Rebecca Holden
Rebecca Holden | |
|---|---|
 Rebecca Holden in 2009 | |
| Alma mater | North Texas State University |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Known for | Knight Rider General Hospital |
| Spouses | |
| Website | www |
Rebecca Holden is an American actress, model, and singer. [1]
Early life and career
[edit]While studying voice and piano in New York City, she became a model best known as "the Breck Girl".[2] She went on to model on magazine covers and to film national commercials such as for Ivory Soap, Dentyne, Kellogg's, Chevrolet, Gillette, Playtex, Arrid, and 7 Up.[3][better source needed]
Holden guest-starred on primetime shows such as The Love Boat; Magnum, P.I.; Matt Houston; Three's Company; Taxi; Night Court; Mike Hammer; Remington Steele; Barney Miller; Quincy, M.E.; T.J. Hooker; Police Squad! and others.[3] She then joined the cast of the TV series Knight Rider in the series regular role of April Curtis during the show's second season (1983–1984).[4]
She played the diabolical Elena on ABC's soap opera General Hospital, and later moved to Tennessee to help care for her ill sister. During this period she appeared in many stage plays and musicals such as the role of Nancy in Oliver! and Lola in Damn Yankees. Holden starred in a production of Baby, the Musical at the Boiler Room Theatre in Franklin, Tennessee[5]
She was co-host of the TNN dance show Dancin' at the Hot Spots in 1993.
In 2009, Holden portrayed the character Beth in the movie adaptation of The Book of Ruth: Journey of Faith.[6]
On May 15, 2017, filmmaker Richard Rossi announced Holden had been cast in the lead role of Sister Sara Sunday in the independent film Canaan Land, for which she went on to win Best Actress in the Malibu Film Festival. [7][8] In 2023, she starred in the western film, Was Once a Hero opposite Darby Hinton and John Carter Cash.[9]
Music
[edit]While she was still a model, Holden formed a country music group and toured with it for two years.[2]
Holden charted two singles for TRA-Star Records in 1989: "The Truth Doesn't Always Rhyme" and "License to Steal". She recorded the album The Highway Runs Both Ways for Curb Records and a self-titled album for BMG Europe.[10]
In 1989, Holden was recognized as both New Independent Artist and New Independent Female at the first Cash Box magazine Nashville Music Awards.[11]
In the early 2010s, Holden and Kevin Sasaki toured in "Together Forever", a musical tribute to Eydie Gormé and Steve Lawrence.[12]
Personal life
[edit]From 1980 until their divorce in 1986, Holden was married to her childhood sweetheart, Bobby Vasselo. [13][14] On New Year's Eve, 2014, she married record producer Joel Diamond.[15]
Holden has been active with relief organizations. She was a founding board member of Operation California (now Operation USA), traveling for charity work in Ethiopia during the famine. She later helped form Operation Texas, providing help to earthquake victims in Mexico City.[2] In 2022, Rebecca was named a board of director and the Ambassador of Goodwill for The Stars Foundation. [16] She is a board member of the William Stephanie Foundation[17]
Filmography
[edit]| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1982 | Dirty Hero | Christene Adams | Alternative title: Yogoreta eiyû |
| 1988 | The Sisterhood | Alee | Caged Woman |
| 1989 | Loverboy | Anchovy woman | |
| 1991 | Twenty Dollar Star | Lisa | |
| 1992 | The Hollywood Beach Murders | Jamie | |
| 1999 | Foolish | Rebecca the Waitress | |
| Lycanthrope | Sheila Stein | Alternative title: Bloody Moon | |
| 2001 | Knight Chills | Newscaster | Direct-to-video release |
| Outlaw Prophet | Molly | ||
| 2005 | From Venus | The Avatrix | |
| 2009 | The Book of Ruth: Journey of Faith | Beth | Direct-to-video release |
| 2015 | The Hollywouldn'ts | Lead | |
| 2016 | Baskets | Co-star | |
| 2016 | All Wrong | Lead | |
| 2021 | Canaan Land | Lead | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1980 | B.A.D. Cats | 1 episode | |
| Three's Company | Bunny/Twinkie | 1 episode | |
| 1982 | House Calls | Jan Howard | 1 episode |
| Happy Days | Lola | 1 episode | |
| The Love Boat | Mona (1981), Diane (1984) | 2 episodes | |
| Magnum, P.I., 1981 | Laura Frasier | 1 episode | |
| Enos | 1 episode | ||
| Barney Miller, 1981 | Wendy McWilliams | 1 episode: "Paternity" | |
| Taxi | Christina Longworth | 1 episode | |
| Private Benjamin | 1 episode | ||
| Too Close for Comfort | Susan Andrews | 1 episode | |
| Quincy, M.E. | Kirsten MacKenzie | 1 episode | |
