William Holden
Born William Franklin Beedle Jr. on
April 17, 1918
in O'Fallon, IL
Died
Nov. 12, 1981
of blood loss from head trauma in Santa Monica, CA
William Holden possessed a handsome face and an easy, masculine manner that made him the quintessential American in many movies. He acted in several radio plays in college and in 1939 a talent scout got him a small part in the movie "Million Dollar Legs." The camera liked his face and his next role, in "Golden Boy" (1939), made him a star. He made more than 50 movies, including "The Wild Bunch," "Bridge On the River Kwai" and "Picnic." Holden won an Academy Award for his 1953 role as an American airman in a German prisoner of war camp in "Stalag 17." He also received Oscar nominations for his parts in "Sunset Boulevard" (1950) and "Network" (1976). Additionally, the actor was the best man at the 1952 wedding of Ronald and Nancy Reagan and remained friends with them over the years. [Coroner's officials eventually determined that Holden bled to death after a drunken fall in his Santa Monica home.]
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Points of interest
Academy Awards
| Year | Category | Work | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Best Actor | Sunset Boulevard | Nomination |
| 1953 | Best Actor | Stalag 17 | Win |
| 1976 | Best Actor | Network | Nomination |
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One thought about William Holden
i met bill holden at the airport in evansville, in. he had come to evansville
for the funeral of his friend & partner,
ray ryan. they had partnership in the
mt. kenya safari club in africa. he was of
course very somber but very nice &
polite. i told him my husband & i had just
returned from hong kong where he had
made "suzy wong" & "love is a many
splendid thing". i added, my husband
was not at all romantic like he (bill
holden) was to jennifer jones. he grinned, then we discussed a lot of the
things we did & saw over there. i know
i enjoyed talking to him & i think he
enjoyed me taking his mind away from
his friend for a half hour or so.
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