WILLIAM HOLDEN
Information From IMDb
Date of Birth
17 April 1918, O'Fallon, Illinois, USA
Date of Death
16 November 1981, Santa Monica, California, USA (injuries from a fall)
Birth Name
William Franklin Beedle Jr.
Nickname
The Golden Boy
Bill
Golden Holden
Height
5' 11" (1.80 m)
Spouse
Brenda Marshall (12 July 1941 - 1971) (divorced) 2 children
Trivia
Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#57). [1995]
Was the best man at Ronald Reagan's and Nancy Davis' wedding in 1952.
Died from a laceration to his forehead which was caused by hitting his head during a bout of heavy drinking. He apparently remained conscious for half an hour or so after the injury but never realized he should phone for help. Had he done so, he would surely have lived.
Adopted his stepdaughter, Virginia Gaines, from Ankerson's (Brenda Marshall's) first marriage. He and Marshall had two sons together, Peter Wesfield "West" Holden, born November 17, 1943, and Scott Porter Holden, born May 2, 1946.
Not to be confused with the character actor William Holden.
Brian Donlevy was his best man when Holden married Brenda Marshall in 1941. A Congregationalist Church service was planned in Las Vegas. Since William and Brian were still filming The Remarkable Andrew (1942), there were delays and it was 3am before they arrived for the ceremony. By that time the minister had long gone to bed. It was 4pm Sunday before another preacher could be found to perform the wedding. After they were married, they had a champagne breakfast and hopped a plane back to Los Angeles so he and Brian could wrap up shooting, and Brenda was off to Canada to film some location footage that she was still working on. It would be three more months before they would have a real honeymoon (one mishap after another postponed it ... including the TWO of them having to undergo emergency appendectomies)!
He was very instrumental in animal preservation in Africa. In the 1970s he purchased a large acreage of land with his own money and began an animal sanctuary. His love of the wild animal was shared with his then companion Stefanie Powers (from "Hart to Hart" (1979)). He would appear on talk shows to promote the saving of animals and to spread the word of anti-poaching and illegal animal trade.
A hygiene fanatic, he reportedly showered up to four times daily.
Ashes scattered in the Pacific Ocean.
Family: Mother: Mary Beedle (nee Ball). Father: William Franklin Beedle, born 1892. Brother: Robert Westfield Beedle, born 1921; died January 1, 1944. Brother: Richard P. Beedle, born 1925.
Immortalized in [Canadian band], Blue Rodeo's song "Floating" with the lyric: "I need love and it's you, And I feel like William Holden floating in a pool" - Greg Keelor, the writer of the song, said this: "That sort of quiet desperation at the end of a relationship when nothing's really making sense and I sort of had the image of William Holden at the beginning of Sunset Blvd. (1950) in my head, and I'd always sort of related to that character floating in that pool. I was always hoping for the opportunity to play the gigolo for some wealthy woman. This is a song about identifying with that sort of compromised existence."
Although it is thought by some that J.D. Salinger got the name for his hero Holden Caulfield in "The Catcher in the Rye" when he saw a marquee for Dear Ruth (1947), starring William Holden and Joan Caulfield, Salinger's first Holden Caulfield story, "I'm Crazy," appeared in Collier's on December 22, 1945, a year and a half before this movie came out.
Won Best Actor for his role in Stalag 17 (1953). When accepting his statue at the Acadamy Awards, simply stated, "Thank you" and walked off.
Holden said that, at some point, he lost his passion for acting and that it eventually just became a job so that he could support himself.
He was voted the 63rd Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
Considered himself to be a moderate Republican, although he was never involved in any political campaigns and never endorsed a candidate. In 1947 he joined the Committee for the First Amendment to oppose blacklisting in Hollywood, and was later very upset by the blacklisting of his close friends Dalton Trumbo and Larry Parks.
Was named #25 Actor on the 50 Greatest Screen Legends by the AFI
Was friends with photographer Peter Beard.
