Bobby Van (December 6, 1928-July 31, 1980) was probably best known for his musical and acting career on Broadway in the 1960s and 1970s. Van was born Robert Jack Stein to vaudeville parents in The Bronx, New York City, and grew up backstage to many memorable Depression-era acts. Originally, Van took King as his stage name (after his father's stage name, from the trio "Gordon, Reed and King"). He finally opted for Van, supposedly after seeing a Van Johnson poster hanging in his sister's bedroom.
Van began his career as a musician, playing trumpet. When his band played a venue in the Catskills, Van was asked to fill in as a song and dance man for another act. His act drew rave reviews, and gave Van a thrill out of performing live as a solo act.
In the early 1950s, while Van was married to starlet Diane Garrett, he appeared in several films and television shows, including the title role in The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953) and a role in the musical Kiss me Kate. However, most of Van's roles involving singing and dancing, and the era of the Hollywood musical was waning.
In the 1960s, Van did comedy work with Mickey Rooney in films and television. He also did some choreography, as his father had years earlier. In 1968, Van married Broadway actress Elaine Joyce, and together they appeared on 1970s game shows like Tattletales and Match Game. Their only child, daughter Taylor, was born 1977.
Van's last television appearance was as the host for the "Mrs. America Pageant" in 1980, which he had emceed for several years. In 1979, Van was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor; he survived the initial surgery, but after a year-long battle with cancer, Van succumbed to the disease in Los Angeles at the age of only 51. Van is interred at Mt. Sinai Memorial Park in Burbank.
