But once I discovered him I was hooked. ''I'm a pretty fair interpreter of a certain kind of contemporary character,'' he said in an interview in The Times in 1976. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. The Final Films. By the 1950s, he was starring in hit after hit like: Sunset Boulevard (1950), The Country Girl (1954), Picnic (1955), and The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) to name a few. Have lived all over, including Africa, and love "African Queen", but the best is "Casablanca" where the ending holds such promise as they both stroll off into the swirling mist and a new beginning - well, that's my plan!! It takes me somewhere that other movies never have. The dance scene with Kim Novak in Picnic.Ahhhhh! Holden was one of the greatest actors of our times. Interesting how the comments section of so many articles are filled with negativity and that there are only positive comments and memories about this true "movie star". Might have lived for another 20 years. He was elusive by nature and as such wouldn't be pinned down, so much so that he probably chose not to call 911 when in mortal danger. I immediately checked it out from the store (on VHS), and was completely blown away by the performance of William Holden. On April 17, 1918, William Franklin Beedle Jr of OFallon, Illinois came into the world. Now days sex has become the staple of how love or passion is measured.In the old films the smallest touch or gesture can be so passionate or romantic. Agreed! He made several attempts to be transferred from this placement but was never allowed to do so. Heavy drinking most definitely ages a person. His wonderful movies are simply wonderful and engrossing. The disease process varies from person to person. 8 blood-soaked tissues were found next to his body and so was a working telephone which he could have used to call for medical help. I don't pay much attention to Hollywood rumors factual or otherwise. (WW-Australia), I actually prefer Holden in his later years as he really had honed the craft of believable acting. He was just a fabulous actorthere was not a movie I did not like !He was especially great in the series The Blue Knight. WH was a functional alcoholic. As a professor of architecture at the University of Southern California, Jones gained recognition in the postwar era by focusing on the spatial diversity and development of flexible structural systems aimed at the integration of mechanical systems in contrast to the usual static box-style designs of the time. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Classic Movie Rev Picnic? Really great in Bridge Over the River Kwai.Beautiful girlfriend too (Stefanie Powers). The "stars" of today just don't have "it". Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. I my very first crush was William Holden. He followed that film up with a screen version of the movie of Our Town. JEC. His first starring role was in the movie "Golden Boy" (1939). Tomorrow, April 17, 2015 is his birthday and TCM is showing a bunch of his movies, starting in the morning. No one else drinks to that point. But when he got the role of Joe Gillis opposite Gloria Swanson in Sunset Blvd(1950) the world found out he not only looked good, he could act. William Holden, the building on Ocean Avenue A penthouse with ties to William Holden, the late award-winning actor, is being marketed for sale for $15 million. I was shocked to read that his wife of 30 years Brenda Marshal and the mother of his 2 sons, was born in the Island of Negros, in the Philippines where I was born and raised. Stefanie heard about it on the radio in her car going to work. Awesome Actor with Immense 'Sex Appeal. His performance as Gloria Swanson's ill-fated lover in ''Sunset Boulevard'' in 1950 was perhaps his best known; it won him a second Oscar nomination. While intoxicated in his apartment, Holden slipped on a rug and hit his head on a bedside tablebut that wasn't the most disturbing part. Holden personnified all that was great. By the early to mid-1950s, he was starring in one hit film after another such as Sunset Boulevard in 1950, The Country Girl in 1954, and Picnic in 1955. ''That level means he was heavily intoxicated,'' Mr. Wilson said. Bill Holden was a very handsome man and I always admired him after that movie. This seductive dance is the epitome of intimacy for single people in the 1950s and a sign to discerning women that this man can fulfill his masculine responsibilities. I was young when Holden and the others were making movies. If you were raised in the 1950s, you know the well-defined dating etiquette between men and woman. Alcoholism can be a fickle foe, and in Holdens case, it was a mortal enemy. The entrance lobby of OceanAire underwent a complete transformation, creating a 6,000-square-foot, Zen-inspired garden of imported granite and sandstone complete with bubbling fountains and lush landscaping. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. I prefer him in his older years too. His acting, his voice, his looks; he had everything. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. The years of his drinking started taking its toll on Holdens chiseled looks by the 1960s. Thanks for writing. Actually I didnt know he existed until the late 1960s since I was born in 1955. After that, he starred in a screen adaption of the film Our Town that further established him as one of Hollywood's leading men. There was one Elvis and only one William Holden. Loved him! Love is a many splendor things one of his greatest accomplishment.but he could not find The Greatest love all ! There were 8 bloody Kleenexs found next to his body, and a working telephone just inches away from him. Who gives a fuck if he drank the world. I still enjoy watching that movie today when it is on tv. She indicated that he was drinking, but seemed his normal self and was without complaints. It was during one of these discussions - when she was telling him which names she would like to give their future children - that he finally told her about his vasectomy. From the report: All the lights were off, except for the television, so they used flashlights to get around. Evidence suggests he was conscious for at least half an hour after the fall. His marriage was not a happy one. Mr. Holden, thanks for the memory. Only 2 actors in motion pictures now Tom Hanks and Tom Hanks. