( CNN ) -- Van Johnson , whose boyish looks and earnest manner made him a Hollywood heartthrob in the 1940s and '50s , died Friday in an assisted-care facility , a friend told CNN . Van Johnson and Judy Garland in `` In the Good Old Summertime , '' one of many musicals in his lengthy career . Johnson , 92 , died around 11 a.m. of natural causes at the Tappan Zee Manor in Nyack , New York , where he had lived for seven years , said Wendy Bleiweiss . Johnson 's career stretched over six decades and across genres , from comedies and war films , such as `` The Caine Mutiny '' and `` 30 Seconds Over Tokyo , '' to Broadway musicals and television shows , including a guest spot as the Minstrel on the campy 1960s series , `` Batman , '' according to Turner Classic Movies ' Web site . The red-haired , freckle-faced actor 's youthful charm earned him a huge teen following in his heyday . He became known as the `` voiceless Sinatra , '' despite a singing voice that landed him roles alongside June Allyson and Judy Garland in `` Two Girls and a Sailor '' and `` In the Good Old Summertime , '' according to TCM.com . Johnson was born August 25 , 1916 , to a plumber and housewife in Newport , Rhode Island . He was 16 years old when he left Rhode Island for New York City so he could forge a career in acting , Bleiweiss said . A few years later , he got his break from Lucille Ball , she said . `` She saw this redhead kid and said , 'Let 's give him a break . He seems like he can do some acting , ' `` Bleiweiss said . Johnson made his Broadway debut in 1936 in `` New Faces of 1936 '' before legendary director-playwright George Abbott hired him as a chorus member and understudy to the three male leads in Rodgers and Hart 's `` Too Many Girls '' in 1939 . The next year , Abbott cast him as a chorus boy and Gene Kelly 's understudy in Rodgers and Hart 's groundbreaking musical `` Pal Joey , '' according to TCM.com . His film debut followed in 1940 with a role in the chorus of `` Too Many Girls . '' While en route to a screening in 1942 , he was in a car wreck that left him with a metal plate in his head and kept him out of the military . But that did n't stop him from acting in war films . Two years later , he received top billing in `` Two Girls and a Sailor . '' Other big roles included `` A Guy Named Joe , '' `` Brigadoon '' and `` The Caine Mutiny . '' In 1947 , Johnson married former actor Eve Lynn Johnson , who had previously been married to a close friend of Johnson 's , Keenan Wynn . The two did not have children and divorced in 1968 , according to TCM.com . Johnson had a daughter , Schuyler Van Johnson , by another woman , according to TCM.com . As Johnson entered middle age , his features grew heavy but he still managed to find offbeat roles in films including `` The Bottom of the Bottle , '' an unabashed melodrama in which he played an alcoholic , and `` 23 Paces to Baker Street '' as a blind detective . As film roles became scarce , Johnson filled the gaps with stage work . He appeared in `` The Music Man '' in London , England , in 1961 and returned to Broadway in 1962 for `` Come on Strong . '' In Woody Allen 's 1985 comedy , `` The Purple Rose of Cairo , '' Johnson played one of the actors trapped inside the film screen in a parody of sorts of films from the 1930s . In 1987 , Johnson was praised for his work in the Broadway production of `` La Cage aux Folles . '' He last appeared on stage four years ago in `` Love Letters '' in a community theater in nearby Suffern , New York , but decided afterward that he would do no more , Bleiweiss said . `` He said he had seen it and done it all and now he was just going to sit back and take it easy . Those were his words , '' she said . Johnson retained much of his youthful energy as he grew older , and became a frequent interview subject on the old days of Hollywood and his lengthy career , TCM.com said . Bleiweiss said she met Johnson when he moved into the home , where she was a case manager at the time . `` He still was tall and striking , '' she said . `` He was one of the all-time old actors . '' His ability to communicate was hampered by the loss of his hearing . Instead , he passed the time by painting , needlepoint and crocheting , she said . Though he did n't cook , he loved watching cooking shows and reruns of `` The Golden Girls , '' she said . Bleiweiss said Johnson was estranged from his daughter and stepchildren for most of his life , but children brightened his day . `` When he saw them , he 'd smile and wave to them , '' she said . `` It always brought a smile to his face . '' A private service will be held .
Johnson died Friday morning at 92 in an assisted-living facility in Nyack , New York . His career stretched over six decades and across genres , from war films to musicals . Johnson 's youthful charm earned him nickname the `` voiceless Sinatra '' in his heyday . He got top billing in `` Two Girls and a Sailor ; '' praised for role in `` La Cage aux Folles ''