Homer Van Meter
Encyclopedia
Homer "Wayne" Van Meter was an American
criminal and bank robber active in the early 20th century, most notably as a criminal associate of John Dillinger
and Baby Face Nelson
.
, the son of an alcoholic railroad conductor. During the sixth grade, Van Meter ran away from home, eventually ending up in Chicago, Illinois, where he worked as a bellhop
and a waiter.
He was arrested for the first time at age 17, for drunk and disorderly conduct. In Aurora
, Illinois
, on June 23, 1923, Van Meter was sentenced to 41 days in jail for larceny
. On January 11, 1924, he was sentenced for motor vehicle theft
and incarcerated in Menard Correctional Center
. At the time of his admission, he had a tattoo reading "HOPE" on one forearm, and a case of syphilis
.
Van Meter was paroled in December 1924. Three months later, he teamed up with an old cellmate to rob the passengers of a train in Crown Point, Indiana
. He was caught and convicted of the crime, receiving a sentence of 10 to 21 years, to be served in the Pendleton
Reformatory.
. Whereas Van Meter befriended Dillinger, he and Pierpont openly despised each other, largely because of Van Meter's clowning antics and demeanor. On July 28, 1925, Van Meter's repeated joking and violation of Pendleton rules earned him a transfer to the state prison at Michigan City
.
again, this time with cellmate Charles Stewart. After sawing through the bars of their cell, the two beat a corrections officer unconscious, but were caught before leaving the prison. As a penalty, he spent the next two months in solitary confinement
, where he was severely beaten by prison guards.
to rob a bank in Grand Haven
, Michigan
. They got away with $30,000. On October 23, the trio along with John Paul Chase
and Charles Fisher robbed a bank in Brainerd, Minnesota
, escaping with $32,000. When Illinois published its list of "public enemies
" at the end of 1933, Van Meter ranked 18th.
John Dillinger broke out of prison in Crown Point, Indiana on March 3, 1934. Dillinger and John "Red" Hamilton
, would later join the gang. On March 6, 1934, Van Meter, John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, Tommy Carroll, Eddie Green
and Red Hamilton committed a robbery in Sioux Falls
, South Dakota
, during which police officer Hale Keith was severely wounded by Nelson. The robbers escaped with $49,500 to their hideout in St. Paul, Minnesota. One week later, on March 13, the same gang robbed a bank in Mason City
, Iowa
, for $52,000. On April 12, Dillinger and Van Meter robbed a police station in Warsaw, Indiana
, stealing firearms and bulletproof vest
s.
Because of this level of criminal activity, Van Meter and the gang became the subject of an intense FBI
manhunt. Eddie Green was ambushed and killed by the F.B.I. on April 3, 1934. Both Van Meter and Dillinger shot it out with police pursuers on March 31 in St. Paul and April 23 with John Hamilton
, in Hastings
, Minnesota
, but escaped both times. Hamilton was wounded in the latter encounter, however, and died four days later at the house of Volney Davis
. Van Meter and members of the Barker Gang buried him in a gravel pit near Oswego
.
Van Meter, Dillinger and Carroll spent most of May 1934 hiding in a woodland cabin near East Chicago, Indiana
. On May 24, while driving a truck through East Chicago, Van Meter and Dillinger were stopped by police detectives Martin O'Brien and Lloyd Mulvihill. Van Meter shot both officers dead. On June 7, 1934, Tommy Carroll was killed in a gunfight in Waterloo, Iowa
.
A few days later, in an attempt to conceal their identities, both Dillinger and Van Meter underwent plastic surgery
at the hands of Wilhelm Loeser
in the apartment of Jimmy Probasco, a bar owner connected to the Chicago Outfit
. Loeser operated on Van Meter on June 3. Unsatisfied with the results and, not coincidentally, with the pain of the operation, Van Meter attempted to kill Loeser on the spot.
On June 30, Van Meter, Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, and an unidentified fourth man robbed a bank in South Bend, Indiana
, during which four bystanders were killed. Van Meter also murdered police officer Howard Wagner. It proved to be the gang's last raid.
