Van Johnson (b.25 Aug1916 – 12 Dec 2008) was an American film, television, theatre and radio actor, singer, and dancer. He was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during and after World War II. Frequently portrayed as the good-living 'boy-next-door' making him a popular Hollywood star in the 1940s/50s, playing 'The red-haired, freckle-faced soldier, sailor, or bomber pilot who used to live down the street.' His career in war films carried on through the 1960s, and he played a military officer in one of his final feature films in 1992. At the time of his death, he was one of the last surviving matinee idols of Hollywood's 'Golden Age.'
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