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William Holden was the lead actor in Sunset Boulevard (1950), playing Joe Gillis. William Franklin Holden (né Beedle; April 17, 1918 – November 12, 1981) was an American actor and one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950s. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the film Stalag 17 (1953) and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for The Blue Knight (1973).
Appeared in 72 movies in a career than spanned 43 years.
Golden Boy (1939) - Holden's first starring role was in Golden Boy (1939), costarring Barbara Stanwyck, in which he played a violinist-turned-boxer. This was his breakthrough film that launched his career.
Our Town (1940) - Based on Thornton Wilder's play
I Wanted Wings (1941) - Aviation drama
Texas (1941) - Western with Glenn Ford
[Film listings continue with similar markup...]
Sunset Boulevard (1950) - He came roaring back with Billy Wilder's Hollywood noir "Sunset Boulevard" (1950), playing a struggling screenwriter who becomes involved with a fading, delusional silent film star (Gloria Swanson). The role brought him his first Oscar nomination as Best Actor.
Born Yesterday (1950) - He costarred with Judy Holliday in George Cukor's comedy Born Yesterday (1950).
Stalag 17 (1953) - He joined the winner's circle just three years later with a Best Actor victory for Wilder's "Stalag 17" (1953), which cast him as a cynical American POW who's suspected of being a German informant during WWII.
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) - Holden had his most widely recognized role as "Commander" Shears in David Lean's The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) with Alec Guinness, a huge commercial success. His deal was considered one of the best ever for an actor at the time, with him receiving 10% of the gross, which earned him over $2.5 million.
The Wild Bunch (1969) - This quality may have been most eloquently expressed by his central performance as the desperado cowboy Pike in Sam Peckinpah's violent autumnal Western classic, "The Wild Bunch" (1969).
Network (1976) - Two years later, he was praised for his Oscar-nominated leading performance in Sidney Lumet's classic Network (1976), an examination of the media written by Paddy Chayefsky, playing an older version of the character type for which he had become iconic in the 1950s, only now more jaded and aware of his own mortality.
Fedora (1978) - Holden reteamed with Billy Wilder (following 1954's Sabrina) for their fourth and final collaboration, a magnificent exorcism of Sunset Blvd. Fedora isn't a sequel – and Holden isn't Joe Gillis – as much as an answer, both thematically and stylistically, to a New Hollywood overrun by those "directors with beards".
S.O.B. (1981) - For what would prove to be his final film, Holden took a wonderful supporting role for Blake Edwards - Hollywood satire
While the AI Summary provided a comprehensive list of major films, it omitted some lesser-known titles that dedicated fans might want to know about
The summary doesn't mention that Holden served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II and acted in training films
The summary provides his death date but doesn't mention the tragic circumstances of his death from a fall while intoxicated
Holden's significant wildlife conservation work in Africa and the William Holden Wildlife Foundation are not mentioned
The lead actor in Sunset Boulevard (1950) was William Holden, who played struggling screenwriter Joe Gillis. Born William Franklin Beedle Jr. on April 17, 1918, Holden appeared in 72 films over a 43-year career spanning from 1939 to 1981. His breakthrough came with Golden Boy (1939) opposite Barbara Stanwyck. After serving in the U.S. Army Air Forces during WWII, his career was revitalized by Sunset Boulevard, which earned him his first Oscar nomination. He won the Best Actor Oscar for Stalag 17 (1953) and received a third nomination for Network (1976). He also won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1974 for The Blue Knight (1973 miniseries). Major films include: Born Yesterday (1950), Sabrina (1954), Picnic (1955), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) - for which he received 10% of the gross earnings, The Wild Bunch (1969), The Towering Inferno (1974), and Network (1976). He collaborated with Billy Wilder four times: Sunset Boulevard, Stalag 17, Sabrina, and Fedora (1978). His final film was Blake Edwards' S.O.B. (1981). Holden was named one of the 'Top 10 Stars of the Year' six times (1954-1958, 1961) and ranked 25th on the AFI's list of greatest male stars of Classical Hollywood. He died on November 12, 1981, from a fall in his Santa Monica apartment while intoxicated. He was also known for his wildlife conservation efforts in Africa, co-founding the Mount Kenya Safari Club.