| Police Squad! | Stella | 1 episode | |
| T. J. Hooker | Lynn Hartman | 1 episode | |
| 1983 | Johnny Blue | Kathy Weatherby | Television movie |
| Matt Houston | Dr. Carol Masters Sharon Dardis |
2 episodes | |
| 1983–1984 | Knight Rider | April Curtis[4] | 21 episodes |
| 1984 | The Master | 1 episode | |
| The New Mike Hammer | Barbara Rainey | 1 episode | |
| 1986 | Night Court | Mary Korchak | 1 episode |
| Remington Steele | Windsor Thomas | 1 episode | |
| 1987 | General Hospital | Elena Cosgrove | Unknown episodes |
| 1988 | CBS Summer Playhouse | Vanessa | 1 episode |
Discography
[edit]| Year | Single | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| US Country[18] | ||
| 1989 | "The Truth Doesn't Always Rhyme" | 82 |
| "License to Steal" | 78 |
References
[edit]- ^ "'Knight Rider' star Rebecca Holden says to 'give meaning and purpose' to the sacrifices of fallen soldiers". Fox News. May 20, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Another 'Knight Rider' star seeks music career". The News-Messenger. Ohio, Fremont. Gannett News Service. August 28, 1986. p. 27. Retrieved June 25, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Bio". RebeccaHolden.com. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- ^ a b O'Hallaren, Bill (January 4, 1986). "Boy, Has She Got Car Troubles". TV Guide. Archived from the original on September 21, 2015. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
- ^ Shaw, Peggy (February 1, 2002). "From the small screen to the small stage". The Tennessean. Tennessee, Nashville. p. W – 1. Retrieved June 25, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Book of Ruth". Rebecca Holden.com.
- ^ Nolasco, Stephanie (November 2, 2019). "'Knight Rider' star Rebecca Holden recalls on-screen chemistry with David Hasselhoff, why she left series". Fox Corporation. Fox News. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
- ^ Rutherford, Tony (May 16, 2017). "Knight Rider Star Rebecca Holden Lands Canaan Land Lead" (Press release). Christian Newswire. Retrieved May 16, 2017 – via HuntingtonNews.net.
- ^ Brewer, Thom (May 17, 2024). "Celebrities and fans get together in Salem for 'Happy Trails Film and Television Festival'". WFXR. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 191. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
- ^ Oermann, Robert K. (December 7, 1989). "Alabama wins big at 'Cash Box' awards". The Tennessean. Tennessee, Nashville. p. 5–D. Retrieved June 25, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Today". The Star-Democrat. Maryland, Easton. June 10, 2011. p. 3. Retrieved June 25, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Dangaard, Colin (August 4, 1983). "Rebecca Holden Joins 'Knight Rider' Cast". The State. p. 10-B. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
- ^ "He's hardly Mexican, but he'll fake it; Series: Headliners". St. Petersburg Times. July 13, 1987. p. 3D. ProQuest 262514120.
The actress no longer has to keep the home fires burning. She and her husband, oil company owner Bobby Vassallo, parted ways last year. 'It was the right th ing,' says Rebecca. 'Things are good. I'm committed to my work and I'm a busy, happy person.'
- ^ "HITCHED, HATCHED, HIRED: Inside the industry's celebrations and news; Weddings". Joel Diamond, a multiplatinum record producer and former Sony Music executive, married actress-musician Rebecca Holden on New Year's Eve in Nashville. She filed for divorce in 2021. February 6, 2015. ProQuest 2298693503.
- ^ "Board of Directors".
- ^ "Meet Our Committee".
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2012). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2012. Record Research, Inc. p. 154. ISBN 978-0-89820-203-8.
External links
[edit]
- Official website
- Rebecca Holden at IMDb
- Rebecca Holden at AllMovie
- Rebecca Holden at Rotten Tomatoes
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
- American musical theatre actresses
- American women country singers
- American women singer-songwriters
- American country singer-songwriters
- American film actresses
- American soap opera actresses
- Living people
- 1953 births
- 20th-century American actresses
- 21st-century American actresses
- 20th-century American singer-songwriters
- 21st-century American singer-songwriters
- 20th-century American women singers
- 21st-century American women singers
- American television actresses
- Country musicians from Texas
- Singer-songwriters from Texas
- Singers from Austin, Texas
- University of North Texas alumni