1910-12-13 Walters, Oklahoma, USA
Emmett Evan “Van” Heflin Jr. (December 13, 1908 – July 23, 1971) was an American stage, radio, film, and television actor whose steady craftsmanship and versatility made him a respected character player and occasional leading man across four decades. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Johnny Eager (1942) and is remembered for strong turns in Westerns and noirs such as Shane (1953), 3:10 to Yuma (1957), and Gunman’s Walk (1958). Born in Walters, Oklahoma, Heflin studied at the University of Oklahoma and later earned a master’s degree in theater from Yale, launching his career on Broadway in the late 1920s and 1930s before moving into films. His early stage work and connections (including support from Katharine Hepburn) helped him secure a Hollywood contract and steady screen work beginning in the mid‑1930s. Heflin’s screen persona combined reliability, emotional range, and a rugged everyman quality, which allowed him to move fluidly between supporting character roles and leading parts during the 1940s. After his Oscar win for Johnny Eager, he continued to take memorable roles in both studio pictures and independent productions, earning praise for performances in The Glass Key (1942), The Blue Dahlia (1946), and Battle Cry (1955). In the 1950s and 1960s Heflin expanded into television and later film projects, appearing in anthology series and features; one of his last notable screen appearances was as a disturbed passenger in the disaster film Airport (1970). His career is notable for its longevity and for the way he adapted to changing studio systems while maintaining a reputation for solid, scene‑stealing work. Van Heflin died of a heart attack (myocardial infarction) on July 23, 1971, in Hollywood at age 62. He left behind a body of work that spans stage, radio, film, and television and that continues to be cited by historians as exemplary of mid‑20th‑century American character acting.
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L'Homme a mangé la Terre | Self (archive footage) | 2019-07-14 |
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Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line | Self (archive footage) | 1997-05-12 |
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Barbara Stanwyck: Fire and Desire | Self (archive footage) | 1991-07-15 |
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That's Entertainment! | (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1974-06-21 |
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The Men Who Made the Movies: Vincente Minnelli | Self (archive footage) | 1973-01-01 |
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The Last Child | Senator Quincy George | 1971-10-05 |
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Airport | D. O. Guerrero | 1970-03-25 |
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The Big Bounce | Sam Mirakian | 1969-03-05 |
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Ognuno per sé | Sam Cooper | 1968-02-09 |
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Certain Honorable Men | Champ Donohue | 1968-09-12 |
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A Case of Libel | Robert Sloane | 1968-02-11 |
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The Man Outside | Bill MacLean | 1967-08-24 |
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Stagecoach | Marshal Curly Wilcox | 1966-04-21 |
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The Thin Blue Line | Self - Narrator (voice) | 1966-03-09 |
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Pro Football: Mayhem on a Sunday Afternoon | 1965-11-15 | |
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The Bold Men | Narrator | 1965-03-02 |
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The Teen-Age Revolution | Narrator/Host | 1965-10-19 |
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Once a Thief | Inspector Mike Vido | 1965-04-24 |
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The Greatest Story Ever Told | Bar Amand | 1965-04-09 |
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Cry of Battle | Joe Trent | 1963-10-09 |
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Il relitto | Duncan Bell | 1961-02-24 |
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Ricochet | Sergeant Paul Maxon | 1961-10-03 |
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Sotto dieci bandiere | Captain Bernhard Rogge | 1960-09-15 |
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Five Branded Women | Velko | 1960-03-15 |
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They Came to Cordura | Sgt. John Chawk | 1959-06-01 |
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La tempesta | Emelyan Pugachov | 1958-12-01 |
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Gunman's Walk | Lee Hackett | 1958-07-15 |
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The Dark Side of the Earth | Col. Sten | 1957-09-19 |
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3:10 to Yuma | Dan Evans | 1957-08-07 |
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Patterns | Fred Staples | 1956-03-27 |
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Count Three and Pray | Luke Fargo | 1955-10-01 |
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Battle Cry | Major Sam Huxley | 1955-02-02 |
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Woman's World | Jerry Talbot | 1954-09-30 |
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Tanganyika | John Gale | 1954-07-03 |
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The Raid | Maj. Neal Benton | 1954-08-04 |
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A Star Is Born World Premiere | Self | 1954-09-28 |
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Black Widow | Peter Denver | 1954-10-28 |
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South of Algiers | Nicholas Chapman | 1953-03-17 |
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Shane | Joe Starrett | 1953-04-23 |
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Wings of the Hawk | Irish Gallager | 1953-08-26 |
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My Son John | Stedman | 1952-04-08 |
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Tomahawk | Bridger | 1951-02-05 |
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Week-End with Father | Brad Stubbs | 1951-12-01 |
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The Prowler | Webb Garwood | 1951-05-25 |
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University U.S.A. | Narrator | 1950-01-01 |
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Act of Violence | Frank R. Enley | 1949-01-22 |
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Madame Bovary | Charles Bovary | 1949-08-25 |
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East Side, West Side | Mark Dwyer | 1949-12-22 |
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B.F.'s Daughter | Thomas W. 'Tom' Brett | 1948-03-24 |
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Tap Roots | Keith Alexander | 1948-08-25 |
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The Three Musketeers | Athos | 1948-10-20 |
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The Secret Land | Narrator | 1948-10-22 |
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Possessed | David Sutton | 1947-05-29 |
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Green Dolphin Street | Timothy Haslam | 1947-01-15 |
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The Strange Love of Martha Ivers | Sam Masterson | 1946-08-19 |
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Till the Clouds Roll By | James I. Hessler | 1946-12-05 |
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Land and Live in the Desert | Narrator (voice) | 1945-12-11 |
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Land and Live in the Jungle | 1st Lieutenant Lynn Harrison | 1944-03-14 |
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Presenting Lily Mars | John Thornway | 1943-04-29 |
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Seven Sweethearts | Henry Taggart | 1942-11-13 |
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Tennessee Johnson | Andrew Johnson | 1942-12-01 |
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Kid Glove Killer | Gordon McKay | 1942-04-17 |
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Grand Central Murder | 'Rocky' Custer | 1942-05-01 |
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Johnny Eager | Jeff Hartnett | 1941-12-09 |
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H.M. Pulham, Esq. | Bill King | 1941-12-04 |
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The Feminine Touch | Elliott Morgan | 1941-10-01 |
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Santa Fe Trail | Rader | 1940-12-20 |
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Back Door to Heaven | John Shelley | 1939-04-19 |
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Saturday's Heroes | Val | 1937-10-08 |
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Annapolis Salute | Clay V. Parker | 1937-09-10 |
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The Outcasts of Poker Flat | Rev. Samuel Woods | 1937-04-16 |
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Flight from Glory | George Wilson | 1937-08-20 |
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A Woman Rebels | Lord Gerald Waring Gaythorne | 1936-11-06 |
