Van Heflin Biography: Nationality, Relationship, Salary, Parents

Known for movies

Short Info

Died	July 23, 1971, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States
Spouse	Frances E. Neal, Eleanor Scherr
Fact	His favorite pastimes were sailing, fishing, and swimming.

Van Heflin was an American actor who appeared in over 100 films. He is best remembered for his roles in the films Shane, Johnny Eager, and The Painted Veil.

Heflin was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on December 13, 1908. His father, Emmett Clay Heflin, was a lawyer and his mother, Fanny Bleecker Heflin, was a homemaker. He had two brothers and two sisters.

Heflin’s family moved to California when he was a child. He attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied English and drama. Heflin’s first acting role was in a college production of The Taming of the Shrew.

After graduation, Heflin moved to New York City to pursue an acting career. He made his Broadway debut in the play The Last Mile in 1932. Heflin’s first film role was in the film A Man’s Castle in 1933. He also appeared in the films Three on a Match and Gold Diggers of 1933.

Heflin’s most famous role was in the 1953 film Shane. He also appeared in the films Johnny Eager, The Painted Veil, and 3:10 to Yuma.

Heflin was married three times. His first wife was actress Frances Dee. They were married from 1932 to 1935. His second wife was actress Eleanor Parker. They were married from 1948 to 1951. His third wife was actress Vera Miles. They were married from 1964 until his death in 1971.

Heflin died of a heart attack on July 23, 1971, at the age of 62.

General Info

Full Name	Van Heflin
Died	July 23, 1971, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States
Height	1.82 m
Profession	Actor, Soldier
Education	University of Oklahoma
Nationality	American

Family

Spouse	Frances E. Neal, Eleanor Scherr
Children	Kate Heflin, Vana O'Brien, Tracy Heflin
Parents	Fanny Bleecker Shippey, Emmett Evan Heflin
Siblings	Frances Heflin

Accomplishments

Awards	Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominations	BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actor, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Performance By An Actor In A Leading Role
Movies	Shane, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, The Prowler, 3:10 to Yuma, Act of Violence, Gunman's Walk, Johnny Eager, Presenting Lily Mars, East Side, West Side, The Ruthless Four, Till the Clouds Roll By, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Battle Cry, The Three Musketeers, Santa Fe Trail, They Came to Cordu...
TV Shows	The Great Adventure

Social profile links

IMDB	http://imdb.com/name/nm0001336

Quotes

#	Quote
1	My father was a drunk, although he was a fabulous character, and he and my mother always loved each other, even when they were separated.
2	Louis B. Mayer once looked at me and said, "You will never get the girl at the end". So I worked on my acting.
3	I just didn't have the looks and if I didn't do a good acting job I looked terrible.

Facts

#	Fact
1	He was the first actor to win an Academy Award for a role in a gangster movie.
2	His grandfather Alexander A. Heflin (1849-1940) joined Roddey's Escort, Alabama Cavalry at age 14 or 15 and served in the Confederate army during the American Civil War, along with his brothers James, William C., Hugh, John and Thomas.
3	He was director Michael Anderson's choice to play Gen. Dwight Eisenhower in a Columbia Pictures epic, "16th of December: The Battle of the Bulge," which had the blessing of Eisenhower and the Defense Department, but the project was abandoned after Warner Brothers used the title "The Battle of the Bulge" on a generic war film with Henry Fonda.
4	Attended UCLA film school after achieving fame as an actor, with the intention of learning filmmaking techniques so as to improve his work as an actor. He wrote about the experience in the October, 1950, issue of "Theatre Arts" magazine.
5	His first marriage lasted six months. His wife's identity is unknown, as it happened before he became famous.
6	His father was a dentist.
7	He had English, Irish, German, Dutch, and French ancestry.
8	His favorite pastimes were sailing, fishing, and swimming.
9	During WWII, he served as a combat cameraman in the Ninth Air Force in Europe.
10	The heart attack that killed him happened while he was swimming. He managed to get to the pool's ladder, where he held on until found hours later, unconscious but still alive. He died 17 days later, never having regained consciousness. At his request no funeral was held and his ashes were scattered over the Pacific Ocean.
11	Daughters: actresses Vana O'Brien and Cathleen (Kate Heflin). Son: Tracy Heflin. Grandfather of actor Ben O'Brien and actress Eleanor O'Brien. Brother of actress Frances Heflin.
12	Brother-in-law of Sol Kaplan.
13	Turned down the role of Elliot Ness on The Untouchables (1959) TV series.
14	Uncle of actress Marta Heflin, Mady Kaplan and Jonathan Kaplan.

