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William Holden 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, and appeared as 25th on the American Film Institute's list of 25 greatest male stars of Classic Hollywood Cinema.
Birth Name
William Franklin Beedle Jr.
Born
Wednesday, 17 April 1918
Died
Monday, 16 November 1981
Actor Filmography
| Title | Character | Year |
|---|
| The Movies | Self | 2019 |
| Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood | Self - Actor / Self (archive footage) | 2018 |
| The Fabulous Allan Carr | Self | 2018 |
| Hollywood Insider | Self | 2018 |
| Du sollst nicht langweilen: Billy Wilder | Self | 2017 |
| How to Win the US Presidency | Self | 2016 |
| My Lion and Me | Self | 2016 |
| Raised Human | Self | 2016 |
| War Movie Blockbusters | Self | 2015 |
| Million Dollar American Princesses | Self | 2015 |
Actor Filmography
| Title | Character | Year |
|---|
| The Movies | Self | 2019 |
| Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood | Self - Actor / Self (archive footage) | 2018 |
| The Fabulous Allan Carr | Self | 2018 |
| Hollywood Insider | Self | 2018 |
| Du sollst nicht langweilen: Billy Wilder | Self | 2017 |
| How to Win the US Presidency | Self | 2016 |
| My Lion and Me | Self | 2016 |
| Raised Human | Self | 2016 |
| War Movie Blockbusters | Self | 2015 |
| Million Dollar American Princesses | Self | 2015 |
| Swan Song: The Story of Billy Wilder's Fedora | Self | 2014 |
| Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen | (archive footage) | 2012 |
| Beautiful Darling | (archive footage) | 2010 |
| Il falso bugiardo | Self | 2008 |
| Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession | Self | 2007 |
| Billy Wilder Speaks | Self | 2006 |
| Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade | Self / Self (archive footage) | 2004 |
| Mayor of the Sunset Strip | Self | 2003 |
| I Love Lucy's 50th Anniversary Special | (archive footage) | 2001 |
| Twentieth Century Fox: The Blockbuster Years | Self | 2000 |
| The Audrey Hepburn Story | Self | 2000 |
| The Making of 'the Bridge on the River Kwai' | Himself (archive footage) / Self | 2000 |
| E! Mysteries & Scandals | Self | 1998 |
| Hollywood Commandos | Self | 1997 |
| The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen | Self | 1995 |
| 100 Years at the Movies | Self | 1994 |
| Audrey Hepburn Remembered | Self | 1993 |
| Oscar's Greatest Moments | Self | 1992 |
| Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker | Donald Gresham | 1991 |
| Barbara Stanwyck: Fire and Desire | Himself (archive footage) / Self | 1991 |
| Hollywood Mavericks | Pike | 1990 |
| When the Applause Died | Self | 1990 |
| Biography | Self | 1987 |
| Grace Kelly: The American Princess | Self | 1987 |
| Bring Me the Head of Charlie Brown | Charlie Brown | 1986 |
| American Masters | Self / (archive footage) | 1986 |
| S.O.B. | Tim Culley | 1981 |
| The Earthling | Patrick Foley | 1980 |
| When Time Ran Out... | Shelby Gilmore | 1980 |
| Ashanti | Jim Sandell | 1979 |
| Escape to Athena | Sgt. J.J. Sefton | 1979 |
| Fedora | Barry Detweiler | 1978 |
| Damien: Omen II | Richard Thorn | 1978 |
| The 50th Annual Academy Awards | Self - Presenter | 1978 |
| Network | Max Schumacher | 1976 |
| 21 Hours at Munich | Manfred Schreiber / Polizeichef Manfred Schreiber | 1976 |
| The Towering Inferno | Jim Duncan | 1974 |
| Open Season | Hal Wolkowski | 1974 |
| Bicentennial Minutes | Self - Narrator | 1974 |
| Breezy | Frank Harmon | 1973 |
| The Blue Knight | Bumper Morgan | 1973 |
| The Revengers | John Benedict | 1972 |
| Wild Rovers | Ross Bodine | 1971 |
| The Christmas Tree | Laurent Ségur | 1969 |
| The David Frost Show | Self - Guest | 1969 |
| The Wild Bunch | Pike Bishop / Pike | 1969 |
| The Devil's Brigade | Lt. Col. Robert T. Frederick | 1968 |
| Casino Royale | Ransome | 1967 |
| The Joey Bishop Show | Self - Guest | 1967 |
| Alvarez Kelly | Alvarez Kelly | 1966 |
| The Dean Martin Show | Self - Guest | 1965 |
