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. Many actors and filmmakers were influenced by Keaton, including Alec
Guinness, Peter Sellers, Blake Edwards, and Jackie Chan. Holden had been heavily intoxicated and slipped on a rug in his apartment gashing his head on a table. Buster contracted lung cancer after years of smoking. 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). He also played the central role in Samuel Beckett's only film project, Film, in 1965. Holden spent much of his time owning and managing an animal preserve in Africa. Shortly before he died, Keaton starred in one final short film called The Railrodder for the National Film Board of Canada, which saw him returning to the classic "stone face" role he had known during his heyday in the 1920s. The couple had two sons, and he adopted the daughter of his wife's first marriage. His classic silent films did see a revival in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Holden was married to Brenda Marshall from 1941 to 1971, when they divorced. But he largely believed, perhaps, that he had been forgotten. 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.. He also found steady work as an actor for TV commercials. By the early 1960s he appeared to be sleepwalking through many of his roles. Despite its popularity, he cancelled the program because he had been unable to accumulate the amount of material to produce a new show each week. Holden had for many years suffered from alcoholism and severe depression. He starred in "The Buster Keaton Comedy Show" for two seasons. Holden also starred in more than his share of forgettable movies, forced by the studios that held his contract to keep him working. Keaton and Chaplin share the screen for the only ten minutes in their lives, playing two aging former vaudeville stars trying to recapture a bit of glory, decades after both Chaplin's and Keaton's fame had peaked — though Keaton remarks, "If one more person tells me this is just like old times, I swear I'll jump out the window.". 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. Among the best is a brief cameo in Charlie Chaplin's late film Limelight. 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 often made guest-appearences in films, including Billy Wilder's 1950 film Sunset Boulevard, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. His first starring role was in 1939's Golden Boy, in which he played a boxer who wants to be a violinist. His career declined within a few years, and he spent most of the 1930s in obscurity, working as a gag writer for various MGM films particularly those of the Marx Brothers,(including the Marx Brothers' A Night at the Opera and At the Circus ) and various films of Red Skelton. His first role was in Prison Farm the following year. He had difficulty adapting to the studio system, and he lapsed into alcoholism. In 1937, while still in college, he was signed to a movie contract. He was forced to enter the ranks of the studio system, working at the MGM studios in a more restrictive environment that he had ever worked in previously (including vaudeville). His father was an industrial chemist and his mother a teacher. Keaton's filmmaking unit was acquired by MGM in 1928, a business decision that Keaton regretted ever afterwards. Born William Franklin Beedle Jr. in O'Fallon, Illinois, he moved with his wealthy family to Pasadena, California when he was three. Between 1947 and 1954, Buster and Eleanor appeared regularly in the Cirque Medrano in Paris, where they were highly regarded as a double act. William Holden (April 17, 1918 - November 12, 1981) was an American film actor. All their friends advised them against it, but the marriage lasted until Buster's death. For the California Lieutenant Governor by this name, please see William Holden (politician).. In 1940, Buster married the woman who not only saved his life but also helped to salvage his career — Eleanor Norris. She was 23, and he was 44. For the North Carolina Governor by this name, please see William Woods Holden. Bernard, Elmer. Prison Farm (1938). She later divorced Buster and took half of everything they owned — half of each dining set, half of each table and chair set, half of the books, and even Buster's favorite St. Golden Boy (1939). Buster re-married in the late 1930s to his nurse during an alcoholic binge that he remembered nothing about afterward. Invisible Stripes (1939). (Keaton was reunited with them about a decade later.). Our Town (1940). By the time Keaton's began work in sound pictures, Natalie had divorced him, taken his entire fortune, and refused to allow any contact between Keaton and his sons. Those Were the Days (1940). According to Keaton's autobiography, Natalie turned him out of the bedroom and then sent detectives to follow him to see who he was dating behind her back. Arizona (1940). In 1921, he married Natalie Talmadge, sister-in-law of his boss, Joe Schenck, and sister of the famous actress Norma Talmadge. After the birth of their second son, their marriage began to suffer. I Wanted Wings (1941). The fact that he had a good voice and years of stage experience promised an easier adjustment than Chaplin's silent Tramp character, whom Chaplin thought could not survive sound. Texas (1941). In addition, the technical side of filmmaking fascinated him and he was forward thinking enough to want to produce sound films when they began to become technically practical and popular. The Fleet's In (1942). Unfortunately, many of his most acclaimed films performed poorly in the box office due to their sophistication -- the audience had a difficult time seeing Buster as a cinematic artist of considerable ambition. The Remarkable Andrew (1942). This is another fine introduction for new Keaton fans. Meet the Stewarts (1942). One of his last silent films, The Cameraman was released on DVD format in December, 2004. Young and Willing (1943). It is seen by many as a good choice for viewers who are becoming newly acquainted with silent films. Blaze of Noon (1947). The last film, a Civil War adventure, is considered his masterpiece, combining physical comedy with Keaton's love for trains. Dear Ruth (1947). His most famous and popular feature-length films included Our Hospitality, The