Top 44 Van Heflin Quotes

When you give people something for nothing for awhile and then try to sell them some of that same thing, consciously or not, they resent it.

I get $100,000 a picture and if I don’t work, that means that’s $100,000 I don’t make.

I’m happy for all the small things a man never gets around to putting his finger on – the things we take for granted.

Once the Europeans become interested in you they make it a point to learn everything they can about your personal and professional life.

I owe a great debt to what we call the amateur theater.

Working in Europe has been very good for me – I’ve become an international favorite.

I worked with Glen Ford.

Believe me, you’re shooting dice every time you do a part.

On matinee days I could never be sure I’d make the curtain for the matinee. I’d put on my makeup in the morning, rush to the studio and do the radio shows,then try to get across town before the curtain went up.

A contract player has to do what he’s told, and play the parts others pick out for him. As far as the studio is concerned he’s just part of the stable.

You have to be careful of the pictures you make. You should ask, Will it have universal appeal, will it have an appeal at home?

My predecessors in this business of acting were fully convinced their work would never be recorded, except in the form of reviews or paintings.

Acting is wonderful. I love it.

Acting is a creative business.

I don’t think it’s fair to a family to uproot them simply because it’s profitable for you to do so.

I just don’t have the looks and if I don’t do a good acting job, I look terrible.

I certainly don’t approve of American actors who go to Europe and run down Hollywood.

I’ve never played the same part twice.

I often come across a script I would like to do, but when it comes down to brass tacks I find the producer won’t allow enough practice time.

If I pull in a fish I have no intention of eating, I release him immediately or give it away. If he’s swallowed the hook and you know the fish is going to die, rather than leave him to the sharks you should bring him in for the vitamin content. Aquariums welcome fish for feeding the dolphins and whales.

When a man has a wife and three youngsters he’s not going to give up a well-paying job.

I’m from the old school of actors who are convinced too much exposure on TV isn’t good for a long career.

A director in films is closer allied to the writer than anyone else.

Audiences hardly recognize me from picture to picture.

I think it’s a disgrace to make actors become pitchmen. You see it on ‘The Beverly Hillbillies,’ you see it on ‘Bonanza.’

I don’t want to work too hard any more.

An actor doesn’t have a regular job. He is dependent upon the roles which are given him.

I read scripts movie, TV and theater. I read every novel that is published. I read every book that comes out on the theater or the movies, including the technical ones.

Sure, I could retire anytime. I don’t need to work for money. But retire to what? Sitting around the pool reading? Or even trout fishing. I love trout fishing, and I go every time I get a chance. But a man with pride in his profession need to work.

I went on tour in the 1952-53 season for producer Kermit Bloomgarden when he took over ‘The Shrike’ and sent it on the road.

I don’t want to fall into any single category. I don’t want to be known for portraying drunks or heavies or saints.

I can sit on a boat or a river bank and problems that seemed insurmountable just don’t seem that important anymore.

What I like about the independent field is that an actor can pick his roles and his stories and do them without anyone always telling him what he can and can’t do.

Entertainment is a good enough product to sell on its own merits. Why should it be given away free to help somebody sell tires or toothpaste?

Acting is a full-time job for me.

It is a terrible thing to become a legend in your own time.

Yellow fin or albacore are excellent tasting, or the dolphin fish but I don’t mean the mammal variety. They call It mahimahi in Hawaii.

There are always fresh problems for an actor to solve.

When TV came along some years back I purposely stayed away from drama.

I’m absolutely an amoeba. It’s my survival value.

You must remember that I won an Oscar for my role Johnny Eager. Then I went into the Army. But before I did, I was rushed into three other pictures to capitalize on the first.

I believe all conscientious actors feel the same way – that there is too much hurry-scurry in TV to permit a sufficient amount of rehearsal time.

I try to acquire some new approach with each role in order to build up a varied acting technique.

I have enough money for myself and my children.