On July 22, 1934, FBI agents led by Melvin Purvis
and Samuel P. Cowley gunned down John Dillinger
in front of the Biograph Theater in Chicago. That night, Van Meter and his girlfriend Marie Comforti fled to St. Paul.
in St. Paul, Van Meter was confronted by four police officers, including Chief of Police Frank Cullen, former chief Thomas Brown and two detectives, all heavily armed. The officers later claimed Van Meter ignored their command to stop and fled into a nearby alley, where he opened fire on the officers, at which time the officers returned fire, killing Van Meter. He was only 27 years old.
The number and severity of Van Meter's wounds—he was shot dozens of times, and several of his fingers were shot off—would cause some to label the incident an "ambush" or an example of "police execution". Van Meter's family would later say their kin had been used for "target practice".
The four officers reported $1,323 found on Van Meter, although his friends and associates claimed he was carrying at least $10,000 on that day. In 1939, the FBI announced that it believed St. Paul gangster Harry Sawyer had set up Van Meter to get at his money, splitting the take with the four ranking officers who did the shooting.
Homer Van Meter is buried in Lindenwood Cemetery, in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
While not long afterwards, the chaplain
at the very same facility described him as follows:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
criminal and bank robber active in the early 20th century, most notably as a criminal associate of John Dillinger
John Dillinger
John Herbert Dillinger, Jr. was an American bank robber in Depression-era United States. He was charged with, but never convicted of, the murder of an East Chicago, Indiana police officer during a shoot-out. This was his only alleged homicide. His gang robbed two dozen banks and four police stations...
and Baby Face Nelson
Baby Face Nelson
Lester Joseph Gillis , known under the pseudonym George Nelson, was a bank robber and murderer in the 1930s. Gillis was known as Baby Face Nelson, a name given to him due to his youthful appearance and small stature...
.
Early life
Homer Van Meter was born in Fort Wayne, IndianaFort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
, the son of an alcoholic railroad conductor. During the sixth grade, Van Meter ran away from home, eventually ending up in Chicago, Illinois, where he worked as a bellhop
Bellhop
A bellhop, also bellboy or bellman, is a hotel porter, who helps patrons with their luggage while checking in or out. Bellhops often wear a uniform , like certain other page boys or doormen...
and a waiter.
He was arrested for the first time at age 17, for drunk and disorderly conduct. In Aurora
Aurora, Illinois
Aurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, on June 23, 1923, Van Meter was sentenced to 41 days in jail for larceny
Larceny
Larceny is a crime involving the wrongful acquisition of the personal property of another person. It was an offence under the common law of England and became an offence in jurisdictions which incorporated the common law of England into their own law. It has been abolished in England and Wales,...
. On January 11, 1924, he was sentenced for motor vehicle theft
Motor vehicle theft
Motor vehicle theft is the criminal act of stealing or attempting to steal a motor vehicle...
and incarcerated in Menard Correctional Center
Menard Correctional Center
Menard Correctional Center, known prior to 1970 as Southern Illinois Penitentiary, is located in the town of Chester in Randolph County, Illinois. It is a state prison housing maximum-security and high medium-security adult males.The average daily population as of 2007 is 3,410. Menard Correctional...
. At the time of his admission, he had a tattoo reading "HOPE" on one forearm, and a case of syphilis
Syphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
.
Van Meter was paroled in December 1924. Three months later, he teamed up with an old cellmate to rob the passengers of a train in Crown Point, Indiana
Crown Point, Indiana
As of the census of 2010, there were 27,317 people and 10,976 households in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 88.20% White, 6.30% African American, 0.20% Native American, 1.80% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 1.90% from other races, and 1.60% from two or more races...
. He was caught and convicted of the crime, receiving a sentence of 10 to 21 years, to be served in the Pendleton
Pendleton, Indiana
Pendleton is a town in Fall Creek Township, Madison County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Anderson, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area...
Reformatory.
Meeting John Dillinger
While in Pendleton, Van Meter met John Dillinger and Harry PierpontHarry Pierpont
Harry Pierpont was a Prohibition era gangster. He is perhaps most noted for being a friend and mentor of John Dillinger....
. Whereas Van Meter befriended Dillinger, he and Pierpont openly despised each other, largely because of Van Meter's clowning antics and demeanor. On July 28, 1925, Van Meter's repeated joking and violation of Pendleton rules earned him a transfer to the state prison at Michigan City
Michigan City, Indiana
Michigan City's origins date to 1830, when the land for the city was first purchased by Isaac C. Elston. Elston Middle School, formerly Elston High School, located at 317 Detroit St., is named after the founder....
