William Holden

For other uses, see William Holden (disambiguation).

William Holden
Holden in a publicity photo, 1954
Born	William Franklin Beedle, Jr. (1918-04-17)April 17, 1918 O'Fallon, Illinois, U.S.
Died	November 12, 1981(1981-11-12) (aged 63) Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Exsanguination following a fall
Education	South Pasadena High School
Alma mater	Pasadena City College
Occupation(s)	Actor, wildlife conservationist
Years active	1931–1981
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Brenda Marshall ​ ​ (m. 1941⁠–⁠1971)​
Children	3
Awards	Academy Award for Best Actor (1953) Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor (1974)

William Holden (born William Franklin Beedle, Jr.; April 17, 1918 – November 12, 1981) was an American actor who was one of the biggest box office draws of the 1950s through the 1970s. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1953 for his role in Stalag 17, and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor for his role in the 1973 television film The Blue Knight.

Holden starred in some of Hollywood's most popular and critically acclaimed films, including such masterpieces as Sunset Boulevard, Sabrina, The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Wild Bunch, Picnic, and Network. He was named one of the "Top 10 Stars of the Year" six times (1954–1958, 1961), and appeared as 25th on the American Film Institute's list of 25 greatest male stars of Classic Hollywood Cinema.

Early life and career

Holden was born William Franklin Beedle, Jr. in O'Fallon, Illinois, the son of Mary Blanche (née Ball; 1898–1990), a schoolteacher, and William Franklin Beedle, Sr. (1891–1967), an industrial chemist. He had two younger brothers, Robert and Richard. Holden's paternal great-grandmother, Rebecca Westfield, was born in England in 1817, while some of his mother's ancestors settled in Virginia's Lancaster County after emigrating from England in the 17th century. His younger brother, Robert W. "Bobbie" Beedle, became a U.S. Navy fighter pilot and was killed in action in World War II, over New Ireland, a Japanese-occupied island in the South Pacific, on January 5, 1944.

His family moved to South Pasadena when he was three. After graduating from South Pasadena High School, Holden attended Pasadena Junior College, where he became involved in local radio plays. Contrary to legend and theatre publicity, he did not study at the Pasadena Playhouse, nor was he discovered in a play there. Rather, he was spotted by a talent scout from Paramount Pictures in 1937 while playing the part of an 80-year-old man, Marie Curie's father-in-law, in a play at the Playbox, a separate and private theatre owned by Pasadena Playhouse director Gilmor Brown. His first film role was in Prison Farm the following year.

A version of how he obtained his stage name "Holden" is based on a statement by George Ross of Billboard magazine: "William Holden, the lad just signed for the coveted lead in “Golden Boy”, used to be Bill Beadle. And here is how he obtained his new movie tag. On the Columbia lot is an assistant director and scout named Harold Winston. Not long ago he was divorced from the actress, Gloria Holden, but carried the torch after the marital rift. Winston was one of those who discovered the “Golden Boy” newcomer and who renamed him — in honor of his former spouse! ..."

Career

With Lee J. Cobb (right) in Holden's first starring role in a film, Golden Boy (1939)

With Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Holden's first starring role was in Golden Boy (1939), costarring Barbara Stanwyck, in which he played a violinist-turned-boxer. He was still an unknown actor at the time, while Stanwyck was already a film star. She liked Holden and went out of her way to help him succeed, devoting her personal time to coaching and encouraging him, which made them into lifelong friends. When she received her Honorary Oscar at the 1982 Academy Award ceremony, Holden had died in an accident just a few months prior. At the end of her acceptance speech, she paid him a personal tribute: "I loved him very much, and I miss him. He always wished that I would get an Oscar. And so tonight, my golden boy, you got your wish".

Next he starred with George Raft and Humphrey Bogart in the Warner Bros. gangster epic Invisible Stripes later the same year, followed by the role of George Gibbs in the film adaptation of Our Town. After Columbia Pictures picked up half of his contract, he alternated between starring in several minor pictures for Paramount and Columbia before serving as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II, where he acted in training films for the First Motion Picture Unit. His career took off in 1950 when Billy Wilder tapped him to star in Sunset Boulevard, where he played a down-at-the-heels screenwriter who gets taken in by a faded silent-screen star, played by Gloria Swanson. Holden earned his first Best Actor Oscar nomination with the part. Getting the part, however, was a lucky break for Holden, as the role was initially cast with Montgomery Clift, who backed out of his contract. Swanson later said, "Bill Holden was a man I could have fallen in love with. He was perfection on- and off-screen." And Wilder himself commented, "Bill was a complex guy, a totally honorable friend. He was a genuine star. Every woman was in love with him."

