Actor
Edward Van Sloan
Born 1 November 1882 · Chaska, Minnesota, USA — died 6 March 1964
Edward Van Sloan (1882–1964) was an American stage and screen character actor, best remembered for Universal's early-1930s horror films. He typically played learned, authoritative figures, most famously the vampire hunter Professor Van Helsing, and became a recognisable presence in classic Hollywood horror.
Key films
Dracula (1931)
Played Professor Van Helsing opposite Bela Lugosi, creating the screen template for the vampire hunter.
Frankenstein (1931)On Cinespective
Appeared as Dr. Waldman, Henry Frankenstein's mentor, in the landmark Universal horror classic; he also delivers the film's opening warning.
The Mummy (1932)On Cinespective
Played Dr. Muller, the occult expert confronting Boris Karloff's mummy, in another defining Universal horror.
Dracula's Daughter (1936)
Returned as Van Helsing (renamed in the film) in the Universal sequel to Dracula.
The Scarlet Empress (1934)
Showed his range outside horror in Josef von Sternberg's lavish historical drama.
Key awards
No major awards are documented here.
On Cinespective
Full filmography · 76
- 1916Slander · as Joseph TremaineActor
- 1931Frankenstein · as Doctor WaldmanActor
- 1931Dracula · as Van HelsingActor
- 1931Manhattan Parade · as The LawyerActor
- 1932The Mummy · as Dr. MullerActor
- 1932The Death Kiss · as Tom AveryActor
- 1932Behind the Mask · as Dr. August Steiner / Dr. Alec Munsell / Mr. XActor
- 1932The Last Mile · as RabbiActor
- 1932Under Eighteen · as Assistant to François (uncredited)Actor
- 1932Boo · as Dr. Waldman (edited from "Frankenstein")Actor
- 1932Man Wanted · as Mr. WaltersActor
- 1932Play Girl · as Moffatt, the BossActor
- 1932Thunder Below · as DoctorActor
- 1933Baby Face · as Jameson - Bank Director (uncredited)Actor
- 1933Deluge · as ProfessorActor
- 1933The Working Man · as Mr. BriggsActor
- 1933Murder on the Campus · as Prof. C. Edson HawleyActor
- 1933It's Great to Be Alive · as Dr. WiltonActor
- 1933The Billion Dollar Scandal · as (as Ed Van Sloan) Attorney CarpActor
- 1933Trick for Trick · as John RussellActor
- 1933Infernal Machine · as Professor Gustabve HoffmanActor
- 1934The Scarlet Empress · as Herr Wagner (uncredited)Actor
- 1934Manhattan Melodrama · as Yacht Captain Swenson (uncredited)Actor
- 1934The Life of Vergie Winters · as Jim WintersActor
- 1934The Crosby Case · as Professor Franz LubeckActor
- 1934Mills of the Gods · as KomeoskiActor
- 1934I'll Fix It · as ParkesActor
- 1935The Black Room · as DoctorActor
- 1935The Last Days of Pompeii · as Calvus (uncredited)Actor
- 1935The Woman in Red · as Prosecuting Attorney FoxallActor
- 1935Air Hawks · as SchutterActor
- 19353 Kids and a Queen · as Dr. GordonActor
- 1935A Shot in the Dark · as Professor BostwickActor
- 1935Captain Hurricane · as Man at Susan Ann's BedsideActor
- 1935Grand Old Girl · as HollandActor
- 1935The Arizonian · as Judge CodyActor
- 1936Dracula's Daughter · as Professor Van HelsingActor
- 1936Road Gang · as DudleyActor
- 1936Sins of Man · as Austrian Army DoctorActor
- 1936Fatal Lady · as French Surete (uncredited)Actor
- 1937Criminal Lawyer · as Bit (uncredited)Actor
- 1937The Man Who Found Himself · as Medical Board DoctorActor
- 1938That Mothers Might Live · as Hospital Chief of Staff (uncredited)Actor
- 1938Storm Over Bengal · as Maharajah of LhanapurActor
- 1938Danger on the Air · as Leonard SylvesterActor
- 1938Penitentiary · as Dr. RinewulfActor
- 1939The Phantom Creeps · as JarvisActor
- 1939Honeymoon in Bali · as Priest on Bali (uncredited)Actor
- 1940Before I Hang · as Dr. Ralph HowardActor
- 1940Abe Lincoln in Illinois · as Dr. Barrett (uncredited)Actor
- 1940Teddy the Rough Rider · as Elihu Root, Secretary of StateActor
- 1940The Doctor Takes a Wife · as BurkhardtActor
- 1940The Secret Seven · as Prof. HoltzActor
- 1941Love Crazy · as Sanity Hearing Doctor (uncredited)Actor
- 1942Destination Unknown · as Holland LegationActor
- 1942A Man's World · as Doctor StoneActor
- 1942Valley of Hunted Men · as Dr. Heinrich SteinerActor
- 1943Hitler's Children · as Trial JudgeActor
- 1943Mission to Moscow · as German Diplomat in Berlin (uncredited)Actor
- 1943Riders of the Rio Grande · as Pop OwensActor
- 1944Captain America · as GregoryActor
- 1944The Conspirators · as Dutch Underground Leader (uncredited)Actor
- 1944End of the Road · as JudgeActor
- 1946The Mask of Diijon · as SheffieldActor
- 1946Betty Co-Ed · as A.J.A. WoodruffActor
- 1948A Foreign Affair · as German (uncredited)Actor
- 1949The Phantom Creeps · as JarvisActor
- 1950The Underworld Story · as Minister at Funeral (uncredited)Actor
- 1950This Side of the Law · as Judge (uncredited)Actor
- 1991Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook · as Van Helsing (archive footage)Actor
- 1992Dracula in the Movies · as (archive footage)Actor
- 1998Universal Horror · as (archive footage)Actor
- 1999Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man' · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2000The Many Faces of Dracula · as Van Helsing (archive footage)Actor
- 2014Monster Madness: The Golden Age of the Horror Film · as Van Helsing (archive footage)Actor
- 2025Legacy of Screams: The Evolution of Horror Movies · as Self (archive footage)Actor
Filmography data from TMDB. The profile text is a draft written for Cinespective.