Van Heflin
Emmett Evan Heflin Jr., better known as
Van Heflin (
December 13,
1910 –
July 23,
1971) was an
American film and
theater actor.
Born in
Walters, Oklahoma of
French and
Irish descent. Heflin attended the
University of Oklahoma, where he was a member of
Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He began his acting career on
Broadway in the early 1930's before being signed to a contract by
RKO Studios. His first film
A Woman Rebels (
1936) featured him opposite
Katharine Hepburn, and although he received good reviews, RKO did not try to build his potential. Signed by in he 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.
MGM began to groom him as a leading man in "B Movies", and provided him with strong supporting roles in more prestigious productions. Among his more notable film credits are
Presenting Lily Mars (
1943),
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (
1946),
Possessed (
1947),
The Prowler (
1951),
Shane (
1953) and the lead in the classic
1948 film noir
Act of Violence.
He also returned to perform on stage throughout his acting career. His stage credits include
The Philadelphia Story on Broadway opposite Katharine Hepburn and
Joseph Cotten.
His last major role was in the film
Airport (
1970). He played "D. O. Guerrero", a failure who hopes to "redeem" himself by blowing himself up on an airliner so his wife (played by
Maureen Stapleton) can collect on a life insurance policy.
On
July 6,
1971, he was stricken with a
heart attack while in a swimming pool. He managed to get to the pool's ladder, where he held on until found later in the day. He lay unconscious for days, apparently never regaining consciousness. Van Heflin died at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital on
July 23,
1971. He was 60 years old.
He had left instructions forbidding a public funeral. Instead, his cremated remains were scattered on the ocean. Heflin was a sailor before becoming an actor.
Van Heflin has two stars on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to motion pictures at 6309 Hollywood Boulevard, and for television at 6125 Hollywood Boulevard.
He was the brother of
Daytime Emmy nominated actress
Frances Heflin, who died of lung cancer at the age of 70 in
1994.
A Woman Rebels (
1936)
The Outcasts of Poker Flat (
1937)
Flight from Glory (
1937)
Annapolis Salute (
1937)
Saturday's Heroes (
1937)
Back Door to Heaven (
1939)
Santa Fe Trail (
1940)
The Feminine Touch (
1941)
H.M. Pulham, Esq. (
1941)
Johnny Eager (
1942)
Kid Glove Killer (
1942)
Grand Central Murder (
1942)
Seven Sweethearts (
1942)
Tennessee Johnson (
1942)
Presenting Lily Mars (
1943)
Screen Snapshots: Hollywood in Uniform (
1943)
Land and Live in the Jungle (
1944) (documentary)
Land and Live in the Desert (
1945) (short subject) (narrator)
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (
1946)
Till the Clouds Roll By (
1946)
Possessed (
1947)
Green Dolphin Street (
1947)
B.F.'s Daughter (
1948)
The Secret Land (
1948) (documentary) (narrator)
Tap Roots (
1948)
The Three Musketeers (
1948)
Act of Violence (
1948)
Madame Bovary (
1949)
East Side, West Side (
1949)
Tomahawk (
1951)
The Prowler (
1951)
Week-End with Father (
1951)
My Son John (
1952)
The Golden Mask (
1953)
Shane (
1953)
Wings of the Hawk (
1953)
Tanganyika (
1954)
The Raid (
1954)
Woman's World (
1954)
Black Widow (
1954)
Battle Cry (
1955)
Count Three and Pray (
1955)
Patterns (
1956)
3:10 to Yuma (
1957)
Tempest (
1958)
Gunman's Walk (
1958)
They Came to Cordura (
1959)
5 Branded Women (
1960)
Under Ten Flags (
1960)
The Wastrel (
1961)
Cry of Battle (
1963)
The Greatest Story Ever Told (
1965)
Once a Thief (
1965)
Stagecoach (
1966)
The Man Outside (
1967)
The Ruthless Four (
1968)
The Big Bounce (
1969)
Airport (
1970)
