In 1941 he played a small but important part as magazine editor Rawlston in the Orson Welles film Citizen Kane.

Van Zandt's Dutch-sounding stage name assured him steady employment during wartime as continental types: spies, saboteurs, ememy agents.

While under contract to Columbia he began appearing in the studio's two-reel slapstick comedies, beginning with Pardon My Terror (1946) starring Gus Schilling and Richard Lane.

Van Zandt went on to work with Andy Clyde, Hugh Herbert, Joe Besser and especially The Three Stooges, remaining with the Columbia shorts unit until it closed in 1957.

Van Zandt's cremains were located in Vault 2 by Hollywood Graveyard YouTube channel creator Arthur Dark.