Navigator, Steamboat Bill Jr., and The General. Rachel and the Stranger (1948). Likewise, his comedy, style, and humor has been called timeless, while other silent stars are said to have comedy that was of their era. Apartment for Peggy (1948). His filmmaking style employs editing and framing techniques that are more closely aligned with today's sensibilities than the melodrama of other films of the day. The Dark Past (1948). He enjoyed Lloyd's films highly and often praised Chaplin for his genius.). The Man from Colorado (1949). (It should be said that Keaton never indulged in such comparisons. Streets of Laredo (1949). Today, Lloyd is remembered as a distant third to Keaton and Chaplin, and there are some who argue that Keaton was a superior filmmaker to Chaplin. Miss Grant Takes Richmond (1949). At the time, he was perhaps the third most popular comedian in America behind Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd. Dear Wife (1949). The initial success of his movies made Keaton one of the most famous comedians in the world. Father Is a Bachelor (1950). He reached the peak of his creativity during the early 1920s, and he graduated from short films to full-length features. Sunset Boulevard (1950). Keaton's success encouraged the studio to give him his own production unit, and Buster Keaton began starring in a series of two-reel comedies that rocketed him to fame, including One Week, Cops, The Electric House, and The Playhouse. Union Station (1950). Keaton later recalled that he soon became Arbuckle's second director and his entire gag department! Keaton and Arbuckle became close friends, a bond that would never break — even after Arbuckle was embroiled in the "Fatty Arbuckle scandal" that cost him his career and his personal life. Born Yesterday (1950). He was quickly hired as a co-star and gag-man. Force of Arms (1951). Arbuckle invited him to the studio, where Arbuckle was under contract to Joe Schenck. Boots Malone (1952). It was there in February 1917 that he ran into Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. Submarine Command (1952). Myra returned to their summer home in Michigan, while Buster travelled to New York, where he easily found work. The Turning Point (1952). By the time Buster was 21, Joe's alcoholism threatened the reputation of the family act, so Buster and Myra left Joe in LA. The Moon Is Blue (1953). "I don't know," he said, "ask his wife!" Despite entaglement with the law and a disastrous tour of the English Music Halls, Buster was a rising star in the theater, so much so that even when Myra and Joe tried to introduce Buster's siblings into the act, Buster remained the central attraction. Stalag 17 (1953). The stage-hand, who was no fool, shrugged and pointed to Buster's mother. Forever Female (1953). When one official saw Buster in full costume and make-up, he asked a stage-hand how old that performer was. Escape from Fort Bravo (1954). However, this did not stop members of the public from passing a law banning child performers in vaudeville. Executive Suite (1954). This would diminish the laughs from the audience, so Buster learned how to keep his famous dead-pan expression whenever he was working. Sabrina (1954). In fact, Buster would have so much fun, he would begin laughing as his father threw him across the stage. The Country Girl (1954). Decades later, Keaton would state that he was never abused by his father, and that the falls and physical comedy was a matter of proper technical execution. The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1955). So while Buster and Joe were knocked around, they were rarely injured or even bruised. Love Is a Many Splendored Thing (1955). Of course, Buster deliberately goaded his dad by disobeying, for which Joe would throw Buster into scenery, the orchestra pit, or occasionally into the audience! This on-stage lead to accusations of child abuse; however, Joe had only started the act when little Buster (about four years old) showed his father that he could imitate his on-stage trick falls perfectly. Picnic (1955). The act consisted of a saxophone performance by Myra and an act between Joe and Buster where Joe tried to show the audience how to raise a small child. The Proud and Profane (1956). Keaton grew up in the world of vaudeville, performing with his parents (as "The Three Keatons") from the age of three. Toward the Unknown (1956). (To this day, Piqua is so small that the Annual Buster Keaton Celebration must be held in nearby Iola, KS.). The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). Currently on this site is a memorial plaque, and nearby is a small power plant than maintains a one-room Keaton museum. The Key (1958). Buster was born in a boarding house that was later destroyed by a tornado. The Horse Soldiers (1959). His mother and father, Myra and Joe Keaton, were paid performers of a travelling medicine show, and Myra happened to go into labor in Pique. The World of Suzie Wong (1960). Keaton was born in the town of Piqua (peek-WAY), Kansas. Satan Never Sleeps (1962). It was only after Keaton was nicknamed the word became a name — one example of this early use is the comic strip character Buster Brown.). The Counterfeit Traitor (1962). (At the time, the word "buster" either meant "bronco-buster" or a fall. The Lion (1962). His godfather was Harry Houdini, and Keaton himself credited Houdini with dubbing him "Buster" after seeing him, aged three, tumble down a flight of stairs without injury. Paris, When It Sizzles (1964). Like his contemporaries, he came from vaudeville. The 7th Dawn (1964). His trademark was physical comedy while keeping a deadpan expression on his face at all times, which earned him the nickname of "The Great Stone Face". Alvarez Kelly (1966). Joseph Francis "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 - February 1, 1966) was a popular and influential American silent-film comic actor and filmmaker. Casino Royale (1967). Meade Buster Keaton: cut to the chase. The Devil's Brigade (1968). ISBN 0-306-80178-7. The Wild Bunch (1969). New York: Da Capo Press. The Christmas Tree (1969). My Wonderful World of Slapstick. Wild Rovers (1971). Keaton, Buster; Samuels, Charles (1982). 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). |