Van Hansis

Biography: 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.