Van Heflin | |
|---|---|
 Heflin in 1941 | |
| 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 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
Emmett Evan "Van"Heflin Jr. (December 13, 1908[1] – July 23, 1971) was an American theatre, radio, and film actor. He played mostlycharacter parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man. Heflin won theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance inJohnny Eager (1942). He also had memorable roles in thewesternsShane (1953),3:10 to Yuma (1957), andGunman's Walk (1958). He portrayed a mentally disturbed airline passenger in the classic disaster filmAirport (1970).
Heflin was born inWalters, Oklahoma, the son of Fanny Bleecker (née Shippey) and Dr. Emmett Evan Heflin, a dentist.[1][2] He was of Irish and French ancestry.[3] Heflin's sister wasDaytime Emmy-nominated actressFrances Heflin (who married composerSol Kaplan). Heflin attendedClassen High School inOklahoma City. One source saysLong Beach Polytechnic High School.[1] He also went to theUniversity of Oklahoma, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1932,[1] and was a member ofPhi Delta Theta fraternity. He earned a master's degree in theater atYale University.[4]
Prior to his acting career, Heflin was an accomplished seaman.[5][3]
Heflin began his acting career onBroadway in the late 1920s. He appeared inMr. Moneypenny (1928),The Bride of Torozko (1934),The Night Remembers (1934),Mid-West (1936), andEnd of Summer (1936).[6] After this,Katharine Hepburn helped him secure a film contract withRKO Radio Pictures and he did a screen test in New York.[7]: 25
Heflin made his film debut inA Woman Rebels (1936), opposite Katharine Hepburn, whom he played opposite in the stage version ofThe Philadelphia Story. He followed it withThe Outcasts of Poker Flat (1937), billed third afterPreston Foster andJean Muir, andFlight from Glory (1937), aChester Morris programmer where Heflin played an alcoholic pilot.
Heflin was inAnnapolis Salute (1937), then was given his first lead role inSaturday's Heroes (1937), playing a star quarterback.
Heflin returned to Broadway forWestern Waters (1937–38) andCasey Jones (1938), the latter for theGroup Theatre and directed byElia Kazan.
In Hollywood Heflin had a support role inBack Door to Heaven (1939). He returned to Broadway where he played Macaulay Connor oppositeKatharine Hepburn,Joseph Cotten andShirley Booth inThe Philadelphia Story, which ran for 417 performances from 1939 to 1940. It led to Heflin being offered a choice character part in theErrol Flynn westernSanta Fe Trail (1940) at Warners, playing a villainous gun seller. The movie was a big hit.[8]
Not being "swamped with offers" afterSanta Fe Trail, Heflin contacted Billy Grady, anMGM talent scout, and arranged for a screen test, which Heflin did oppositeDonna Reed. He received a stock deal from MGM, which initially cast Heflin in supporting roles in films such asThe Feminine Touch (1941) andH.M. Pulham, Esq. (1941).[7]: 37–39
He had a part as Robert Taylor's doomed best friend inJohnny Eager (1942), which won Heflin anAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and was a box office success.[7]: 42
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MGM began to groom Heflin as a leading man inB movies, giving him the star role inKid Glove Killer (1942), directed byFred Zinnemann, andGrand Central Murder (1942). Both were popular.
Encouraged, MGM cast him asKathryn Grayson's love interest in a musical,Seven Sweethearts (1942), then was given the star role in an "A" film, as the embattled PresidentAndrew Johnson inTennessee Johnson (1942), playing opposite (and at odds with)Lionel Barrymore who, in the role of CongressmanThaddeus Stevens, failed to have Johnson convicted in an impeachment trial by the slimmest of margins. The film was a box office flop.
Heflin wasJudy Garland's love interest inPresenting Lily Mars (1943); then, he enlisted in the Army.
