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Bobby Van was born Robert Stein on December 6, 1930, in New York City. He was the son of Harry Stein and Mina Anapolsky, vaudeville performers who used the stage names, Harry King and Minna Ann.
Van made his first appearance at the age of four when his parents introduced him into their act in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Van attended public schools in New York City and took music classes at the Metropolitan Vocational High School, now the High School of Performing Arts.
He had no formal classes in dance, but his father, who had been a choreographer for the Ziegfeld Follies, coached him in dancing.
Van played the trumpet and started his own band at the age of fifteen, later adding some dancing and ad-libbed comedy routines. He initially billed himself Bobby King but changed his stage name because "there were too many Kings in the business. " The idea for his new stage name came from his sister, who had a crush on the actor Van Johnson. Van first performed at resorts in the Catskill Mountains northwest of New York City and entertained troops for the United Service Organizations (USO).
After World War II ended, he appeared at hotels and supper clubs, as well as on radio and television. He made his Broadway debut with Gwen Verdon in the revue Alive and Kicking, which had an eight-week run at the Winter Garden Theater on Broadway (1950), and then appeared in Red, White, and Blue at the Paramount Theater in Los Angeles and on a subsequent tour (1950). Van's California theater appearances caught the attention of motion-picture producer Joe Pasternak, who brought Van under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).
His first movie role was a minor part in the Mario Lanza star vehicle Because You're Mine (1952). He was then paired with Debbie Reynolds in his next two movies. In Skirts Ahoy (1952), Van and Reynolds played themselves as performers in a "show within a show, " and in The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953), he played the title role. Van's best movie roles came in 1953. In Small Town Girl he astounded audiences with his talent and energy in the "Take Me to Broadway" reprise (the "Hippity-Hop" dance, choreographed by Busby Berkeley), during which he bounced in rhythm for five minutes around the motion picture's set. The number was later shown in That's Entertainment, Part 2 (1976). Later in 1953, Van appeared in Kiss Me Kate, playing Gremio, a suitor of Ann Miller's Bianca. Their show-stopping number "Tom, Dick, and Harry" was also shown in That's Dancing (1985).
Despite favorable reviews, Van's motion-picture career never took off. Audience tastes were changing and movie musicals were declining in popularity. MGM focused its efforts on projects produced by Pasternack's rival, Arthur Freed, who chose to give the number of choice roles to better-known dancers like Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. Van returned to Broadway for the 1954 revival of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart's 1936 musical On Your Toes at the 46th Street Theater, performing Ray Bolger's original role. He later went to London for an appearance in a variety show at the Palladium in 1958.
Bobby played Will Parker in the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera's performance of Oklahoma! (1960), and Joey in San Diego's Circle Arts Theater's Pal Joey (1961). During this time, he also made numerous television appearances on the "Ed Sullivan Show, " the "Jackie Gleason Show, " the "Ford Star Jubilee, " "Kraft Music Hall, " and other variety shows. Van returned to Hollywood in the early 1960's as the choreographer for two Jerry Lewis films, The Ladies' Man (1961), and It's Only Money (1962). He appeared with Mamie Van Doren in The Navy vs. the Night Monsters (1966), choreographed dances for the Miss America pageant, directed television commercials, and appeared in a made-for-television movie, The Lost Flight (1969).
Van's theatrical career rebounded with his critically acclaimed performance as the lawyer Billy Early in the popular revival of No, Nanette at the 46th Street Theatre on Broadway. Van played 861 performances with co-stars Ruby Keeler, Patsy Kelly, and Helen Gallagher. Van and Gallagher repeated their show-stopping number, "You Can Dance with Any Girl You Can" at the televised in 1972, Tony Awards program. Van's success on Broadway led to several movie offers, but these did not revive his motion-picture career. He appeared in what critics termed a "stultifyingly boring melodrama, " The Doomsday Machine (1972), and he played the role of a USO entertainer in an unpopular musical remake of Lost Horizon (1973).
He produced and co-hosted a televised musical, "The Bobby Van and Elaine Joyce Special" (CBS, 1973), and hosted the game show "Showoffs" (ABC, 1975). Van returned to Broadway in 1975, playing the title role in Doctor Jazz at the Winter Garden Theater. Although critics praised Van's performance, they panned the show, which closed after five performances. Van returned to television and hosted more game shows: "The Fun Factory" (NBC, 1976), and "Make Me Laugh" (syndicated, 1979). He appeared in another made-for-television movie, Bunco (1976), was choreographer and assistant producer of several Miss America pageants and hosted four Mrs. America pageants.
Van's last public appearance was as host of the 1980 Mrs. America pageant. He died of cancer several months later, in Los Angeles.
Bobby Van was a multitalented entertainer singer, dancer, comedian and musician whose career spanned twenty-five years of performances in resorts, nightclubs, theater, motion pictures, radio, and television. He was noted for his energy, breezy manner, and ever-present smile, and his dance routines covered the gamut from soft-shoe to energetic tap numbers.
Van came to the movies at a time when Hollywood, and the genre of big-budget musicals, was in the process of being supplanted by television. Critics, producers, and the public considered him a likable and dependable talent, and he remained popular until his death.
Quotes from others about the person
"Van is an extraordinarily able dancer and a thoroughly agreeable performer. " - Reviewer Brooks Atkinson.
Van married actress Diane Garrett, who appeared in minor roles in MGM films. In 1968, Van married Elaine Joyce; they had one child.
Born on December 19, 1943. She is an American actress.
Born in 1976.
September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014 Was an American actor, vaudevillian, comedian, producer and radio personality.