.
Escape attempts
In January 1926, Van Meter was transported to Chicago to testify in defense of a man wrongly suspected of being his accomplice for the train robbery in Crown Point. He escaped from the transport at Union Station, but was quickly apprehended by his captors while he was begging for change on the street. A week later, Van Meter attempted prison escapePrison Break
Prison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring, that was broadcast on the Fox Broadcasting Company for four seasons, from 2005 until 2009. The series revolves around two brothers; one has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an...
again, this time with cellmate Charles Stewart. After sawing through the bars of their cell, the two beat a corrections officer unconscious, but were caught before leaving the prison. As a penalty, he spent the next two months in solitary confinement
Solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is isolated from any human contact, though often with the exception of members of prison staff. It is sometimes employed as a form of punishment beyond incarceration for a prisoner, and has been cited as an additional...
, where he was severely beaten by prison guards.
Crime wave
Afterwards, Van Meter affected a reformation sufficient to allow the parole board to release him on May 19, 1933. On August 18 of the same year, Van Meter aligned himself with Baby Face Nelson and Tommy CarrollTommy Carroll (criminal)
Thomas Leonard "Tommy" Carroll was an American bank robber and Depression-era outlaw. A boxer-turned-criminal, he committed numerous robberies during the 1920s and 30s as well as being a longtime member of the Dillinger gang....
to rob a bank in Grand Haven
Grand Haven, Michigan
Grand Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is the county seat of Ottawa County. Grand Haven is located on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Grand River, for which it is named. As of the 2010 census, Grand Haven had a population of 10,412. It is part of the...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. They got away with $30,000. On October 23, the trio along with John Paul Chase
John Paul Chase
John Paul Chase was an American bank robber and Depression-era outlaw. He was a longtime criminal associate of the Karpis-Barker Gang and Baby Face Nelson who later brought him into the John Dillinger gang. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover once referred to Chase as "a rat with a patriotic-sounding name"...
and Charles Fisher robbed a bank in Brainerd, Minnesota
Brainerd, Minnesota
Brainerd is a city in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 13,590 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Crow Wing County and one of the largest cities in Central Minnesota...
, escaping with $32,000. When Illinois published its list of "public enemies
Public enemy (term)
Public enemy is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though in fact the term had been used for centuries to describe pirates and similar outlaws.The modern use of term...
" at the end of 1933, Van Meter ranked 18th.
John Dillinger broke out of prison in Crown Point, Indiana on March 3, 1934. Dillinger and John "Red" Hamilton
John Hamilton (gangster)
John "Red" Hamilton was a Canadian criminal and bank robber active in the early 20th century, most notably as a criminal associate of John Dillinger.-Prison break:...
, would later join the gang. On March 6, 1934, Van Meter, John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, Tommy Carroll, Eddie Green
Eddie Green (criminal)
Eugene "Eddie" Green was an American bank robber and Depression-era outlaw during the 1930s, best known as a member of the John Dillinger gang...
and Red Hamilton committed a robbery in Sioux Falls
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Sioux Falls is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Sioux Falls is the county seat of Minnehaha County, and also extends into Lincoln County to the south...
, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, during which police officer Hale Keith was severely wounded by Nelson. The robbers escaped with $49,500 to their hideout in St. Paul, Minnesota. One week later, on March 13, the same gang robbed a bank in Mason City
Mason City, Iowa
Mason City is the county seat of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 28,079 in the 2010 census, a decline from 29,172 in the 2000 census. The Mason City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Cerro Gordo and Worth counties....
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, for $52,000. On April 12, Dillinger and Van Meter robbed a police station in Warsaw, Indiana
Warsaw, Indiana
Warsaw is a city in and the county seat of Kosciusko County, Indiana, United States. Cradled among Winona Lake, Pike Lake, Hidden Lake and Center Lake, Warsaw is nicknamed "Lake City," though other cities in the surrounding area are also referred to by that nickname...
, stealing firearms and bulletproof vest
Bulletproof vest
A ballistic vest, bulletproof vest or bullet-resistant vest is an item of personal armor that helps absorb the impact from firearm-fired projectiles and shrapnel from explosions, and is worn on the torso...
s.