Heflin served initially in the field artillery. After recuperating from injuries incurred during training, he was transferred to the Ninth Air Force as combat photographer, flying over France and Germany, before joining, with many other actors, theFirst Motion Picture Unit.[9][10] He first appeared in the training filmLand and Live in the Jungle (1944) and then in three more films.
When Heflin returned to Hollywood, MGM lent him toHal Wallis to star opposite Barbara Stanwyck inThe Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946). He was in the all-star musicalTill the Clouds Roll By (1946) then was loaned to Warner Bros to co star withJoan Crawford inPossessed (1947).
Back at MGM he co-starred withLana Turner inGreen Dolphin Street (1947), a big prestige film for the studio and their biggest hit of 1947. He was reunited with Stanwyck inB.F.'s Daughter (1948) and was loaned toWalter Wanger forTap Roots (1948), where he was top billed; both lost money.
MGM cast him asAthos inThe Three Musketeers (1948), a huge success. He was top-billed in Zinnemann'sAct of Violence (1949), and supportedJennifer Jones inMadame Bovary (1949). Both movies were acclaimed but lost money. He then made a third film with Stanwyck,East Side, West Side (1950), but he was now billed beneathJames Mason. While that production did not lose money, it only netted a small profit for the studio.
The Adventures of Philip Marlowe was a radio detective drama that aired from June 17, 1947, through September 15, 1951, first heard on NBC in the summer of 1947 starring Van Heflin (June 12, 1947 – September 9, 1947). He also acted on theLux Radio Theatre,Suspense,Cavalcade of America and many more radio programs.
Heflin began appearing on television on episodes ofNash Airflyte Theatre andRobert Montgomery Presents (an adaptation ofArrowsmith).
Heflin had the lead role in a Western at Universal,Tomahawk (1951) and starred in a thriller directed byJoseph Losey,The Prowler (1951).
At Universal he made a family comedy withPatricia Neal,Week-End with Father (1951), then he was an FBI man inLeo McCarey's anti-CommunistMy Son John (1952).
Heflin went to England to star inSouth of Algiers (1953). He appeared in a huge success as the honest farmer inShane (1953) withAlan Ladd.
However he followed it up with action films at Universal:Wings of the Hawk (1953), andTanganyika (1954). He starred in an independent Western,The Raid (1954) and was one of many stars in20th Century Fox'sWoman's World (1954).
Heflin stayed at Fox to star inBlack Widow (1954) and he was top billed in Warners'Battle Cry (1955) based onLeon Uris's best seller which was a major hit at the box office.
After a Western,Count Three and Pray (1955), Heflin starred inPatterns (1956) based on a TV play byRod Serling. He also did aPlayhouse 90 written by Serling, "The Dark Side of the Earth", and "The Rank and File"; he also did "The Cruel Day" byReginald Rose.
Heflin returned to Broadway to appear in a double bill of Arthur Miller'sA View From the Bridge andA Memory of Two Mondays which ran for 149 performances under the direction ofMartin Ritt.
Heflin had an excellent part in3:10 to Yuma (1957) withGlenn Ford. He made a Western withTab Hunter, his oldBattle Cry co star,Gunman's Walk (1958). That was made for Columbia, with whom Heflin signed a contract to make one film a year for five years.[11]
Heflin then went to Italy to star inTempest (1959). He was billed afterGary Cooper andRita Hayworth inThey Came to Cordura (1959).
Heflin went back to Europe forFive Branded Women (1960), which he starred in forMartin Ritt,Under Ten Flags (1960), andThe Wastrel (1961). In Hollywood he appeared onThe Dick Powell Theatre.
Heflin went to the Philippines to star in a war filmCry of Battle (1963). This was playing at theTexas Theatre inDallas on November 22, 1963. His name and the film title appear on the marquee. It was that theatre where Lee Harvey Oswald was apprehended in the aftermath of President Kennedy's assassination.
Heflin had another Broadway hit in the title role ofA Case of Libel (1963–64) which ran for 242 performances.
