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VAN JOHNSON

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Charles "Van" Johnson (born August 25, 1916) is an United States|American film and television actor and dancer.

Biography
Johnson was born in Newport, Rhode Island; the son of Loretta (Married and maiden names|nÃ©e Snyder), a homemaker, and Charles E. Johnson, a plumber and later real-estate salesman. His father was a United States|US immigrant from Sweden, and his mother has German American|German-American Pennsylvania Dutch ethnicity.

Career
His acting career began in earnest in 1936 in the Broadway theatre|Broadway revue ''New Faces of 1936''. In 1939, he landed a part in Rodgers and Hart's ''Too Many Girls (musical)|Too Many Girls'' in the role of a college boy (after being Gene Kelly's understudy in ''Pal Joey (musical)|Pal Joey''). RKO then signed him to a short-term contract to star in the film adaptation of the play which became Johnson's film debut. MGM picked up his contract from RKO soon after and cast him in several bit parts.

In 1942, while en route to a preview screening for ''Keeper of the Flame (film)|Keeper of the Flame'', he was involved in a car crash that left him with a metal plate in his forehead. This exempted him from service in World War II. After this incident, MGM built up his image as the "all-American boy" by co-starring him in films with June Allyson and Esther Williams, among others. He also had serious roles i... read all