Pictures

All pictures

Movies

Actor

Title	Year	Status	Character
The Last Child	1971	TV Movie	Senator Quincy George
Neither Are We Enemies	1970	TV Movie	Joseph of Arimathea
Airport	1970		D.O. Guerrero
The Big Bounce	1969		Sam Mirakian
Certain Honorable Men	1968	TV Movie	Champ Donohue
The Danny Thomas Hour	1968	TV Series	Kreutzer
A Case of Libel	1968	TV Movie	Robert Sloane
The Ruthless Four	1968		Sam Cooper
The Man Outside	1967		Bill MacLean
Stagecoach	1966		Marshal Curly Wilcox
The Teenage Revolution	1965	TV Movie documentary	Narrator
Once a Thief	1965		Inspector Mike Vido SFPD
The Greatest Story Ever Told	1965		Bar Amand
Cry of Battle	1963		Joe Trent
The Dick Powell Theatre	1961	TV Series	Sergeant Paul Maxon
The Wastrel	1961		Duncan Bell
Under Ten Flags	1960		Captain Bernhard Rogge
5 Branded Women	1960		Velko
Playhouse 90	1957-1960	TV Series	Captain / Bill Kilcoyne / Col. Sten
They Came to Cordura	1959		Sgt.John Chawk
Tempest	1958		Emelyan Pugachov
Gunman's Walk	1958		Lee Hackett
3:10 to Yuma	1957		Dan Evans
Patterns	1956		Fred Staples
Count Three and Pray	1955		Luke Fargo
Battle Cry	1955		Maj. Sam Huxley - CO, 2nd Bn., 6th Marine Regt.
Black Widow	1954		Peter Denver
Woman's World	1954		Jerry Talbot
The Raid	1954		Maj. Neal Benton
Tanganyika	1954		John Gale
Wings of the Hawk	1953		Irish Gallager
Shane	1953		Joe Starrett
The Golden Mask	1953		Nicholas Chapman
My Son John	1952		Stedman
Week-End with Father	1951		Brad Stubbs
The Prowler	1951		Webb Garwood
Tomahawk	1951		Bridger
Robert Montgomery Presents	1950	TV Series	Dr. Martin Arrowsmith
Nash Airflyte Theatre	1950	TV Series	Llano Kid
East Side, West Side	1949		Mark Dwyer
Madame Bovary	1949		Charles Bovary
Act of Violence	1948		Frank R. Enley
The Three Musketeers	1948		Athos
Tap Roots	1948		Keith Alexander
B.F.'s Daughter	1948		Thomas W. Brett
Green Dolphin Street	1947		Timothy Haslam
Possessed	1947		David Sutton
Till the Clouds Roll By	1946		James I. Hessler
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers	1946		Sam Masterson
Land and Live in the Desert	1945	Short	Narrator (uncredited)
Land and Live in the Jungle	1944		1st Lieutenant Lynn Harrison (uncredited)
Presenting Lily Mars	1943		John Thornway
Tennessee Johnson	1942		Andrew Johnson
Seven Sweethearts	1942		Henry Taggart
Grand Central Murder	1942		'Rocky' Custer
Kid Glove Killer	1942		Gordon McKay
Johnny Eager	1941		Jeff Hartnett
H.M. Pulham, Esq.	1941		Bill King
The Feminine Touch	1941		Elliott Morgan
Santa Fe Trail	1940		Rader
Back Door to Heaven	1939		John Shelley
Saturday's Heroes	1937		Val Webster
Annapolis Salute	1937		Clay V. Parker
Flight from Glory	1937		George Wilson
The Outcasts of Poker Flat	1937		Reverend Sam Woods
A Woman Rebels	1936		Lord Gerald Waring Gaythorne

Soundtrack

Title	Year	Status	Character
Possessed	1947	performer: "Carnaval, Opus 9"
H.M. Pulham, Esq.	1941	performer: "Where Do We Go From Here" 1917 - uncredited

