Born to a wealthy family in O'Fallon, Ill., on April 17, 1918, as William Franklin Beedle Jr., William Holden changed his name and became a dependable and handsome Hollywood lead, making his film debut alongside Barbara Stanwyck in Golden Boy (1939).He hit his stride with a string of memorable roles in Born Yesterday (1950); Sunset Boulevard (1950); Stalag 17 (1953), which earned him an Oscar; Executive Suite (1954); Sabrina (1954); Picnic (1956); The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957); The Counterfeit Traitor (1962) and The Wild Bunch (1969).
Despite a general slump in the 1970s, Holden earned an Emmy for his television debut in "The Blue Knights" (1973) and marked another career high with an Oscar-nominated performance in Network (1976). He died on Nov. 16, 1981, from an accidental fall at the age of 63.
The Bridge on the River KwaiDirector David Lean's sweeping epic -- best known for a whistling work theme that became legendary -- is set in a World War II-era Japanese prison camp where British POWs are forced to construct a railway bridge as a morale-building exercise. Yet the real battle of wills is between a "play by the... Read More
The Wild Bunch: Special EditionDirector Sam Peckinpah's brilliant 1969 Western epic tells the story of a bunch of aging outlaws, led by Pike Bishop (William Holden), whose botched plans to pull off one last job forces them to collude with a crooked Mexican general (Emilio Fernández) -- leading to ugly bloodshed. Ernest... Read More
Damien: Omen IISeven years after Damien Thorn's dad tried to slay him, the demon child has grown into an angry teenager (Jonathan Scott-Taylor) now living with his aunt (Lee Grant) and uncle (William Holden) -- and now Damien is slowly learning of his unholy heritage. Anyone who suspects the truth or stands in the... Read More
PicnicNe'er-do-well rolling stone Hal Carter (William Holden) rides the rails into a quiet Kansas community hoping his wealthy college chum Alan (Cliff Robertson) will offer him a "respectable" job. Though Hal is an arrogant blowhard, his brash sexuality magnetizes the ladies -- including Alan's girl,... Read More
Love Is a Many-Splendored ThingTragedy is in the offing when widowed Eurasian doctor Han Suyin (Jennifer Jones) falls for dashing American war correspondent Mark Elliot (William Holden). Despite insurmountable obstacles -- Hong Kong's anti-miscegenation laws and the refusal of Mark's wife to give him a divorce -- Han and Mark's... Read More
NR | ||
S.O.B. (1981) | R | |
The Earthling (1980) | PG | |
PG | ||
Ashanti (1979) | R | |
Damien: Omen II (1978) | R | |
Fedora (1978) | PG | |
21 Hours at Munich (1976) | NR | |
R | ||
NR | ||
The Towering Inferno (1974) | PG | |
Breezy (1973) | R | |
R | ||
The Devil's Brigade (1968) | NR | |
NR | ||
Alvarez Kelly (1966) | NR | |
The 7th Dawn (1964) | NR | |
Paris When It Sizzles (1964) | NR | |
The Counterfeit Traitor (1962) | NR | |
Satan Never Sleeps (1962) | NR | |
The World of Suzie Wong (1960) | NR | |
The Horse Soldiers (1959) | NR | |
The Key (1958) | NR | |
PG | ||
The Proud and the Profane (1956) | NR | |
NR | ||
Picnic (1955) | PG | |
Forever Female (1954) | NR | |
Sabrina (1954) | NR | |
The Country Girl (1954) | NR | |
Executive Suite (1954) | NR | |
The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954) | NR | |
Stalag 17 (1953) | NR | |
Escape from Fort Bravo (1953) | NR | |
The Turning Point (1952) | NR | |
Submarine Command (1951) | NR | |
Union Station (1950) | NR | |
Sunset Boulevard (1950) | NR | |
Born Yesterday (1950) | NR | |
Dear Wife (1949) | NR | |
The Man from Colorado (1949) | NR | |
Texas (1941) | NR | |
Our Town (1940) | NR | |
Arizona (1940) | NR | |
Golden Boy (1939) | NR | |
Invisible Stripes (1939) | NR | |
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