Van Johnson

For the American racing driver, see Van Johnson (racing driver). For the American politician, see Van R. Johnson.

Van Johnson
Johnson in 1947
Born
Charles Van Dell Johnson

(1916-08-25)August 25, 1916
Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.
DiedDecember 12, 2008(2008-12-12) (aged 92)
Nyack, New York, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1935–1992
Spouse
Eve Lynn Abbott Wynn
​
​
(m. 1947; div. 1968)​
Children1
RelativesTracy Keenan Wynn (stepson)[1]

Charles Van Dell Johnson (August 25, 1916[2]  – December 12, 2008) was an American actor and dancer. He had a prolific career in film, television, theatre and radio, which spanned over 50 years, between 1940 and 1992. He was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during and after World War II, known for his upbeat and "all-American" screen persona, often playing young military servicemen,[3] or in musicals.

Originally a Broadway dancer, Johnson achieved his breakthrough playing a rookie bomber pilot in A Guy Named Joe (1943). Throughout the war years, he became a popular Hollywood star, as the embodiment of the "boy-next-door wholesomeness" playing "the red-haired, freckle-faced soldier, sailor, or bomber pilot who used to live down the street"[3] in such films as The Human Comedy (also 1943) and Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944).[3] After World War II, he continued to play similar heartthrob and military characters, equal parts in serious dramas like The Caine Mutiny (1954), and in light musicals like Brigadoon (1954).

After the end of his contract with MGM, he transitioned largely into television, though he continued to make regular film appearances in featured and supporting parts, earning an Emmy Award for his performance in the miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man. He continued to maintain a regular presence in musical theatre, most notably as Professor Harold Hill in the West End productions of The Music Man and Georges in La Cage aux Folles, before retiring from acting in the early 1990s. At the time of his death in 2008, he was one of the last surviving matinee idols of Golden Age of Hollywood.[4]

  1. ^ "Van Johnson, film, television and stage star, dies at 92". CNN. December 12, 2008. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  2. ^ Harmetz, Aljean (December 12, 2008). "Van Johnson, Film Actor, Is Dead at 92". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Svetkey was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Aljean, Harmetz (August 12, 2008). "Van Johnson, Film Actor, Is Dead at 92" The New York Times. Retrieved December 13, 2008.