WILLIAM
HOLDEN
Biography:
Born William Franklin Beedle, Jr. on April 17, 1918, William Holden
made his film debut it 1938's Prison Farm. He had his first major
role in Golden Boy (1939), where he played a boxer-violinist opposite
screen legend Barbara Stanwyck, who would prove to be a major influence
on him for the rest of his life. He was a contract player for Paramount
Pictures, and appeared in numerous productions in the boy-next-door types
of roles.
He joined the
Air Force and served during World War II. After the war, he began to attract
the attention of moviegoers by taking on considerably more challenging
roles. In 1950, he appeared in two critically-acclaimed features which
were both nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards: Born Yesterday,
opposite Judy Holliday (who won that year's Academy Award for Best Actress);
and Sunset Boulevard, as Joe Gillis, the young writer who romances
Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson). For the latter role, he received his first
Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
He reteamed with Billy Wilder, his Sunset Boulevard director
for 1953's Stalag 17, where he played a sergeant suspected of being
a Nazi spy. It was for this role that he won his only Academy Award.
From 1954-1958, he was a leading box-office star and was considered
the top draw for 1956. Among the films he starred in during this time were
1954's Sabrina (opposite Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn), 1955's
Picnic (with Kim Novak) and Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing
(1956), opposite Jennifer Jones. This last film is particularly memorable
because by this time, Holden had quite a reputation of getting involved
with his leading ladies, and Jones, as Hollywood legend would have it,
couldn't stand him. She even went as far as throwing a bouquet of flowers
given by Holden back in his face. Although they were hostile off-screen,
their on-screen chemistry was magical, and the film has endured as a classical
weepy melodrama.
He continued to illuminate the screen for the next three decades, with
roles in Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch (1969), The Towering
Inferno (1974), considered by many as the mother of all disaster flicks,
and 1976's Network, for which he received his final Academy Award
nomination for Best Actor. He also made his television debut in the miniseries
The Blue Knight (1973), for which he won an Emmy Award.
His final film appearance, in 1981's S.O.B., was directed by
Blake Edwards, and was, like Sunset Boulevard three decades earlier, also
a biting characterization of the politics of Hollywood. Holden died that
year, after hitting his head after an alcohol-induced fall at his apartment.
Filmography:
| 1. Prison Farm (1938) |
25. Father is a Bachelor (1950) |
49. The Counterfeit Traitor (1962) |
| 2. Golden Boy (1939) |
26. Sunset Boulevard (1950) |
50. The Lion (1962) |
| 3. Invisible Stripes (1939) |
27. Union Station (1950) |
51. Satan Never Sleeps (1962) |
| 4. Million Dollar Legs (1939) |
28. Force of Arms (1951) |
52. The 7th Dawn (1964) |
| 5. Arizona (1940) |
29. Submarine Command (1951) |
53. Paris - When it Sizzles (1964) |
| 6. Our Town (1940) |
30. Boots Malone (1952) |
54. Alvarez Kelly (1966) |
| 7. Those Were The Days (1940) |
31. The Turning Point (1952) |
55. Casino Royale (1967) |
| 8. I Wanted Wings (1941) |
32. Escape From Fort Bravo (1953) |
56. The Devil's Brigade (1968) |
| 9. Texas (1941) |
33. Forever Female (1953) |
57. The Christmas Tree(1969) |
| 10. The Fleet's In (1942) |
34. The Moon is Blue (1953) |
58. The Wild Bunch (1969) |
| 11. Meet The Stewarts (1942) |
35. Stalag 17 (1953) |
59. Wild Rovers (1971) |
| 12. The Remarkable Andrew (1942) |
36. The Birdges at Toko-Ri (1954) |
60. The Revengers (1972) |
| 13. Young and Willing (1943) |
37. The Country Girl (1954) |
61. Breezy (1973) |
| 14. Blaze of Noon (1947) |
38. Executive Suite (1954) |
62. Open Season (1974) |
| 15. Dear Ruth (1947) |
39. Miyamoto Musashi (1954) |
63. The Towering Inferno (1974) |
| 16. Variety Girl (1947) |
40. Sabrina (1954) |
64. Network (1976) |
| 17. Apartment For Peggy (1948) |
41. Love is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955) |
65. Damien - Omen II (1978) |
| 18. The Dark Past (1948) |
42. Picnic (1955) |
66. Fedora (1978) |
| 19. The Man From Colorado (1948) |
43. The Proud and Profane (1956) |
67. Ashanti (1979) |
| 20. Rachel and the Stranger (1948) |
44. Toward the Unknown (1956) |
68. Escape to Athena (1979) |
| 21. Dear Wife (1949) |
45. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) |
69. The Earthling (1980) |
| 22. Miss Grant Takes Richmond (1949) |
46. The Key (1958) |
70. When Time Ran Out (1980) |
| 23. Streets of Laredo (1950) |
47. The Horse Soldiers (1959) |
71. S.O.B. (1981) |
| 24. Born Yesterday (1950) |
48. The World of Suzie Wong (1960) |
|
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