Born with the name William Franklin Beadle, Jr., the incredibly talented, fabulously good-looking Mr. Holden is one of my two all-time favorite actors. I completely adore this man!! He has occupied #1 status for about three years now (though he shares that status with Robert Ryan). I have Audrey Hepburn to thank for bringing him into my life, as my introduction to classic movies began with Roman Holiday. As I sought out more of Miss Hepburn's works, naturally, I discovered Sabrina...which led to my discovery of the gorgeous Mr. Holden. Completely taken with the incredible smile he flashed several times in that film, I simply had to see more of his works, and as I did, I grew more and more impressed. He was terrific in nearly every role he took on; I found that he especially excelled when portraying a cynical, angry, troubled, or difficult to get along with man.
Despite how great he was in complex dramatic roles, Mr. Holden also was more than capable in comedic roles. While I don't generally lean to comedy, I do enjoy several of Holden's comedy films, and the episode of I Love Lucy in which he guest stars is one of the funniest things I have ever seen. I have watched it numerous times and never tire of it.
My absolute favorite of Mr. Holden's films also happens to be one of my top 5 favorite movies period---Sunset Boulevard. Nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award for his work in Sunset Boulevard, this incredibly talented actor gave perhaps the best performance of his career in that film. Now to be honest, I think he gave terrific performances in nearly all of his roles---including Stalag 17, the film for which he did receive his Oscar---however, I really believe Sunset Boulevard was the performance of his career and that he ought to have won that year. That film, which comes in at #4 on my all-time favorite movie list, is reviewed HERE.
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Rounding out my list of five favorite William Holden films are:
2. Stalag 17 (Mr. Holden's Academy Award winning role---reviewed HERE)
3. Sabrina (with Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn---reviewed HERE)
4. Bridges at Toko-Ri (with Grace Kelly and Fredric March---reviewed HERE)
5. Born Yesterday (with Judy Holliday and Broderick Crawford---reviewed HERE)
Incidentally, all five of these are 5-star films for me. I have a couple other 5-star Holden films, so I had to think long and hard before deciding which ones to include here and which ones to put a bit further down the list.
So, Mr. William Holden, here's to you on your 94th birthday. You were a truly brilliant actor, and I completely adore you. You will always be one of my #1 guys. Thanks for bringing so much viewing pleasure to my life with all your wonderful films.
Despite how great he was in complex dramatic roles, Mr. Holden also was more than capable in comedic roles. While I don't generally lean to comedy, I do enjoy several of Holden's comedy films, and the episode of I Love Lucy in which he guest stars is one of the funniest things I have ever seen. I have watched it numerous times and never tire of it.
My absolute favorite of Mr. Holden's films also happens to be one of my top 5 favorite movies period---Sunset Boulevard. Nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award for his work in Sunset Boulevard, this incredibly talented actor gave perhaps the best performance of his career in that film. Now to be honest, I think he gave terrific performances in nearly all of his roles---including Stalag 17, the film for which he did receive his Oscar---however, I really believe Sunset Boulevard was the performance of his career and that he ought to have won that year. That film, which comes in at #4 on my all-time favorite movie list, is reviewed HERE.
_10.jpg)
Rounding out my list of five favorite William Holden films are:
2. Stalag 17 (Mr. Holden's Academy Award winning role---reviewed HERE)
3. Sabrina (with Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn---reviewed HERE)
4. Bridges at Toko-Ri (with Grace Kelly and Fredric March---reviewed HERE)
5. Born Yesterday (with Judy Holliday and Broderick Crawford---reviewed HERE)
Incidentally, all five of these are 5-star films for me. I have a couple other 5-star Holden films, so I had to think long and hard before deciding which ones to include here and which ones to put a bit further down the list.
So, Mr. William Holden, here's to you on your 94th birthday. You were a truly brilliant actor, and I completely adore you. You will always be one of my #1 guys. Thanks for bringing so much viewing pleasure to my life with all your wonderful films.