Because of this level of criminal activity, Van Meter and the gang became the subject of an intense FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
manhunt. Eddie Green was ambushed and killed by the F.B.I. on April 3, 1934. Both Van Meter and Dillinger shot it out with police pursuers on March 31 in St. Paul and April 23 with John Hamilton
John Hamilton (gangster)
John "Red" Hamilton was a Canadian criminal and bank robber active in the early 20th century, most notably as a criminal associate of John Dillinger.-Prison break:...
, in Hastings
Hastings, Minnesota
Hastings is a city in Dakota counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota, near the confluence of the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers. The population was 22,172 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Dakota County. The bulk of Hastings is in Dakota County; only a small part of the city extends...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, but escaped both times. Hamilton was wounded in the latter encounter, however, and died four days later at the house of Volney Davis
Volney Davis
Volney Curley Davis was an American bank robber and Depression-era outlaw. A longtime Oklahoma bandit, he was the boyfriend of Edna Murray and an associate of both the John Dillinger and Alvin Karpis-Barker gangs during the 1930s.-Biography:Born in Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma, Volney Davis's...
. Van Meter and members of the Barker Gang buried him in a gravel pit near Oswego
Oswego, Illinois
Oswego is a village in Kendall County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 30,355. Its population has more than doubled since the 2000 census count of 13,326...
.
Van Meter, Dillinger and Carroll spent most of May 1934 hiding in a woodland cabin near East Chicago, Indiana
East Chicago, Indiana
East Chicago is a city in Lake County, Indiana. The population was 29,698 at the 2010 census.-Geography:East Chicago is located at ....
. On May 24, while driving a truck through East Chicago, Van Meter and Dillinger were stopped by police detectives Martin O'Brien and Lloyd Mulvihill. Van Meter shot both officers dead. On June 7, 1934, Tommy Carroll was killed in a gunfight in Waterloo, Iowa
Waterloo, Iowa
Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the population decreased by 0.5% to 68,406. Waterloo is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the more populous of the two...
.
A few days later, in an attempt to conceal their identities, both Dillinger and Van Meter underwent plastic surgery
Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
at the hands of Wilhelm Loeser
Wilhelm Loeser
Wilhelm Loeser was an American physician and pharmacist who provided medical care to underworld figures during the "Public enemy"-era of the 1930s. His most famous clients were John Dillinger and Homer Van Meter who hired him to perform plastic surgery on them.-Biography:Wilhem Loeser was born in...
in the apartment of Jimmy Probasco, a bar owner connected to the Chicago Outfit
Chicago Outfit
The Chicago Outfit, also known as the Chicago Syndicate or Chicago Mob and sometimes shortened to simply the Outfit, is a crime syndicate based in Chicago, Illinois, USA...
. Loeser operated on Van Meter on June 3. Unsatisfied with the results and, not coincidentally, with the pain of the operation, Van Meter attempted to kill Loeser on the spot.
On June 30, Van Meter, Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, and an unidentified fourth man robbed a bank in South Bend, Indiana
South Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
, during which four bystanders were killed. Van Meter also murdered police officer Howard Wagner. It proved to be the gang's last raid.
On July 22, 1934, FBI agents led by Melvin Purvis
Melvin Purvis
Melvin Horace Purvis, Jr. was an American law enforcement official and Federal Bureau of Investigation agent. He was given the nickname "Little Mel" because of his short stature...
and Samuel P. Cowley gunned down John Dillinger
John Dillinger
John Herbert Dillinger, Jr. was an American bank robber in Depression-era United States. He was charged with, but never convicted of, the murder of an East Chicago, Indiana police officer during a shoot-out. This was his only alleged homicide. His gang robbed two dozen banks and four police stations...
in front of the Biograph Theater in Chicago. That night, Van Meter and his girlfriend Marie Comforti fled to St. Paul.
Death
On August 23, at the corner of Marion Street and University AvenueUniversity Avenue (Minneapolis-St. Paul)
University Avenue in the Minneapolis–St. Paul region of Minnesota begins near the Minnesota State Capitol in Saint Paul and extends westward into neighboring Minneapolis, where it passes the University of Minnesota, and then turns north to pass through several suburbs before ending in Blaine,...
in St. Paul, Van Meter was confronted by four police officers, including Chief of Police Frank Cullen, former chief Thomas Brown and two detectives, all heavily armed. The officers later claimed Van Meter ignored their command to stop and fled into a nearby alley, where he opened fire on the officers, at which time the officers returned fire, killing Van Meter. He was only 27 years old.
