Profile Text
Birth Name: Charles Van Dell Johnson
Date of Birth: August 25, 1916
Place of Birth: Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.
Date of Death: December 12, 2008
Place of Death: Nyack, New York, U.S.
Ethnicity: * father – Swedish * mother – German, some Irish
Van Johnson was an American film, television, theatre and radio actor, singer, and dancer. He was a major star of the 1940s to 1960s. His roles included Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo , A Guy Named Joe , The Human Comedy , The White Cliffs of Dover , Week-End at the Waldorf , Three Guys Named Mike , The Caine Mutiny , Brigadoon , The Last Time I Saw Paris , Divorce American Style , and Yours, Mine and Ours .
Van was the son of Loretta (Snyder) and Charles E. Johnson, who was a plumber and real estate salesman. His paternal grandparents were Swedish immigrants. Van had a daughter with his former wife, stage actress Eve Abbott.
Van’s paternal grandfather was named Charles Edward Johnson.
Van’s paternal grandmother was named Augusta Caroline Jacobsen.
Van’s maternal grandfather was Elmer Elsworth Snyder (the son of Samuel Snyder and Susannah Fetters). Elmer was born in Pennsylvania. Susannah was the daughter of Isaac Hartman Fetter and Catherine Kehler/Kohler.
Van’s maternal grandmother was Sarah Viola “Sadie” McDonough (the daughter of Joseph McDonough and Catherine Liebig). Sarah was born in Pennsylvania. Joseph’s father was Irish.
Source: Genealogy of Van Johnson (focusing on his father’s side) – https://www.geni.com