Heflin appeared in a short but dramatic role as an eyewitness of Jesus' raising of Lazarus from death in the 1965 Bible film,The Greatest Story Ever Told. After seeing the miracle he ran from Bethany to the walls of Jerusalem and proclaimed to the guards at the top of the wall that Jesus was the Messiah.
Heflin returned to MGM for a support part inOnce a Thief (1965). He was in the remake ofStagecoach (1966) and went to Europe to star inThe Man Outside (1967) andEvery Man for Himself (1968).
In the US he was in the TV moviesA Case of Libel (1968), andCertain Honorable Men (1968) and he had a support part inThe Big Bounce (1969).
Heflin's last feature film wasAirport (1970). He played "D. O. Guerrero", a failure who schemes to blow himself up on an airliner so that his wife (played byMaureen Stapleton) can collect on alife insurance policy. It was an enormous success.
His last TV movies wereNeither Are We Enemies (1970) andThe Last Child (1971).
Heflin had a six-month marriage to actress Eleanor Shaw (née Eleanor Scherr) in the mid-thirties. In 1942, Heflin married RKO contract player Frances Neal. They had two daughters, actresses Vana O'Brien and Cathleen (Kate) Heflin, and a son, Tracy. The couple divorced in 1967.[4]
Heflin was the grandfather of actor Ben O'Brien and actress Eleanor O'Brien. Van Heflin's sisterFrances Heflin, nickname "Fra", regularly appeared as Mona Kane, mother of Erica, in the daytime television drama seriesAll My Children. She played the role from January 5, 1970, until her death in June 1994.
He was also the uncle ofMarta Heflin[12] and Mady Kaplan, both actresses, and directorJonathan Kaplan. Heflin's brother, Martin, a public relations executive, was married to Americantheatre producerJulia Heflin.[12]
On June 6, 1971, Heflin suffered aheart attack in his swimming pool. He was hospitalized atCedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for nearly seven weeks and apparently never regained consciousness. Heflin died on July 23, 1971, at the age of 62.[13] He had left instructions requesting a private funeral. Hiscremated remains were scattered in the ocean.[14]
In 1960, Heflin was honored with two stars on theHollywood Walk of Fame, for his contributions to motion pictures at 6311 Hollywood Boulevard, and for television at 6125 Hollywood Boulevard.[15] He was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1964.[16]
In February 2016, a biography,Van Heflin: A Life in Film, by Derek Sculthorpe, was published byMcFarland & Company of Jefferson, North Carolina.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | A Woman Rebels | Lord Gerald Waring Gaythorne | |
| 1937 | The Outcasts of Poker Flat | Reverend Samuel 'Sam' Woods | |
| Flight From Glory | George Wilson | ||
| Annapolis Salute | Clay V. Parker | ||
| Saturday's Heroes | Val Webster | ||
| 1939 | Back Door to Heaven | John Shelley | |
| 1940 | Santa Fe Trail | Carl Rader | |
| 1941 | The Feminine Touch | Elliott Morgan | |
| H.M. Pulham, Esq. | Bill King | ||
| Johnny Eager | Jeff Hartnett | Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
| 1942 | Kid Glove Killer | Gordon McKay | |
| Grand Central Murder | 'Rocky' Custer | ||
| Seven Sweethearts | Henry Taggart | ||
| Tennessee Johnson | Andrew Johnson | ||
| 1943 | Presenting Lily Mars | John Thornway | |
| Screen Snapshots: Hollywood in Uniform | Himself | Short subject | |