Following this breakthrough film, his career quickly grew in stature as Holden played a series of roles that combined good looks with cynical detachment, including a prisoner-of-war entrepreneur in Stalag 17 (1953), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, a pressured young engineer/family man in Executive Suite (1954), an acerbic stage director in The Country Girl (1954) with Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly, a conflicted jet pilot in the Korean War film The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954), a wandering college football star in Picnic (1955), a dashing war correspondent in Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955), his most widely recognized role as an ill-fated prisoner in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) with Alec Guinness, a World War II tug boat captain in The Key (1958), and an American Civil War military surgeon in John Ford's The Horse Soldiers (1959) opposite John Wayne. He played a number of sunnier roles in light comedy, such as the handsome architect pursuing virginal Maggie McNamara in the controversial Production Code-breaking The Moon Is Blue (1953) with David Niven, as Judy Holliday's tutor in Born Yesterday (1950), as a playwright captivated by Ginger Rogers' character in Forever Female (1953).

With Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina (1954)

He co-starred as Humphrey Bogart's younger brother, a carefree playboy, in Sabrina (1954), played by Audrey Hepburn. It was Holden's third film with director Billy Wilder. Holden and Hepburn became romantically involved during the filming, unbeknown to Wilder: "People on the set told me later that Bill and Audrey were having an affair, and everybody knew. Well, not everybody! I didn't know." The interactions between Bogart, Hepburn and Holden made shooting less than pleasant, however, as Bogart originally wanted his wife, Lauren Bacall, to play Sabrina. While Bogart was therefore not especially friendly toward Hepburn, who had little Hollywood experience, Holden's reaction was almost the opposite, and he became her "guardian angel," writes biographer Michelangelo Capua. Holden recalls their romance:

Before I even met her, I had a crush on her, and after I met her, just a day later, I felt as if we were old friends, and I was rather fiercely protective of her, though not in a possessive way.

Their relationship did not last much beyond the completion of the film. Holden, who was at this point dependent on alcohol, said, "I really was in love with Audrey, but she wouldn't marry me." A few months later, Hepburn met Mel Ferrer, whom she would later marry.

In 1954, Holden was featured on the cover of Life magazine. On February 7, 1955, Holden appeared as a guest star on I Love Lucy as himself. His career peaked in 1957 with the enormous success of The Bridge on the River Kwai, but Holden spent the next several years starring in a number of films that rarely succeeded commercially or critically. By the mid-1960s, the quality of his roles and films had noticeably diminished. A heavy drinker most of his life, Holden descended into alcoholism in the 1960s and 1970s.

Later career

In 1969, Holden made a comeback when he starred in director Sam Peckinpah's graphically violent Western The Wild Bunch, winning much acclaim. Also in 1969, Holden starred in director Terence Young's family film L'Arbre de Noël, co-starring Italian actress Virna Lisi and French actor Bourvil, based on the novel of the same name by Michel Bataille. This film was originally released in the United States as The Christmas Tree and on home video as When Wolves Cry.

Holden in The Revengers (1972)

For television roles in 1974, Holden won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for his portrayal of a cynical, tough veteran LAPD street cop in the television film The Blue Knight, based upon the best-selling Joseph Wambaugh novel of the same name.

In 1973, Holden starred with Kay Lenz in movie directed by Clint Eastwood called Breezy, which was considered a box office flop. Also in 1974, Holden starred with Paul Newman and Steve McQueen in the critically acclaimed disaster film The Towering Inferno, which became a box office smash and one of the highest-grossing films of Holden's career. Two years later he was praised for his Oscar-nominated leading performance in Sidney Lumet's classic Network (1976), a examination of the media written by Paddy Chayefsky, playing an older version of the character type he had become iconic for in the 1950s, only now more jaded and aware of his own mortality. In 1980, Holden appeared in The Earthling with popular child actor Ricky Schroder, playing a loner dying of cancer who goes to the Australian outback to end his days, meets a young boy whose parents have been killed in an accident, and teaches him how to survive. During his last years, Holden also appeared in his second Irwin Allen film, When Time Ran Out, a critical and commercial failure and heavily disliked by Holden himself; his final film, Blake Edwards's S.O.B., was more successful and a Golden Globe-nominated picture. In 1981 Holden was offered the role of Coach Daniel B. Delaney in That Championship Season. He became very depressed when filming was delayed, and drank even more heavily.

Personal life

Matron of honor Brenda Marshall (left) and best man William Holden, sole guests at Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan's wedding in 1952.

Holden was best man at the wedding of his friend Ronald Reagan to Nancy Davis in 1952; however, he never involved himself in politics. While in Italy in 1966, Holden killed another driver in a drunk driving incident. He received an eight-month suspended sentence for vehicular manslaughter.

