ACTOR · BORN 1918 · DIED 1981
William Holden
- Born
- 17 April 1918, O'Fallon, Illinois, USA
- Died
- 12 November 1981
- Known for
- Sunset Boulevard (1950), Stalag 17 (1953), Damien: Omen II (1978), Breezy (1973)
33 archived facts 5 topics 2 sources Last reviewed Nov 2026
William Holden (17 April 1918 – 12 November 1981) was an actor best known for Sunset Boulevard, Stalag 17 and Damien: Omen II.
William Holden over the years
33 Interesting Facts About William Holden
Interesting Facts (14)
- #001
William Holden was a pioneer of African wildlife conservation: in the 1970s he used his own savings to buy a large tract of land and set up an animal sanctuary, and with his then partner, Stefanie Powers, he went on TV talk shows to raise awareness of animal protection, poaching and the illegal wildlife trade, earning respect as a conservationist as well as a movie star.
- #002
William Holden turned down the lead in 'Sayonara' (1957), which went to Marlon Brando, to make 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' (1957) instead, a turning point in his career, since Kwai became a box office hit and swept the awards, including Best Picture.
- #003
With partners oil billionaire Ray Ryan and Swiss financier Carl Hirschmann, Holden owned the Mount Kenya Safari Club, the world's most exclusive private members' club, open by invitation only to members such as Bing Crosby, David Lean, Charles Chaplin, Steve McQueen, Conrad Hilton, Winston Churchill and Man Singh II; Stefanie Powers and John Hurt still live in houses next to the club, a reflection of Holden's love of Africa.
- #004
For 'The Horse Soldiers' (1959), William Holden and John Wayne were each paid $775,000 plus twenty percent of the gross, an unheard-of deal at the time, seen as the start of Hollywood's star mega-deals, though the contract involved six companies and ran twice as long as the script; sadly, the film flopped with critics and audiences, so there were no profits to share.
William Holden: portraitImage: Wikimedia Commons · Courtesy Reagan Library, PD, Public domain - #005
A fan of Japanese culture, William Holden befriended Toshirō Mifune on a 1954 trip to Japan and, after seeing Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (1954), which Mifune was shooting, offered to distribute it in America; the producers let Holden record an explanatory narration for American audiences, which led US critics to believe he'd re-cut the film, though only the narration had been added.
- #006
William Holden is 25th among the male stars on the American Film Institute's (AFI) 50 Greatest Screen Legends, one of the great stars of all time.
- #007
Entertainment Weekly ranked William Holden 63rd among the greatest movie stars of all time, one of the highest-paid stars of the 1950s and an unforgettable Hollywood name.
- #008
In Suzanne Vega's 'Tom's Diner,' the line about reading in the paper that an actor had died while drinking refers to William Holden: when the song was written, on November 18, 1981, the New York Post was indeed reporting his death. Vega later said she was embarrassed by the lyrics.
- #009
The line 'I feel like William Holden floating in a pool' in Canadian band Blue Rodeo's song 'Floating' was inspired, writer Greg Keelor said, by the body floating in the pool at the start of Sunset Boulevard (1950), an image that came to him as he described the quiet despair at the end of a relationship.
- #010
William Holden turned down a role in The Guns of Navarone (1961) because he wasn't satisfied with producer Carl Foreman's offer of 750,000 dollars plus 20% of the gross, a sign of how high his fee expectations had become as one of the era's top earners.
- #011
Some claim J.D. Salinger named Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye after the poster for Dear Ruth (1947), starring William Holden and Joan Caulfield, but Salinger's first Holden Caulfield story, 'I'm Crazy,' appeared in Collier's on December 22, 1945, a year and a half before the film came out, so the theory doesn't hold up.
- #012
Toward the Unknown (1956) was the only film made by William Holden's production company, Toluca Productions, his sole venture into producing.
- #013
According to The Hollywood Reporter, William Holden had signed to play the coach in That Championship Season (1982), but his death intervened and Robert Mitchum took the role; he had also agreed to make Dime Novel Sunset with his old friend Glenn Ford, a film that was never made.
- #014
William Holden and Gloria Swanson rarely saw each other after Sunset Boulevard (1950) but stayed fond of each other; Holden recalled that one day she dropped by his Palm Springs home while he was out, and the housekeepers let her in, and she left a note on the toilet seat: "Dear Joe: I'm leaving this note where I know you'll find it. Where's Max? Where's De Mille? Where's Hedda? Where did everybody go? Love, Norma Desmond."
Behind the Scenes (4)
- #015
At one point in his career, Holden admitted that he had lost his passion for acting. In his view, acting had over time turned into an ordinary job he did simply to make a living. This statement lays bare the inner conflicts experienced by stars behind Hollywood's glamorous facade. Holden's candid admission is important for understanding the change in his view of his craft and the hardships of the industry.