Self

Title	Year	Status	Character
In Melbourne Tonight	1970	TV Series	Himself
The American Spectacle	1966	TV Short documentary	Himself / Host
The Thin Blue Line	1966	TV Movie documentary	Narrator
Revolution in the 3 R'S	1966	TV Movie documentary	Narrator
In Search of Man	1965	TV Movie documentary	Narrator
Pro Football: Mayhem on a Sunday Afternoon	1965	TV Movie documentary	Narrator
The General	1965	TV Movie
The 22th Annual Golden Globes Awards	1965	TV Special	Himself - Presenter: Best Foreign Film
The Bold Men	1965	TV Movie documentary	Narrator
The Way Out Men	1965	TV Movie documentary	Narrator
The Bell Telephone Hour	1964	TV Series	Himself - Host
The Ed Sullivan Show	1953-1964	TV Series	Himself / Robert Sloane - scene from 'A Case of Libel'
What's My Line?	1955-1964	TV Series	Himself - Mystery Guest / Himself - Guest Panelist / Himself - Mystery Guest #2
The Great Adventure	1963-1964	TV Series	Himself - Narrator / Himself - Announcer
The 17th Annual Tony Awards	1963	TV Special	Himself - Presenter
The 35th Annual Academy Awards	1963	TV Special	Himself - Presenter: Short Subjects Awards
Here's Hollywood	1962	TV Series	Himself
U.S. #1: American Profile	1962	TV Movie	Himself - Narrator
The 31st Annual Academy Awards	1959	TV Special	Himself - Presenter: Writing Awards
Playhouse 90	1957	TV Series	Himself - Announcing Next Week's Show
This Is Your Life	1955	TV Series	Himself - Guest of Honor
Lux Video Theatre	1954	TV Series	Himself - Guest Host
A Star Is Born World Premiere	1954	TV Short	Himself
The Ken Murray Show	1950	TV Series	Himself
The Secret Land	1948	Documentary	Narrator (voice, as Lt. Van Heflin A.A.F. Ret.)
Screen Snapshots Series 23, No. 1: Hollywood in Uniform	1943	Documentary short	Himself

Archive Footage

Title	Year	Status	Character
Mahana	2016		Dan Evans (uncredited)
The First Motion Picture Unit: When Hollywood Went to War	2014	Documentary
Pioneers of Television	2011	TV Mini-Series documentary	Fred Staples in Patterns
A Star Is Born: Special Features	2010	Video
Empire State Building Murders	2008	TV Movie	Bobby
Crawford at Warners	2008	Video documentary short	David Sutton
Budd Boetticher: A Man Can Do That	2005	TV Movie documentary	Irish Gallager
Go West, Young Man!	2003	Documentary	Himself (uncredited)
Barbara Stanwyck: Fire and Desire	1991	TV Movie documentary	Himself
George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey	1984	Documentary	Himself (uncredited)
America at the Movies	1976	Documentary	Joe Starret
That's Entertainment!	1974		Himself - at Banquet (uncredited)
The World of Sport Fishing	1972	Documentary
The Dick Cavett Show	1971	TV Series	Himself
Hollywood My Home Town	1965	Documentary	Himself
The Judy Garland Show	1964	TV Series	Himself
Hollywood Without Make-Up	1963	Documentary	Himself
Screen Snapshots: Memories in Uniform	1954	Documentary short	Himself
Some of the Best: Twenty-Five Years of Motion Picture Leadership	1949	Documentary short	Himself (uncredited)

Awards

Won Awards

Year	Award	Ceremony	Nomination	Movie
1960	Star on the Walk of Fame	Walk of Fame	Motion Picture	On 8 February 1960. At 6311 Hollywood Blvd.
1960	Star on the Walk of Fame	Walk of Fame	Television	On 8 February 1960. At 6125 Hollywood Blvd.
1943	Oscar	Academy Awards, USA	Best Actor in a Supporting Role	Johnny Eager (1941)

Nominated Awards

Year	Award	Ceremony	Nomination	Movie
1968	Primetime Emmy	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Drama	A Case of Libel (1968)
1958	Golden Laurel	Laurel Awards	Top Male Action Star	3:10 to Yuma (1957)
1954	BAFTA Film Award	BAFTA Awards	Best Foreign Actor	Shane (1953)