Van heflin biography

A versatile craftsman, actor Van Heflin was never concerned with popularity or comfortable with stardom. Lauded by his peers, Heflin won over moviegoers with his portrayal of resolute homesteader Joe Starrett in George Stevens&#; classic Shane (). He impressed in all genres, convincingly portraying every type of character from heel to hero.

Van Heflin first garnered attention as the sensitive, alcoholic friend of gangster Johnny Eager (), for which he won an Academy Award, and later gave notable performances in a string of noirs, dramas and westerns. He was memorable as the psychotic cop in Joseph Losey&#;s masterpiece The Prowler () but equally impressive as the doubtful executive in Jean Negulesco&#;s smart satire Woman&#;s World ().

This first full-length biography of Heflin covers his early life as a sailor and his career on stage and screen, providing detailed commentary on all his films.

American actor (–)

Emmett Evan "Van" Heflin Jr. (December 13, ^[1] – July 23, ) was an American theatre, radio, and film actor. He played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the s had a string of roles as a leading man. Heflin won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Johnny Eager (). He also had memorable roles in the westernsShane (), to Yuma (), and Gunman's Walk (). He portrayed a mentally disturbed airline passenger

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“I’ve never played the same part twice. I’m a character actor – always have been.”

Van Heflin

Biography

Emmet Evan Heflin was a year old when he moved with his family from Walters, Oklahoma, to Oklahoma City, where he attended school through the seventh grade. The Heflins then moved to Long Beach, California, where he completed school and spent time sailing through the Orient, to South America and Alaska and eventually became a third mate. He became involved in dramatics his last year at the University of Oklahoma and decided upon the stage as a career. He chose Philadelphia’s famed Hedgerow Theatre as an excellent place to learn his trade. After remaining there six months, he enrolled in Baker Workshop at Yale to get his master’s degree. Mr. Heflin spent a year at New Haven, and then became an understudy in the Broadway production of Sailor Beware. He also played in such stellar dramas as End of Summer with Ina Claire and Osgood Perkins and Philadelphia Story with