| Wayne and Shuster Take an Affectionate Look at... | (archive footage) | 1964 |
| The 7th Dawn | Major Ferris | 1964 |
| Paris When It Sizzles | Rick / Richard Benson | 1964 |
| Hollywood and the Stars | Self | 1963 |
| Hollywood Without Make-Up | Self / Himself | 1963 |
| The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | Himself - Guest | 1962 |
| The Lion | Robert Hayward | 1962 |
| The Counterfeit Traitor | Eric Erickson | 1962 |
| Satan Never Sleeps | Father O'Banion | 1962 |
| Lykke Og Krone | Self | 1962 |
| The World of Suzie Wong | Robert Lomax | 1960 |
| Here's Hollywood | Self | 1960 |
| The Horse Soldiers | Maj. Henry Kendall / Major 'Hank' Kendall | 1959 |
| Zwischen Gluck Und Krone | Self | 1959 |
| The Key | Capt. David Ross / Captain David Ross | 1958 |
| The Bridge on the River Kwai | Cmdr. Shears / Shears | 1957 |
| Toward the Unknown | Maj. Lincoln Bond | 1956 |
| The Steve Allen Plymouth Show | Self - Set of 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' | 1956 |
| The Proud and Profane | Lt. Col. Colin Black | 1956 |
| Picnic | Hal Carter | 1956 |
| Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing | Mark Elliott | 1955 |
| The Country Girl | Bernie Dodd | 1955 |
| Hollywood Today | Self | 1955 |
| The Bridges at Toko-Ri | Lt. Harry Brubaker | 1954 |
| Producers' Showcase | Self | 1954 |
| Sabrina | David Larrabee | 1954 |
| Executive Suite | McDonald Walling | 1954 |
| Forever Female | Stanley Krown | 1954 |
| Die Jungfrau auf dem Dach | Tourist | 1953 |
| Escape from Fort Bravo | Capt. Roper / Captain Roper | 1953 |
| Person to Person | Self | 1953 |
| The Moon Is Blue | Donald Gresham | 1953 |
| Stalag 17 | Sgt. J.J. Sefton | 1953 |
| The Turning Point | Jerry McKibbon | 1952 |
| Boots Malone | Boots Malone | 1952 |
| Submarine Command | Lt. Cmdr. Ken White | 1951 |
| I Love Lucy | Self | 1951 |
| Force of Arms | Sgt. John 'Pete' Peterson / Sgt. Joe 'Pete' Peterson | 1951 |
| Born Yesterday | Paul Verrall | 1950 |
| The Jack Benny Program | Self - Guest | 1950 |
| Lux Video Theatre | Self - Intermission guest / Self - Host | 1950 |
| The Colgate Comedy Hour | Self - Guest | 1950 |
| Union Station | Lt. William Calhoun | 1950 |
| Sunset Boulevard | Joe Gillis | 1950 |
| Sunset Blvd. | Joe Gillis | 1950 |
| You Can Change the World | Self | 1950 |
| Father Is a Bachelor | Johnny Rutledge | 1950 |
| What's My Line? | Himself - Mystery Guest | 1950 |
| Dear Wife | Bill Seacroft | 1949 |
| Miss Grant Takes Richmond | Dick Richmond | 1949 |
| Streets of Laredo | Jim Dawkins | 1949 |
| The Man from Colorado | Del Stewart / Capt. Del Stewart | 1949 |
| Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall | Himself | 1948 |
| The Dark Past | Al Walker | 1948 |
| Apartment for Peggy | Jason Taylor | 1948 |
| Rachel and the Stranger | Big Davey / David Harvey | 1948 |
| The Ed Sullivan Show | Self / McDonald Walling | 1948 |
| Variety Girl | William Holden | 1947 |
| Dear Ruth | Lt. William Seacroft | 1947 |
| Blaze of Noon | Colin McDonald | 1947 |
| Young and Willing | Norman Reese | 1943 |
| Meet the Stewarts | Michael Stewart | 1942 |
| The Remarkable Andrew | Andrew Long | 1942 |
| The Fleet's In | Casey Kirby | 1942 |
| Texas | Dan Thomas | 1941 |
| I Wanted Wings | Al Ludlow | 1941 |
| Arizona | Peter Muncie | 1940 |
| Those Were the Days! | P.J. 'Petey' Simmons / P. J. "Petey" Simmons | 1940 |
| Our Town | George Gibbs / Georges Gibbs | 1940 |
| Invisible Stripes | Tim Taylor | 1939 |
| Golden Boy | Joe Bonaparte | 1939 |
| Million Dollar Legs | Graduate Who Says 'Thank You' | 1939 |
| Prison Farm | Prisoner | 1938 |
| Year | Type | Category | Won |
|---|
| 1977 | Oscar | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Nominated |
| 1974 | Emmy | Best Lead Actor in a Limited Series | Won |
| 1954 | Oscar | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Won |
| 1951 | Oscar | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Nominated |