- #016
William Holden's will lays bare the relationships in his private life. He left $250,000 to his girlfriend Stefanie Powers, $50,000 to his former colleague Capucine and $50,000 to his society friend Patricia Stauffer. The bulk of his estate was shared by his ex-wife Brenda Marshall, his two sons, his stepdaughter, his sister and his mother. This distribution shows the value Holden placed on the women in his life and on his family.
- #017
In 1952, William Holden served as best man at the wedding of Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan. This duty shows his close ties to Hollywood's political and social circles. The Reagans' wedding was a lavish event that brought together the leading names of the day. Holden's presence at the ceremony reveals that he was not merely an actor but also a figure who moved among Hollywood's foremost personalities.
- #018
William Holden was in a serious traffic accident in Italy in July 1966. The accident was one of the life-threatening events he experienced and required a long recovery. Holden's survival of the accident demonstrates his physical resilience. The event also reveals his determination to continue his career despite the difficulties in his life.
Characters & Cast (2)
- #019
Pike Bishop in The Wild Bunch (1969) was offered to William Holden after a string of stars turned it down: Lee Marvin, Burt Lancaster, James Stewart, Charlton Heston, Gregory Peck, Sterling Hayden, Richard Boone and Robert Mitchum; Marvin had actually accepted but pulled out when Paint Your Wagon (1969) offered him more money. Holden's bold choice gave him one of his most memorable roles.
- #020
William Holden co-starred with Audrey Hepburn in two films, Sabrina (1954), in which he was part of the love triangle around her character, and Paris When It Sizzles (1964), their chemistry making both memorable.
Career & Awards (3)
- #021
Holden was forever grateful to Barbara Stanwyck, who insisted he get the lead in 'Golden Boy' (1939), the film that launched his career, and according to legend he sent her flowers every year on the anniversary of the first day of shooting.
- #022
Holden felt he didn't deserve his Best Actor Oscar for 'Stalag 17' (1953), believing it should have gone to Burt Lancaster for 'From Here to Eternity' (1953), while his wife, Brenda Marshall, saw it as a belated apology for his missing out on a nomination for 'Sunset Boulevard' (1950).
- #023
When William Holden won Best Actor for 'Stalag 17' (1953), he said just one word, "Thank you," and walked off with his award, one of Hollywood's most memorable acceptance speeches.
Life & Family (10)
- #024
Holden was a passionate collector and built a fine collection of antique Asian art at his hilltop home in Palm Springs, which, as his will directed, was donated to the Palm Springs Art Museum after his death, where it's proudly displayed today.
- #025
When his close friend William Holden died, director Billy Wilder said: "If someone had told me 'Holden is dead,' I would have thought he was gored by a water buffalo in Kenya, killed in a plane crash while landing in Hong Kong, or shot by a jealous woman and drowned in a pool. But to die because of a bottle of vodka and a nightstand... What a lousy ending for a great guy!"
- #026
Although Holden was already using his stage name, he didn't legally change it from Beedle until he joined the US Air Force in 1942; in 1943, serving stateside during World War II, he shared an apartment in Fort Worth, Texas, with baseball legend Hank Greenberg. His younger brother, Robert Beedle, a Navy fighter pilot, was killed in the war, and when 'The Bridges at Toko-Ri' (1954) came out, Robert's squadron mates were struck by how much Holden's Lieutenant Harry Brubaker resembled him.
- #027
A registered Republican, Holden rarely got involved in politics, but in 1947 he joined the Committee for the First Amendment to oppose the Hollywood blacklist, standing by his close friends, blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo and actor Larry Parks.
- #028
When William Holden married Brenda Marshall in 1941, actor Brian Donlevy was best man; the Las Vegas Community Church ceremony was delayed because the couple were still shooting 'The Remarkable Andrew' (1942), and by the time they arrived at 3 a.m. the minister had gone to bed, and no other preacher could be found until 4 p.m. on Sunday, after which they had a champagne breakfast and rushed back to Los Angeles to keep filming.
- #029
William Holden was known for being obsessed with cleanliness and, legend has it, took up to four showers a day.
- #030
William Holden was one of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis's favorite actors, until she found out he was a Republican and was deeply disappointed.
- #031
William Holden had a vasectomy in 1947, and when Stefanie Powers wanted a child with him in the 1970s, it turned out it was irreversible, a painful issue in their relationship.
- #032
William Holden outlived both his younger brothers, Robert W. Beedle and Richard P. Beedle, who both died in plane crashes over the Pacific, Robert in combat as a U.S. Navy fighter pilot in World War II; neither man's remains were ever found, and Holden's own ashes were later scattered over the Pacific.
- #033
William Holden died on 12 November 1981, the day before his eldest son Peter's 38th birthday; he was cremated and his ashes scattered in the Pacific Ocean.
Related pages
- Kirk Douglas — William Holden comes up in the facts on that page
- Fred MacMurray — William Holden comes up in the facts on that page
- Gloria Swanson — William Holden comes up in the facts on that page
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
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