Holden maintained a home in Switzerland and also spent much of his time working for wildlife conservation as a managing partner in an animal preserve in Africa. His Mount Kenya Safari Club in Nanyuki (founded 1959) became a mecca for the international jet set. On a trip to Africa, he fell in love with the wildlife and became increasingly concerned with the animal species that were beginning to decrease in population. With the help of his partners, he created the Mount Kenya Game Ranch and inspired the creation of the William Holden Wildlife Foundation. The Mount Kenya Game Ranch works to assist in Kenya with the wildlife education of its youth.

Marriage and relationships

Holden was married to actress Ardis Ankerson (stage name Brenda Marshall) from 1941 until their divorce in 1971. They had two sons, Peter "West" Westfield (born November 17, 1943 – died June 2014) and Scott Porter (born May 2, 1946 – died January 21, 2005, San Diego, California). He adopted his wife's daughter, Virginia, from her first marriage. Holden met French actress Capucine in the early 1960s. The two starred in the films The Lion (1962) and The 7th Dawn (1964). They began a two-year affair, which is alleged to have ended due to Holden's alcoholism. Capucine and Holden remained friends until his death in 1981. In 1972, Holden began a nine-year relationship with actress Stefanie Powers, which sparked her interest in animal welfare. After his death, Powers set up the William Holden Wildlife Foundation at Holden's Mount Kenya Game Ranch.

Death

According to the Los Angeles County Coroner's autopsy report, Holden was alone and intoxicated in his apartment in Santa Monica, California, on November 12, 1981, when he slipped on a rug, severely lacerated his forehead on a teak bedside table, and bled to death. Evidence suggests he was conscious for at least half an hour after the fall. It is probable that he may not have realized the severity of the injury and did not summon aid, or was unable to call for help. His body was found four days later. The causes of death were given as "Exsanguination" and "Blunt Laceration of Scalp". He had dictated in his will that the Neptune Society cremate him and scatter his ashes in the Pacific Ocean. In accordance with his wishes, no funeral or memorial service was held.

For his contribution to the film industry, Holden has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 1651 Vine Street. He also has a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. His death was noted by singer/songwriter Suzanne Vega, whose 1987 song Tom's Diner (about a sequence of events one morning in 1981) included a mention of reading a newspaper article about "an actor who had died while he was drinking"; Vega subsequently confirmed that this was a reference to Holden.

In popular culture

Literature

• Holden's stepdaughter, Virginia Holden Gaines, wrote a book, Growing Up with William Holden: A Memoir (2011), reliving her memories of life with her stepfather.

