William Holden (born William Franklin Beedle Jr.; April 17, 1918 â€"
November 12, 1981) was an American actor who was one of the biggest
box-office draws of the 1950s. He won the Oscar for Best Actor for the
film Stalag 17 (1953), and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead
Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for the television film The Blue
Knight (1973). Holden starred in some of Hollywood's most popular and
critically acclaimed films, including Sunset Boulevard, Sabrina, The
Bridge on the River Kwai, The Wild Bunch, Picnic, and Network. He was
named one of the "Top 10 Stars of the Year" six times (1954â€"1958,
1961), and appeared as 25th on the American Film Institute's list of
25 greatest male stars of Classic Hollywood Cinema.Holden was born
William Franklin Beedle, Jr., on April 17, 1918, in O'Fallon,
Illinois, son of Mary Blanche Beedle (née Ball, 1898â€"1990), a
schoolteacher, and her husband William Franklin Beedle (1891â€"1967),
an industrial chemist. He had two younger brothers, Robert Westfield
Beedle (1921â€"1944) and Richard P. Beedle (1924â€"1964). One of his
father's grandmothers, Rebecca Westfield, was born in England in 1817,
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, 1944.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.Holden appeared
uncredited in Prison Farm (1939) and Million Dollar Legs (1939) at
Paramount.
November 12, 1981) was an American actor who was one of the biggest
box-office draws of the 1950s. He won the Oscar for Best Actor for the
film Stalag 17 (1953), and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead
Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for the television film The Blue
Knight (1973). Holden starred in some of Hollywood's most popular and
critically acclaimed films, including Sunset Boulevard, Sabrina, The
Bridge on the River Kwai, The Wild Bunch, Picnic, and Network. He was
named one of the "Top 10 Stars of the Year" six times (1954â€"1958,
1961), and appeared as 25th on the American Film Institute's list of
25 greatest male stars of Classic Hollywood Cinema.Holden was born
William Franklin Beedle, Jr., on April 17, 1918, in O'Fallon,
Illinois, son of Mary Blanche Beedle (née Ball, 1898â€"1990), a
schoolteacher, and her husband William Franklin Beedle (1891â€"1967),
an industrial chemist. He had two younger brothers, Robert Westfield
Beedle (1921â€"1944) and Richard P. Beedle (1924â€"1964). One of his
father's grandmothers, Rebecca Westfield, was born in England in 1817,
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, 1944.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.Holden appeared
uncredited in Prison Farm (1939) and Million Dollar Legs (1939) at
Paramount.
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