Earl Holliman
| Earl Holliman | |
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 Holliman at the National Film Society convention, May 1979 |
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| Born | September 11, 1928 Delhi, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1953–2000 |
Earl Holliman (born September 11, 1928) is an American actor.
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[edit] Early life
Earl Holliman was born at Delhi in Richland Parish of northeastern Louisiana. Holliman’s biological father died before he was born, and his biological mother, living in poverty with several other children, gave him up for adoption at birth. Henry Holliman, an oil-field worker, and his wife adopted Earl and his early years were normal until his adoptive father also died when Earl was 13.
He saved money from his job ushering at a movie theater and left Shreveport, Louisiana, hitchhiking to Hollywood. Unsuccessful at finding work, he soon returned to Louisiana. Meanwhile, his adoptive mother had remarried, and Holliman disliked his new stepfather.[1] He lied about his age and enlisted in the United States Navy during World War II.[2] Assigned to a Navy communications school in Los Angeles, he spent his free time at the Hollywood Canteen, talking to stars who dropped by to support the servicemen and women. A year after he enlisted, the Navy discovered his real age and discharged him.
Holliman returned home and finished high school. As soon as he was old enough, he re-enlisted in the Navy and was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. Interested in acting, he was cast as the lead in several Norfolk Navy Theatre productions.[2] When he left the Navy for good, Holliman studied acting at the Pasadena Playhouse.[1] He also graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles.[3]
[edit] Film career
Holliman first appeared in 1953's Scared Stiff. Three years later, he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture for his performance in the 1956 film, The Rainmaker. Other notable film appearances were in Broken Lance, Giant, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Forbidden Planet, Hot Spell, Visit to a Small Planet, The Bridges at Toko-Ri, The Trap, The Big Combo, The Sons of Katie Elder, Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff, Last Train from Gun Hill and Summer and Smoke.
[edit] Television career
Holliman became well known to television audiences through his role as Sundance in CBS's Hotel de Paree, with costar Jeanette Nolan, and in the title role with Andrew Prine in NBC's The Wide Country, a drama about modern rodeo performers that aired for twenty-eight episodes in 1962–1963. In 1962, he and Claude Akins guest-starred as feuding brothers in "The Stubborn Stumbos" episode of Marilyn Maxwell's ABC drama series, The Fugitive Bus Stop. In 1967, Holliman guest-starred on Wayne Maunder's short-lived ABC military-western series Custer. In 1970 and 1971, Holliman made two appearances in the western comedy Alias Smith and Jones starring Pete Duel (né Deuel) and Ben Murphy.
From 1974–1978, he was cast as Lieutenant Bill Crowley opposite Angie Dickinson in the Police Woman series. He also had the distinction of appearing in the first episode of CBS's The Twilight Zone, titled "Where Is Everybody?" which aired on October 2, 1959—also the night of the premiere of Hotel de Paree.
He continued to appear in television guest roles throughout the 1970s and 1980s. His most notable role during this period was in the hit mini-series The Thorn Birds with Richard Chamberlain and Rachel Ward. He also took part in the Gunsmoke reunion movie "Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge" in 1987 as Jake Flagg.
Holliman also starred in the 1997-1999 television series Night Man as Frank Domino, a semi-retired police officer and protagonist character's father.
[edit] Later life and career
Earl Holliman owned the Fiesta Dinner Playhouse in San Antonio, Texas. He occasionally performed at his theater when he wasn’t working in Hollywood, including starring in Same Time, Next Year with Julie Sommars in 1983.[4] The facility closed after 1987.
[edit] Other awards
Holliman earned a nomination for a Golden Globe Award for "Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a television Series" for his acting with Delta Burke in her short-lived 1992 series Delta.
For his contribution to the television industry, Holliman has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6901 Hollywood Blvd.
Holliman is also known for his work as an animal-rights activist, including more than 25 years as president of Actors and Others for Animals.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Holleran, Scott: [1] Box Office Mojo, March 8, 2006 - Close-Up: Actor Earl Holliman interview
- ^ a b [2] Yahoo! Movies - Earl Holliman]
- ^ Erickson, Hal: [3] Answers.com; Earl Holliman
- ^ [4] Steve Gilliam Resume, Fiesta Dinner Playhouse
- ^ Fraser, Nora: [5] The Pet Press, October 2002 - Actors & Others’ Head Honcho Has A Huge Heart for Animals
[edit] External links
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