Date of Birth : Apr 17th 1918
Holden, eldest of three sons (brothers are Robert & Richard), was born as William Franklin Beedle, Jr. in O’Fallon, Illinois, the son of Mary Blanche (née Ball), a schoolteacher, and William Franklin Beedle, Sr., an industrial chemist.[1][2] The family, which moved to South Pasadena, California when he was three, was of English descent; Holden’s paternal great-grandmother, Rebecca Westfield, was born in England in 1817, while some of his mother’s ancestors immigrated to the U.S. in the 17th century from Millenback, Lancaster, England.
After graduating from South Pasadena High School, Holden attended Pasadena Junior College, where he became involved in local radio plays. Contrary to legend and theatre publicity, he did not study at the Pasadena Playhouse, nor was he discovered in a play there. Rather, he was spotted by a talent scout from Paramount Pictures in 1937 while appearing as an old man in a play at the Playbox, a private theatre owned by Pasadena Playhouse director Gilmor Brown. His first film role was in Prison Farm the following year.
His first starring role was in Golden Boy (1939), in which he played a violinist turned boxer.
CAREER
Network ( 1976 )
The Towering Inferno ( 1975 )
The Wild Bunch ( 1970 )
The Bridge on the River Kwai ( 1957 )
Sabrina ( 1954 )
Sunset Boulevard ( 1950 )