Van Heflin
| Van Heflin | |
|---|---|
1941 publicity photo
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| Born |
Emmett Evan Heflin, Jr. December 13, 1908 Walters, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | July 23, 1971 (aged 62) Hollywood, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | heart attack |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1928–71 |
| Spouse(s) | Eleanor Scherr (aka Eleanor Shaw) Frances E. Neal (1942–67; 3 children) |
| Children | Vana O'Brien (b. 1943) Cathleen (Kate) Heflin Tracy Heflin |
Van Heflin (December 13, 1908 – July 23, 1971) was an American theatre, radio and film actor. He played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Johnny Eager (1942).
Heflin was born Emmett Evan Heflin, Jr. in Walters, Oklahoma, the son of Fanny Bleecker (née Shippey) and Dr. Emmett Evan Heflin, a dentist. He was of Irish and French ancestry. Heflin's sister was Daytime Emmy-nominated actress Frances Heflin (who married composer Sol Kaplan). Heflin attended Classen High School in Oklahoma City (One source says Long Beach Polytechnic High School.) and the University of Oklahoma, where he received a bachelor's degree in 1932 and was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He earned a master's degree in theater at Yale University.
Heflin began his acting career on Broadway in the early 1930s before being signed to a contract by RKO Radio Pictures. He made his film debut in A Woman Rebels (1936), opposite Katharine Hepburn. He was signed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and was initially cast in supporting roles in films such as Santa Fe Trail (1940), and Johnny Eager (1942), winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the latter performance.
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