This page will contain blogs about William Holden, as they become available.William HoldenFor the North Carolina Governor by this name, please see William Woods Holden. For the California Lieutenant Governor by this name, please see William Holden (politician). William Holden William Holden (April 17, 1918 - November 12, 1981) was an American film actor. Born William Franklin Beedle Jr. in O'Fallon, Illinois, he moved with his wealthy family to Pasadena, California when he was three. His father was an industrial chemist and his mother a teacher. In 1937, while still in college, he was signed to a movie contract. His first role was in Prison Farm the following year. His first starring role was in 1939's Golden Boy, in which he played a boxer who wants to be a violinist. His career took off after he returned from World War II, as he played a series of roles that mixed his good looks and cynical detachment: the down at the heels screenwriter in Sunset Boulevard, the prisoner of war entrepreneur in Stalag 17, the dangerous wanderer in Picnic and the ill-fated prisoner in The Bridge on the River Kwai. He also played a number of sunnier parts in light comedy with just as much success, such as the tutor in Born Yesterday and Humphrey Bogart's younger brother in Sabrina. Holden also starred in more than his share of forgettable movies, forced by the studios that held his contract to keep him working. Holden had for many years suffered from alcoholism and severe depression. By the early 1960s he appeared to be sleepwalking through many of his roles. That led in turn to the last phase of his career, beginning with The Wild Bunch and ending with Network, in which Holden played the older version of the character he had perfected in the 1950s, now more jaded and aware of his own mortality. His last movie was S.O.B.. Holden was married to Brenda Marshall from 1941 to 1971, when they divorced. The couple had two sons, and he adopted the daughter of his wife's first marriage. Holden spent much of his time owning and managing an animal preserve in Africa. He died of a fall at his home in Santa Monica, California in 1981 (his body was found on 16 November, but forensic evidence suggested he had died on 12 November). Holden had been heavily intoxicated and slipped on a rug in his apartment gashing his head on a table. He bled to death from this injury. It is believed that Holden's death is mentioned in the song Tom's Diner by Suzanne Vega: "I open up the paper there's a story of an actor / Who had died While he was drinking it was no one I had heard of". Holden was cremated; his ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean. Academy Awards and Nominations
Filmography
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Holden was cremated; his ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean. He is married to Alexandra Christmann from Berlin and lives in Spelsbury,
England. Holden had been heavily intoxicated and slipped on a rug in his apartment gashing his head on a table. Although born Hindu, his father later converted to Sikhism. He died of a fall at his home in Santa Monica, California in 1981 (his body was found on 16 November, but forensic evidence suggested he had died on 12 November). His father's ancestors had come from the Indian states of Punjab and Gujarat, the same as Gandhi himself. Holden spent much of his time owning and managing an animal preserve in Africa. His first film, Fear is the Key in 1972, was not a success, but he later found fame in the starring role of Mahatma Gandhi in the Academy Award winning Gandhi in 1982, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. The couple had two sons, and he adopted the daughter of his wife's first marriage. Kingsley began his acting career on the stage, but moved to movies early. Holden was married to Brenda Marshall from 1941 to 1971, when they divorced. His father, Rahimtulla Pandit Bhanji, was a Kenya-born doctor of Indian descent, and his mother, Anna Lyna Mary Bhanji, a fashion model and actress. That led in turn to the last phase of his career, beginning with The Wild Bunch and ending with Network, in which Holden played the older version of the character he had perfected in the 1950s, now more jaded and aware of his own mortality. His last movie was S.O.B.. Ben Kingsley was born in Scarborough, Yorkshire. By the early 1960s he appeared to be sleepwalking through many of his roles. Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji on December 31, 1943) is an English actor of Indian (Gujarati) and Russian-Jewish descent. Holden had for many years suffered from alcoholism and severe depression. Holden also starred in more than his share of forgettable movies, forced by the studios that held his contract to keep him working. He also played a number of sunnier parts in light comedy with just as much success, such as the tutor in Born Yesterday and Humphrey Bogart's younger brother in Sabrina. His career took off after he returned from World War II, as he played a series of roles that mixed his good looks and cynical detachment: the down at the heels screenwriter in Sunset Boulevard, the prisoner of war entrepreneur in Stalag 17, the dangerous wanderer in Picnic and the ill-fated prisoner in The Bridge on the River Kwai. His first starring role was in 1939's Golden Boy, in which he played a boxer who wants to be a violinist. His first role was in Prison Farm the following year. In 1937, while still in college, he was signed to a movie contract. His father was an industrial chemist and his mother a teacher. Born William Franklin Beedle Jr. in O'Fallon, Illinois, he moved with his wealthy family to Pasadena, California when he was three. William Holden (April 17, 1918 - November 12, 1981) was an American film actor. For the California Lieutenant Governor by this name, please see William Holden (politician).. For the North Carolina Governor by this name, please see William Woods Holden. Prison Farm (1938). Golden Boy (1939). Invisible Stripes (1939). Our Town (1940). Those Were the Days (1940). Arizona (1940). I Wanted Wings (1941). Texas (1941). The Fleet's In (1942). The Remarkable Andrew (1942). Meet the Stewarts (1942). Young and Willing (1943). Blaze of Noon (1947). Dear Ruth (1947). Rachel and the Stranger (1948). Apartment for Peggy (1948). The Dark Past (1948). The Man from Colorado (1949). Streets of Laredo (1949). Miss Grant Takes Richmond (1949). Dear Wife (1949). Father Is a Bachelor (1950). Sunset Boulevard (1950). Union Station (1950). Born Yesterday (1950). Force of Arms (1951). Boots Malone (1952). Submarine Command (1952). The Turning Point (1952). The Moon Is Blue (1953). Stalag 17 (1953). Forever Female (1953). Escape from Fort Bravo (1954). Executive Suite (1954). Sabrina (1954). The Country Girl (1954). The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1955). Love Is a Many Splendored Thing (1955). Picnic (1955). The Proud and Profane (1956). Toward the Unknown (1956). The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). The Key (1958). The Horse Soldiers (1959). The World of Suzie Wong (1960). Satan Never Sleeps (1962). The Counterfeit Traitor (1962). The Lion (1962). Paris, When It Sizzles (1964). The 7th Dawn (1964). Alvarez Kelly (1966). Casino Royale (1967). The Devil's Brigade (1968). The Wild Bunch (1969). The Christmas Tree (1969). Wild Rovers (1971). The Revengers (1972). Breezy (1973). Open Season (1974). The Towering Inferno (1974). Network (1976). Damien: Omen II (1978). Fedora (1978). Ashanti (1979). When Time Ran Out (1980). The Earthling (1980). S.O.B. (1981). Best Actor Nomination for Sunset Boulevard (1951). Best Actor Award for Stalag 17 (1954). Best Actor Nomination for Network (1976). |