Van Hansis Movies
A native of Greenfield, MA, actor
Van Hansis trained as an actor at the prestigious Carnegie Mellon University and also cut his dramatic chops at the Williamstown Theater Festival in the Berkshires, where he tackled roles in productions including
Israel Horovitz's The Indian Wants the Bronx,
Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, and
Tom Stoppard's On the Razzle.
Hansis landed a highly visible assignment after his graduation from CMU: the role of Luke Snyder on the CBS soap opera
As the World Turns. The role and
Hansis' Emmy Award-nominated interpretation of it -- which brought an openly and unapologetically gay character to daytime television audiences -- earned a wealth of praise and numerous laurels for
Hansis. As an offshoot of that effort,
Hansis did a televised public service announcement with series co-star
Martha Byrne promoting acceptance and tolerance of homosexuals; the network timed it to coincide with the episode in which the character of Luke decides to come out. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

- 1956
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