Is portrayed by Gabriel Macht in The Audrey Hepburn Story (2000) (TV)
In the song "Tom's Diner" by Suzanne Vega, the lyrics "I open up the paper / there's a story of an actor / who died while he was drinking / he was no one I had heard of" refer to Holden, whose death was indeed reported in the New York Post on November 18, 1981, when the song was written.
Made two films with Audrey Hepburn: Sabrina (1954) and Paris - When It Sizzles (1964).
His younger brother, Robert Beedle, was actually a Navy fighter pilot who was killed in action in World War II, and after The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954) was released, he was remembered by his squadron-mates as having been very much like Holden's character of Lt. Harry Brubaker in that movie.
Was an avid art collector. His private collection at his exclusive hilltop home in Palm Springs featured antique Asian art. Upon his death, the priceless collection was donated to the Palm Springs Museum of Art, where it is proudly displayed today.
He was of entirely English heritage.
Was involved in a serious road accident in Italy in July 1966.
Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume One, 1981-1985, pages 391-397. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998.
Turned down Henry Fonda's role in Mister Roberts (1955).
He enjoyed firework displays.
Turned down The Guns of Navarone (1961) because producer Carl Foreman wouldn't meet his fee of $750,000 + 20% of the gross.
Companion of Stefanie Powers at the time of his death.
Holden was cast as Pike Bishop in The Wild Bunch (1969) after the role had been turned down by Lee Marvin, Burt Lancaster, James Stewart, Charlton Heston, Gregory Peck, Sterling Hayden, Richard Boone and Robert Mitchum. Marvin actually accepted the role but pulled out after he was offered a larger pay deal to star in Paint Your Wagon (1969).
He was so grateful to Barbara Stanwyck for her insistence on casting him in Golden Boy (1939), his first big role, that he reportedly sent her flowers every year on the anniversary of the first day of the filming.
Starred alongside Gloria Swanson in Sunset Blvd. (1950) and Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday (1950). Both actresses were nominated for the Best Actress Oscar for their performances in these films. Holliday won.
Starred alongside Grace Kelly in The Country Girl (1954) and Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina (1954). Both actresses were nominated for the Best Actress Oscar for their performances in these films. Kelly won.
He had a daughter, Arlene, in 1937 with actress Eva May Hoffman. Arlene was raised by her mother and her stepfather, composer Emil Newman.
Moved to Switzerland for tax reasons in 1959, and did not return to live in Hollywood until 1967.
He appeared among the top ten box office stars six times, as ranked by Quigley Publications' annual poll of movie exhibitors, The Top Ten Money-Making Stars, the definitive list of movie stars' pull at the box office. He actually topped the list in 1956, two years after entering it at #7 in 1954, the year he won the Best Actor Oscar with his performance in Stalag 17 (1953). In 1955, he was ranked #4, then was hit #1 for the first and only time in 1956, and then dropped to #7 in 1957 before rebounding slightly to #6 in 1958. After five straight years in the Top 10, he dropped off the list in 1959 and 1960, but reappeared in the Top Ten in 1961, ranked in eighth place. His 1961 appearance among the Top Ten Box Office stars was his last.
Was the Top Box Office Star of 1956, as ranked by Quigley Publications' annual poll of movie exhibitors, The Top Ten Money-Making Stars, the definitive list of movie stars' pull at the box office.
Father of Scott Holden.
For The Horse Soldiers (1959) both Holden and John Wayne received $775,000, plus twenty per cent of the overall profits, an unheard-of sum for that time. The final contract, heralded as marking the beginning of mega-deals for Hollywood stars, involved six companies and numbered twice the pages of the movie's script. The film, however, was a critical and commercial failure, with no profits to be shared in the end.
Turned down Marlon Brando's role in Sayonara (1957) in order to make The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957).
Mini Biography
William Holden came from a wealthy family (the Beedles) that moved to Pasadena, California, when he was three. His father William Franklin Beedle was an industrial chemist and his mother Mary BlanAche Ball a teacher. In 1937, while studying chemistry at Pasadena Junior College, he was signed to a film contract by Paramount. His first starring role was as a young man torn between the violin and boxing in Golden Boy (1939). From then on he was typecast as the boy-next-door.
