Biography of william holden

American actor (–)

"Bill Holden" redirects here. For other uses, see William Holden (disambiguation).

Not to be confused with William Holden (character actor).

William Franklin Holden (né Beedle Jr.; April 17, – November 12, ) was an American actor and one of the biggest box-office draws of the s. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the film Stalag 17 () and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for the television miniseries The Blue Knight ().

Holden starred in some of Hollywood's most popular and critically acclaimed films, including Sunset Boulevard (), Sabrina (), Picnic (), The Bridge on the River Kwai (), The Wild Bunch () and Network (). He was named one of the "Top 10 Stars of the Year" six times (–, ), and appeared as 25th on the American Film Institute's list of 25 greatest male stars of Classical Hollywood cinema.

Early life and education

Holden was born William Franklin Beedle Jr. on April 17, , in O'Fallon, Illinois, son of Mary Blanche Beedle (née Ball), a schoolteacher, and her husband, William Franklin Beedle Sr., an industrial chemist. He had two younger brothers, Robert Westfield Beedle and Richard Porter Beedle. One of his father's grandmothers, Rebecca Westfield, was born in England, while some of his mother's ancestors settled in Virginia's Lancaster County after emigrating from England in the 17th century.

His family moved to South Pasadena when he was three. After graduating from South Pasadena High School, Holden attended Pasadena Junior College, where he became involved in local radio plays.

Career

Paramount

Holden appeared uncredited in Prison Farm () and Million Dollar Legs () at Paramount.

A version of how he obtained his stage name "Holden" was given by George Ross of Billboard in "William Holden, the lad just signed for the coveted lead in Golden Boy, used to be

It was Hollywood in early , and legendary director Billy Wilder had a big problem. In two weeks, shooting would start on his next film, “Sunset Boulevard,” and his mercurial young star, Montgomery Clift, had just backed out of playing the lead.

Clift was set to portray Joe Gillis, a struggling writer who agrees to draft the screenplay for silent screen star Norma Desmond’s comeback picture, only to become her slightly unwilling lover.

It was a tricky part that not everyone would jump at, including Fred MacMurray, who had worked with Wilder on “Double Indemnity” six years earlier. He simply did not want to play a gigolo. The recently arrived Marlon Brando was considered, but he was still unproven, with no film credits. Gene Kelly was approached, but was unavailable.

It was only then that Wilder thought of William Holden. Holden was then a star of the second rank; he always got his name above the title, but the movies he made were pretty standard: war pictures, romances, light comedies.

The handsome, affable Holden had broken through a decade earlier in the high-profile screen adaptation of Clifford Odets’s hit play “Golden Boy,” playing the title character, a promising young violinist who becomes a boxer.

Then just 21 and with virtually no training, the young actor was so shaky that he was almost fired after several weeks of shooting. But co-star Barbara Stanwyck believed in him, coached him to improve his performance, and fought for Holden to keep his job. The actor never forgot this kindness.  

The film was well-received in a very crowded year, and Holden was launched. His clean-cut good looks made him ideal for the many “boy next door” or young hero parts then available in Hollywood. But by , he’d yet to find a great role that displayed his range as an actor.

That was about to change. Holden quickly accepted

Biography

William Holden was born William Franklin Beedle, Jr., in O'Fallon, Illinois, son of William Franklin Beedle (–), an industrial chemist, and his wife Mary Blanche Ball (–), a schoolteacher. He had two younger brothers, Robert Westfield Beedle (–) and Richard P. Beedle (–). One of his father's grandmothers, Rebecca Westfield, was born in England in , while some of his mother's ancestors settled in Virginia's Lancaster County after emigrating from England in the 17th century. His younger brother, Robert W. "Bobbie" Beedle, became a U.S. Navy fighter pilot and was killed in action in World War II, over New Ireland, a Japanese-occupied island in the South Pacific, on January 5,

His family moved to South Pasadena when he was three. After graduating from South Pasadena High School, William attended Pasadena Junior College, where he became involved in local radio plays. A version of how he obtained his stage name "Holden" is based on a statement by George Ross of Billboard: "William Holden, the lad just signed for the coveted lead in Golden Boy, used to be Bill Beadle. And here is how he obtained his new movie name. On the Columbia lot is an assistant director and scout named Harold Winston. Not long ago he was divorced from the actress, Gloria Holden, but carried the torch after the marital rift. Winston was one of those who discovered the Golden Boy newcomer and who renamed him—in honor of his former spouse!"

William's first starring role was in Golden Boy (), co-starring Barbara Stanwyck, in which he played a violinist-turned-boxer. He was still an unknown actor at the time, while Barbara was already a film star. She liked William and went out of her way to help him succeed, devoting her personal time to coaching and encouraging him, which made them into lifelong friends. When she received her Honorary Oscar at the Academy Award ceremony, William had died in an accident just a few months prior. At the end of her a