| 1944 | Land and Live in the Jungle | 1st Lieutenant Lynn Harrison | Uncredited / Documentary |
| 1945 | Land and Live in the Desert | Narrator | Uncredited / Short subject |
| 1946 | The Strange Love of Martha Ivers | Sam Masterson | |
| Till the Clouds Roll By | James I. Hessler | ||
| 1947 | Possessed | David Sutton | |
| Green Dolphin Street | Timothy Haslam | ||
| 1948 | B.F.'s Daughter | Thomas W. Brett | |
| Tap Roots | Keith Alexander | ||
| The Secret Land | Narrator | Documentary | |
| The Three Musketeers | Athos | ||
| 1949 | Act of Violence | Frank R. Enley | |
| Madame Bovary | Charles Bovary | ||
| East Side, West Side | Mark Dwyer | ||
| 1951 | Tomahawk | Jim Bridger | |
| The Prowler | Webb Garwood | ||
| Week-End with Father | Brad Stubbs | ||
| 1952 | My Son John | Stedman | |
| 1953 | South of Algiers | Nicholas Chapman | |
| Shane | Joe Starrett | Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actor | |
| Wings of the Hawk | Irish Gallager | ||
| 1954 | Tanganyika | John Gale | |
| The Raid | Maj. Neal Benton / Neal Swayze | ||
| Woman's World | Jerry Talbot | ||
| Black Widow | Peter Denver | ||
| 1955 | Battle Cry | Maj. Sam Huxley – CO, 2nd Bn., 6th Marine Regt. | |
| Count Three and Pray | Luke Fargo | ||
| 1956 | Patterns | Fred Staples | |
| 1957 | 3:10 to Yuma | Dan Evans | |
| 1958 | Gunman's Walk | Lee Hackett | |
| Tempest | Emelyan Pugachov | ||
| 1959 | They Came to Cordura | Sgt. John Chawk | |
| 1960 | Five Branded Women | Velko | |
| Under Ten Flags | Captain Bernhard Rogge | ||
| 1961 | The Wastrel | Duncan Bell | |
| 1963 | Cry of Battle | Joe Trent | |
| 1965 | The Greatest Story Ever Told | Bar Amand | |
| Once a Thief | Inspector Mike Vido SFPD | ||
| 1966 | Stagecoach | Marshal Curly Wilcox | |
| 1967 | The Man Outside | Bill MacLean | |
| 1968 | The Ruthless Four | Sam Cooper | |
| 1969 | The Big Bounce | Sam Mirakian | |
| 1970 | Airport | D.O. Guerrero | |
| 1971 | The Last Child | Senator Quincy George | Posthumous release |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | The Nash Airflyte Theater | Llano Kid | Episode: "A Double-Dyed Deceiver" |
| 1950 | Robert Montgomery Presents | Dr. Martin Arrowsmith | Episode: "Arrowsmith" |
| 1951 | The Ken Murray Show | Himself | Episode: "Van Heflin" |
| 1957–1960 | Playhouse 90 | Captain / Bill Kilcoyne / Col. Sten | 3 episodes |
| 1961 | The Dick Powell Show | Sergeant Paul Maxon | Episode: "Ricochet" |
| 1963–1964 | The Great Adventure | Himself – Narrator / Himself – Announcer | 13 episodes |
| 1965 | The Teenage Revolution | Narrator | Documentary |
| 1968 | A Case of Libel | Robert Sloane | Television film Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Drama |
| 1968 | The Danny Thomas Hour | Kreutzer | Episode: "Fear Is the Chain" |
| 1968 | Certain Honorable Men | Champ Donohue | Television film |
| 1970 | Neither Are We Enemies | Joseph of Arimathea | Television film |
| 1971 | The Last Child | Senator Quincy George | Television film, (final film role) |
| Year | Program | Episode/source |
|---|---|---|
| 1947 | The New Adventures of Philip Marlowe,NBC | Red Wind |
| 1949 | Lux Radio Theatre | Green Dolphin Street[17] |
| 1953 | Theater of Stars | The Apple Tree[18] |
| 1953 | Suspense | The Case of the Marie [sic]Celeste[19] |
| 1953 | Suspense | The Shot[20] |
Sculthorpe, Derek (2016).Van Heflin: A Life in Film. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland.ISBN 978-0-7864-9686-0
