Born 1908 in Walters, Oklahoma, American actor Van Heflin began his acting career on Broadway in the late 1920s. He appeared in Mr. Moneypenny (1928), The Bride of Torozko (1934), The Night Remembers (1934), Mid-West (1936), and End of Summer (1936). The latter had a decent run and led to him being signed to a film contract by RKO Radio Pictures.
Heflin made his film debut in A Woman Rebels (1936), opposite Katharine Hepburn, whom he played opposite in the stage version of The Philadelphia Story. He played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man.
Heflin won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Johnny Eager (1942). He also had memorable roles in Westerns such as Shane (1953), 3:10 to Yuma (1957), and Gunman’s Walk (1958).
In 1960, Heflin was honored with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for his contributions to motion pictures at 6311 Hollywood Boulevard, and for television at 6125 Hollywood Boulevard. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1964.
Heflin’s last feature film was Airport (1970). His last TV movies were Neither Are We Enemies (1970) and The Last Child (1971). He died in 1971 at the age of 62. Take a look at these vintage photos to see portraits of Van Heflin in the 1940s and 1950s.
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