The number and severity of Van Meter's wounds—he was shot dozens of times, and several of his fingers were shot off—would cause some to label the incident an "ambush" or an example of "police execution". Van Meter's family would later say their kin had been used for "target practice".
The four officers reported $1,323 found on Van Meter, although his friends and associates claimed he was carrying at least $10,000 on that day. In 1939, the FBI announced that it believed St. Paul gangster Harry Sawyer had set up Van Meter to get at his money, splitting the take with the four ranking officers who did the shooting.
Homer Van Meter is buried in Lindenwood Cemetery, in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Temperament
There are conflicting accounts of Van Meter's personality, although all agree that he was an inveterate clown and prankster. Of his criminal side, the director of research at the state prison at Michigan City said:This fellow is a criminal of the most dangerous type. Moral sense is perverted and he has no intention of following anything but a life of crime ... He is a murderer at heart and if society is to be safeguarded, his type must be confined throughout their natural lives.
While not long afterwards, the chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
at the very same facility described him as follows:
Van Meter ... is ready to prove that he is no longer the man who got off on such a bad start.
Other media
- Homer Van Meter was the subject of an episode of the Gang BustersGang BustersGang Busters was an American dramatic radio program heralded as "the only national program that brings you authentic police case histories." It premiered as G-Men, sponsored by Chevrolet, on July 20, 1935.-History:...
radio show on April 15, 1936, which later became the 10th episode of the first season of the 1952 TV series of the same name. On the TV show, Van Meter was portrayed by actor Richard CraneRichard CraneRichard Crane was a veteran character actor whose career spanned three decades in films and television. His early career included many uncredited performances in feature films made in the 1940's. He is best remembered for his portrayal of the title role in the TV science fiction series Rocky...
. - In John MiliusJohn MiliusJohn Frederick Milius is an American screenwriter, director, and producer of motion pictures.-Early life:Milius was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Elizabeth and William Styx Milius, who was a shoe manufacturer. Milius attempted to join the Marine Corps in the late 1960s, but was rejected...
's 1973 film DillingerDillinger (1973 film)Dillinger is a 1973 gangster film about the life and criminal exploits of notorious bank robber John Dillinger.It stars Warren Oates as Dillinger and Ben Johnson as his pursuer, FBI Agent Melvin Purvis. The film, narrated by Purvis, chronicles the last few years of Dillinger's life as the FBI and...
, Homer Van Meter was portrayed by actor Harry Dean StantonHarry Dean StantonHarry Dean Stanton is an American actor, musician, and singer. Stanton's career has spanned over fifty years, which has seen him star in such films as Paris, Texas, Kelly's Heroes, Dillinger, Alien, Repo Man, The Last Temptation of Christ, Wild at Heart, The Green Mile and The Pledge...
. - In the 1975 television movie The Kansas City Massacre, Van Meter was portrayed by actor Brion JamesBrion JamesBrion Howard James was an American character actor. Known for playing the character of Leon Kowalski in the movie Blade Runner, James portrayed a variety of colorful roles in well-known films such as 48 Hrs., Another 48 Hours, Tango & Cash, Silverado, Red Heat, The Player and The Fifth Element...
. - The 2001 Stephen KingStephen KingStephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
short story "The Death of Jack HamiltonThe Death of Jack HamiltonThe Death of Jack Hamilton is a short story by Stephen King. It was originally published in the December 24/31, 2001 issue of The New Yorker magazine. In 2002, it was collected in King's collection Everything's Eventual...
" is told from the point of view of Homer Van Meter, in a storyline where he didn't die in 1934 and lived long enough to recall John F. KennedyJohn F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
's assassination. - In the 2009 Michael Mann film Public Enemies, Homer Van Meter is portrayed by actor Stephen DorffStephen DorffStephen Dorff is an American actor, best known for portraying Stuart Sutcliffe in Backbeat, Johnny Marco in Somewhere, and for his roles in Blade and Cecil B. DeMented.-Early life:...
.