Filmography

Year	Movie	Role	Notes
1938	Prison Farm	Prisoner	Uncredited
1939	Million Dollar Legs	Graduate who says "Thank You"	Uncredited
	Golden Boy	Joe Bonaparte
	Invisible Stripes	Tim Taylor
1940	Those Were the Days!	P.J. "Petey" Simmons
	Our Town	George Gibbs
	Arizona	Peter Muncie
1941	I Wanted Wings	Al Ludlow
	Texas	Dan Thomas
1942	The Fleet's In	Casey Kirby
	The Remarkable Andrew	Andrew Long
	Meet the Stewarts	Michael Stewart
1943	Young and Willing	Norman Reese
	Reconnaissance Pilot	Lt. 'Packy' Cummings	short film, Uncredited
	Wings Up	Himself	short film
1947	Blaze of Noon	Colin McDonald
	Dear Ruth	Lt. William Seacroft
	Variety Girl	Himself
1948	The Man from Colorado	Capt. Del Stewart
	Rachel and the Stranger	David Harvey
	Apartment for Peggy	Jason Taylor
	The Dark Past	Al Walker
1949	Streets of Laredo	Jim Dawkins
	Miss Grant Takes Richmond	Dick Richmond
	Dear Wife	Bill Seacroft
1950	Father Is a Bachelor	Johnny Rutledge
	Sunset Boulevard	Joe Gillis	Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actor
	Union Station	Lt. William Calhoun
	Born Yesterday	Paul Verrall
1951	Force of Arms	Sgt. Joe "Pete" Peterson
	Submarine Command	LCDR Ken White
1952	Boots Malone	Boots Malone
	The Turning Point	Jerry McKibbon
1953	Stalag 17	Sgt. J.J. Sefton	Academy Award for Best Actor Nominated – New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
	The Moon Is Blue	Donald Gresham
	Die Jungfrau auf dem Dach	Tourist	cameo, Uncredited
	Forever Female	Stanley Krown
	Escape from Fort Bravo	Capt. Roper
1954	Executive Suite	McDonald Walling	Venice Film Festival Special Award for Ensemble Acting
	Sabrina	David Larrabee
	Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto	Narrator	Uncredited
	The Bridges at Toko-Ri	LT Harry Brubaker, USNR
	The Country Girl	Bernie Dodd
1955	Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing	Mark Elliott
	Picnic	Hal Carter	Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actor
1956	The Proud and Profane	Lt. Col. Colin Black
	Toward the Unknown	Maj. Lincoln Bond
1957	The Bridge on the River Kwai	Shears
1958	The Key	Capt. David Ross
1959	The Horse Soldiers	Major Henry Kendall
1960	The World of Suzie Wong	Robert Lomax	Nominated – Laurel Award for Top Male Dramatic Performance
1962	Satan Never Sleeps	Father O'Banion
	The Counterfeit Traitor	Eric Erickson
	The Lion	Robert Hayward
1964	Paris When It Sizzles	Richard Benson/Rick
	The 7th Dawn	Major Ferris
1966	Alvarez Kelly	Alvarez Kelly
1967	Casino Royale	Ransome
1968	The Devil's Brigade	Lt. Col. Robert T. Frederick
1969	The Wild Bunch	Pike Bishop
	The Christmas Tree	Laurent Ségur
1971	Wild Rovers	Ross Bodine
1972	The Revengers	John Benedict
1973	Breezy	Frank Harmon
1974	Open Season	Hal Wolkowski
	The Towering Inferno	Jim Duncan
1976	Network	Max Schumacher	Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actor Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role Nominated – National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor
1978	Fedora	Barry "Dutch" Detweiler
	Damien: Omen II	Richard Thorn
1979	Escape to Athena	Prisoner smoking a cigar in prison camp	Uncredited
	Ashanti	Jim Sandell
1980	When Time Ran Out	Shelby Gilmore
	The Earthling	Patrick Foley
1981	S.O.B.	Tim Culley	(Last appearance)

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1955	Lux Video Theatre	Intermission Guest	episode: Love Letters
	I Love Lucy	Himself	episode: Hollywood at Last
1956	The Jack Benny Program	Himself	episode: William Holden/Frances Bergen Show
1973	The Blue Knight	Bumper Morgan	Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
1976	21 Hours at Munich	Chief of Police Manfred Schreiber

Box office ranking

For a number of years exhibitors voted Holden among the most popular stars in the country:

• 1954 – 7th (US)
• 1955 – 4th (US)
• 1956 – 1st (US)
• 1957 – 7th (US)
• 1958 – 6th (US), 6th (UK)
• 1959 – 12th (US)
• 1960 – 14th (US)
• 1961 – 8th (US)
• 1962 – 15th (US)

Radio appearances

Year	Program	Episode/source
1946	Lux Radio Theatre	Miss Susie Slagle's
1950	"Boomer Jones"	"A production of the IAM"
1952	Lux Radio Theatre	Submarine Command
1952	Hollywood Star Playhouse	The Joyful Beggar
1953	Lux Radio Theatre	Appointment with Danger
1953	Lux Summer Theatre	High Tor

References

Bibliography

With Humphrey Bogart in Sabrina (1954)

• Capua, Michelangelo. William Holden: A Biography. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2010. ISBN 978-0-7864-4440-3.
• Gaines, Virginia Holden and Mike Prcic. Growing Up with William Holden: A Memoir. Newark, Notts, UK: Strategems, 2007. ISBN 978-0-9741304-5-3.
• Heymann, C. David. Bobby and Jackie: A Love Story. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2009. ISBN 978-1-4001-6422-6.
• Phillips, Gene D. Some Like It Wilder: The Life and Controversial Films of Billy Wilder. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky, 2010. ISBN 978-0-8131-2570-1.
• Quirk, Lawrence J. The Complete Films of William Holden. Sacramento, California: Citadel Press, 1986. ISBN 978-0-8065-0998-3.
• Quirk, Lawrence J.The Films of William Holden. Sacramento, California: Citadel Press, 1973. ISBN 978-0-8065-0375-2.
• Strodder, Chris. Swingin' Chicks Of the Sixties. San Rafael, California: Cedco Publishing Company, 2000. ISBN 978-0-7683-2232-3.
• Thomas, Bob. Golden Boy: The Untold Story of William Holden. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1983. ISBN 978-0-312-33697-4.

External links

• William Holden at IMDb
• William Holden at the TCM Movie Database
• In Loving Memory Of William Holden
• Profile @ Turner Classic Movies
• William Holden Wildlife Foundation
• William Holden at Find a Grave