saturday's Heroes (1937), where he played a talented quarterback.

Heflin returned to Broadway for plays like Western Waters (1937–38) and Casey Jones (1938). The play The Philadelphia Story was a big hit, running for 417 shows from 1939 to 1940. This led to him getting a role in the Western film Santa Fe Trail (1940) with Errol Flynn. The movie was very popular, and Heflin was offered a contract with MGM.

Success at MGM

Van Heflin in 1941

At first, MGM gave Heflin supporting roles in movies like The Feminine Touch (1941). He had a great part in Johnny Eager (1942) as Robert Taylor's best friend. This role won him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and was a big success.

Becoming a Leading Man

MGM started giving Heflin main roles. He starred in Kid Glove Killer (1942) and Grand Central Murder (1942). Both movies were well-liked. He then played Kathryn Grayson's love interest in the musical Seven Sweethearts (1942).

Heflin took on a major role as President Andrew Johnson in Tennessee Johnson (1942). He acted opposite Lionel Barrymore in this film. However, the movie did not do well at the box office. He was also Judy Garland's love interest in Presenting Lily Mars (1943). After this, he joined the army.

Heflin served in World War II as a cameraman in the United States Army Air Force. He filmed combat in Europe and worked with the First Motion Picture Unit. He also appeared in a training film called Land and Live in the Jungle (1944).

After the war, Heflin returned to Hollywood. He starred with Barbara Stanwyck in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946). He was also in the musical Till the Clouds Roll By (1946) and with Joan Crawford in Possessed (1947).

Back at MGM, he acted with Lana Turner in Green Dolphin Street (1947), which was a huge hit. He reunited with Stanwyck in B.F.'s Daughter (1948). Heflin played Athos in The Three Musketeers (1948), which was very successful. He also starred in Act of Violence (1949) and supported Jennifer Jones in Madame Bovary (1949).

Radio Work

Van Heflin was also active in radio. He starred in The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, a detective drama, in 1947. He also appeared on popular shows like Lux Radio Theatre, Suspense, and Cavalcade of America.

Leaving MGM and Later Films

Heflin started appearing on television shows like Nash Airflyte Theatre. He took the lead role in the Western film Tomahawk (1951) and the thriller The Prowler (1951).

He made a family comedy called Week-End with Father (1951) and played an FBI agent in My Son John (1952). Heflin traveled to England for South of Algiers (1953). He then had a very successful role as an honest farmer in Shane (1953) with Alan Ladd.

He continued to make action films like Wings of the Hawk (1953) and Tanganyika (1954). Heflin was also one of many stars in Woman's World (1954). He starred in Black Widow (1954) and was the top-billed actor in Battle Cry (1955), which was a major hit.

After a Western called Count Three and Pray (1955), Heflin starred in Patterns (1956). He also appeared in several TV plays.

Heflin returned to Broadway for a play called A View From the Bridge (1957). He had another great role in 3:10 to Yuma (1957) with Glenn Ford. He made another Western, Gunman's Walk (1958).

International Films

Heflin went to Italy to star in Tempest (1959). He also appeared in They Came to Cordura (1959) with Gary Cooper and Rita Hayworth. He made more films in Europe, including 5 Branded Women (1960) and Under Ten Flags (1960).

In 1963, Heflin starred in the war film Cry of Battle, which was playing at the Texas Theatre in Dallas on November 22, 1963. His name was on the marquee of the theater where Lee Harvey Oswald was caught after President Kennedy's assassination.

Heflin had another Broadway hit in A Case of Libel (1963–64).

Final Roles

Van Heflin had a short but powerful role in the 1965 Bible film, The Greatest Story Ever Told. He played an eyewitness to Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. After seeing the miracle, he ran to Jerusalem to tell the guards that Jesus was the Messiah.

He returned to MGM for Once a Thief (1965). He was also in the remake of Stagecoach (1966). Heflin's last major film was Airport (1970). He played a character who plans to blow himself up on an airplane for insurance money. This movie was a huge success.

His last TV movies were Neither Are We Enemies (1970) and The Last Child (1971).

Personal Life and Family

Van Heflin was married twice. His first marriage was to actress Eleanor Shaw, which lasted about six months in the mid-1930s. In 1942, he married Frances Neal. They had two daughters, Vana O'Brien and Cathleen Heflin, and a son, Tracy. They divorced in 1967.

Heflin was the grandfather of actors Ben O'Brien and Eleanor O'Brien. His sister, Frances Heflin, was also an actress. She played Mona Kane in the TV show All My Children from 1970 until her death in 1994. Van Heflin was also the uncle of actresses Marta Heflin and Mady Kaplan, and director Jonathan Kaplan.

Death

On June 6, 1971, Van Heflin had a heart attack while swimming. He was taken to the hospital and lived for almost seven more weeks, but he never woke up. Van Heflin passed away on July 23, 1971, at the age of 62. He had asked for no public funeral. His ashes were scattered in the ocean.

Awards and Recognition

In 1960, Van Heflin received two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. One was for his work in movies and the other for his contributions to television. He was also inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1964.

A book about his life and career, Van Heflin A Life in Film, was published in 2016 by Derek Sculthorpe.

Filmography

Television Credits

Radio Appearances

Images for kids

See also

In Spanish: Van Heflin para niños