After returning from World War II military service, he got two very important roles: Joe Gillis, the gigolo, in Sunset Blvd. (1950), and the tutor in Born Yesterday (1950). These were followed by his Oscar-winning role as the cynical sergeant in Stalag 17 (1953). He stayed popular through the 1950s, appearing in such films as Picnic (1955). He spent much of his later time as co-owner of the Mount Kenya Safari Club, dividing his time between Africa and Switzerland.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Ed Stephan
Personal Quotes
For me, acting is not an all-consuming thing, except for the moment when I am actually doing it.
Take any picture you can. One out of four will be good, one out of ten will be very good, and one out of 15 will get you an Academy Award.
Movie acting may not have a certain kind of glory as true art, but it is damn hard work.
I don't really know why, but danger has always been an important thing in my life - to see how far I could lean without falling, how fast I could go without cracking up.
I'm a whore, all actors are whores. We sell our bodies to the highest bidder.
[on Barbara Stanwyck] Thirty-nine years ago this month, we were working in a film together called Golden Boy (1939). It wasn't going so well and I was going to be replaced. But due to this lovely human being and her encouragement and above all her generosity, I'm here tonight.
[on working with Clint Eastwood on Breezy (1973)] He's even-tempered -- a personality trait not much in evidence among directors. The crew is totally behind him and that really helps things go smoothly.
[on Humphrey Bogart] I hated that bastard.
Salary
The Towering Inferno (1974) $750,000
The Wild Bunch (1969) $250,000
The Horse Soldiers (1959) $750,000 + 20% of profits
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) $250,000 + 10% of the gross (World-wide)
Sabrina (1954) $150,000
Sunset Blvd. (1950) $30,000
Filmography
Actor
1. S.O.B. (1981) .... Tim Culley
2. The Earthling (1980) .... Patrick Foley
3. When Time Ran Out... (1980) .... Shelby Gilmore
... aka The Day the World Ended (Philippines: English title) (USA: video title)
... aka Earth's Final Fury (USA: TV title)
4. Ashanti (1979) .... Jim Sandell
... aka Ashanti, Land of No Mercy
5. Escape to Athena (1979) (uncredited) .... Prisoner smoking a cigar in prison camp
6. Damien: Omen II (1978) .... Richard Thorn
... aka Omen II
... aka Omen II: Damien (reissue title)
7. Fedora (1978) .... Barry 'Dutch' Detweiler
... aka Fedora (West Germany)
8. Network (1976) .... Max Schumacher
9. 21 Hours at Munich (1976) (TV) .... Chief of Police Manfred Schreiber
10. The Towering Inferno (1974) .... Jim Duncan
11. Open Season (1974) .... Wolkowski
... aka Cazadores, Los (Spain)
... aka The Recon Game
12. Breezy (1973) .... Frank Harmon
13. The Blue Knight (1973) (TV) .... Bumper Morgan
14. The Revengers (1972) .... John Benedict
... aka Vengadores, Los (Mexico)
15. Wild Rovers (1971) .... Ross Bodine
16. Arbre de Noël, L' (1969) .... Laurent Ségur
... aka Albero di Natale, L' (Italy)
... aka The Christmas Tree (USA)
... aka When Wolves Cry (USA: video title)
17. The Wild Bunch (1969) .... Pike Bishop
18. The Devil's Brigade (1968) .... Lt. Col. Robert T. Frederick
19. Casino Royale (1967) .... Ransome
... aka Charles K. Feldman's Casino Royale
20. Alvarez Kelly (1966) .... Alvarez Kelly
21. The 7th Dawn (1964) .... Major Ferris
22. Paris - When It Sizzles (1964) .... Richard Benson / Rick
... aka Together in Paris (USA)
23. The Lion (1962) .... Robert Hayward