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. See where that gets you. Excellent actorbut who can have any sympathy for an otherwise loser who literally drank himself to death? I've long admired how William Holden died. January 27, 2023, 7:28 pm, by The Los Angeles Coroner said today that the death of the actor William Holden sometime last week was probably accidental, the result of a fall. We're currently offline. I just turned 50 and I have been in show business my whole life too but in the Live Entertainment field. The Death: Dubbed "Hollywood's Golden Boy" and widely recognized as one of the most popular actors in American cinema, William Holden is perhaps best remembered for his roles in Sunset Boulevard and The Towering Inferno. In 1981, Holden was living in Santa Monica, California, on Ocean Avenue. Always one of the saddest ends for a great classic film star. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. Join Facts Verse to learn more about the Inside William Holden Frightening Final Moments. He is one of the greatest actors of all timesI wish he had not spoilt his looks on account of heavy drinking He steals your heart in Sunset Boulevard Born Yesterday Love is a many splendored thing and most of the movies in the sixties. After Columbia Pictures picked up half of his contract, he alternated between starring in several minor pictures for Paramount and Columbia before serving as a 2nd lieutenant in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II, where he acted in training films for the First Motion Picture Unit. That's why it took so long for someone to find him. I told police what happened and the studio paid to have it all covered up being it was self defense nobody was charged and the studio kept the truth about Holden out of the press etc. She reported that he was drinking at the time when he gave her a ring. He burst onto the scene with his role in Golden Boy in 1939. Odds are if you are a current American circa 2016 you are a godless pansy in debt up to your brainless skull with chewed nails and chicken wing sauce on your carcass. Yes, gorgeous, intelligent, well traveled - the best. We both had a crush on him. which was his last movie and by that time he, unfortunately, had aged a lot. He even brought his leading ladies (the ones he was having an affair with) home to meet his wife. I think he was sad all his life, even when he appeared happy. Many of us leave behind loved ones but when you think clearly about it..dying is what we all do alone. Despite being relatively young still, he was considered Hollywood old school and began losing roles to younger stars like Steve McQueen and Paul Newman. I love Daniel Day Lewisand Christian Bale, but they still don't hold a candle to William Holden. Its been shown that he spoke to his girlfriend Stephanie Powers seven days before he likely passed away. Facts Verse If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. As a young-buck actor who was easy on the eyes but not quite refined yet as a performer. Concerned, he let himself into the actor's apartment and discovered Holden's body. Along with about anything that has Holden in it. He invested in hotels in Africa, where he said he was happiest. 469 Views. You're nothing but a poor imbecile. The family moved to California when he was very young, and he attended public schools in Monrovia and Pasadena. Some of his mothers ancestors found their way to the States in the 17th century. Indifferent directing, little known costars, minimal budget how does the actor do under such paltry circumstances? Failed to report flower. Are his children as good looking as he was? Holden had two uncredited roles before his first starring role in Golden Boy (1939), in which he played a violinist-turned-boxer. He was an enigma; men wanted to emulate him and women wanted to copy and paste him into their lives. They starred in the films The Lion (1962) and The 7th Dawn (1964). The email does not appear to be a valid email address. Holdens doctor arrived on the scene and speculated that he might have started vomiting up blood and potentially lacerated the lower portion of his esophagus. Today I am watching The horse soldiers for about the 10th time and yesterday on TV it was Paris when it sizzle,a completely stupid film.I would love it if they put on Breezy or any other film of William Holden.I do not care what else is on if his films are on I watch it..He was a great actor and they do not have actors nowadays of his caliber or his good looks and charm.I had my dream visit to the USA 2014-15 and did a tour of Paramount studios when they were closed for the Christmas holidays.I also stayed in Santa Monica just so I could see where he had been and also visited the Pasadena players theater.My favorite movies of William Holden are Sabrina,Sunset Boulevard and Picnic.My favorite piece of music is Moonglow and the theme from Picnic.Why the older stars on the walk of fame are so far away from the old Grauman`s theater i do not know.This is what my generation come to see in Hollywood .While his movies are still played on TV William Holden will never be forgotten R.I.P. They included a psycopathic gangster in ''The Dark Past'' in 1948 and, in 1950, the young writer who becomes the emotional property of an aging actress in ''Sunset Boulevard.'' In 1980, Holden appeared in The Earthling with popular child actor Ricky Schroder, playing a loner dying of cancer who goes to the Australian outback to end his days, meets a young boy whose parents have been killed in an accident, and teaches him how to survive. He was so good. He was notoriously private. He enlisted in the Army and was graduated a first lieutenant from the Army Air Force Officers Candidate School. William Holdens life was full of struggle and hardship. What person in their right mind would go back for more of that. Nov. 17, 1981 5 AM PT William Holden, whose handsome face and easy, masculine manner made him the quintessential American in many movies, was found dead Monday morning in his apartment in. His last film appearance was in Blake Edwards' "S.O.B." Additional building amenities offer 24-hour security, business conference center, fitness center with sauna and underground parking. He had so many productive years ahead of him. Consistent with Jones' original vision, newer technology was employed that was not available in his day, bringing the building up to its present, one-of-a-kind, luxury condominium status. What he came to represent was integrity, the same thing you get from someone like Henry Fonda.. Or perhaps he isolated himself from all who cared for him. When William Holden was on screen, everyone else fell back in shadow.