24. The Counterfeit Traitor (1962) .... Eric Erickson
25. Satan Never Sleeps (1962) .... Father O'Banion
... aka Flight from Terror
... aka The Devil Never Sleeps (UK)
26. The World of Suzie Wong (1960) .... Robert Lomax
27. The Horse Soldiers (1959) .... Maj. Henry 'Hank' Kendall (regimental surgeon)
28. The Key (1958) .... Capt. David Ross
29. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) .... Cmdr. Shears
30. Toward the Unknown (1956) .... Maj. Lincoln Bond
... aka Brink of Hell (UK)
31. The Proud and Profane (1956) .... Lt. Col. Colin Black
32. Picnic (1955) .... Hal Carter
33. Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955) .... Mark Elliott
34. The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954) .... Lt. Harry Brubaker
35. The Country Girl (1954) .... Bernie Dodd
... aka Country Girl (Australia: TV title)
36. Miyamoto Musashi (1954/I) (uncredited) .... Narrator in original US version
... aka Master Swordsman
... aka Musashi Miyamoto (USA: video title)
... aka Samurai
... aka Samurai 1: Musashi Miyamoto
... aka The Legend of Musashi
37. Sabrina (1954) .... David Larrabee
... aka Sabrina Fair (UK)
38. Executive Suite (1954) .... McDonald Walling
39. Jungfrau auf dem Dach, Die (1953) (uncredited) .... Tourist
... aka The Girl on the Roof (Australia)
40. Escape from Fort Bravo (1953) .... Capt. Roper
... aka Fort Bravo (USA: closing credits title)
41. Forever Female (1953) .... Stanley Krown
42. The Moon Is Blue (1953) .... Donald Gresham
43. Stalag 17 (1953) .... Sgt. J.J. Sefton
44. The Turning Point (1952) .... Jerry McKibbon
45. Boots Malone (1952) .... Boots Malone
46. Submarine Command (1951) .... Lt. Cmdr. Ken White
... aka The Submarine Story (USA)
47. Force of Arms (1951) .... Sgt. Joe 'Pete' Peterson
... aka A Girl for Joe (USA: reissue title)
48. Born Yesterday (1950) .... Paul Verrall
49. Union Station (1950) .... Det. Lt. William Calhoun
50. Sunset Blvd. (1950) .... Joe Gillis
... aka Sunset Boulevard (UK) (USA: alternative spelling)
51. Father Is a Bachelor (1950) .... Johnny Rutledge
52. Dear Wife (1949) .... Bill Seacroft
53. Miss Grant Takes Richmond (1949) .... Dick Richmond
... aka Innocence Is Bliss (UK)
54. Streets of Laredo (1949) .... Jim Dawkins
55. The Dark Past (1948) .... Al Walker
56. Apartment for Peggy (1948) .... Jason Taylor
57. Rachel and the Stranger (1948) .... David Harvey
58. The Man from Colorado (1948) .... Capt. Del Stewart
59. Dear Ruth (1947) .... Lt. William Seacroft
60. Blaze of Noon (1947) .... Colin McDonald
61. Young and Willing (1943) .... Norman Reese
... aka Out of the Frying Pan
62. Meet the Stewarts (1942) .... Michael Stewart
63. The Remarkable Andrew (1942) .... Andrew Long
64. The Fleet's In (1942) .... Casey Kirby
65. Texas (1941) .... Dan Thomas
66. I Wanted Wings (1941) .... Al Ludlow
67. Arizona (1940) .... Peter Muncie
68. Those Were the Days! (1940) .... P.J. 'Petey' Simmons
... aka At Good Old Siwash
... aka Good Old Schooldays (UK)
69. Our Town (1940) .... George Gibbs
70. Invisible Stripes (1939) .... Tim Taylor
71. Golden Boy (1939) .... Joe Bonaparte
72. Million Dollar Legs (1939) (uncredited) .... Graduate who says 'Thank You'
73. Prison Farm (1938) (uncredited) .... Prisoner
Soundtrack:
1. Wild Rovers (1971) (performer: "Ballad of the Wild Rovers" (uncredited))
2. Variety Girl (1947) ("HARMONY")
3. Arizona (1940) (performer: "Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair" (1854) (uncredited), "Kiss Me Quick and Go" (1856) (uncredited))
4. Golden Boy (1939) (performer: "Funiculi, Funicula") ("Lullaby (Cradle Song)")
