William Holden

William Holden
Holden in a publicity photo, 1950
Born	William Franklin Beedle Jr. (1918-04-17)April 17, 1918 O'Fallon, Illinois, U.S.
Died	November 12, 1981(1981-11-12) (aged 63) Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Pasadena Junior College
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1938–1981
Spouse	Brenda Marshall ​ ​ (m. 1941; div. 1971)​
Partner(s)	Stefanie Powers (1972–1981; his death)
Children	4
Awards	Academy Award for Best Actor (1953) Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor (1974)
Military career
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
Years of service	1942–1945
Rank	First lieutenant
Wars	World War II

William Franklin Holden (né Beedle Jr.; April 17, 1918 – November 12, 1981) was an American actor and one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950s. Holden 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 or Anthology Series or Movie for the television miniseries The Blue Knight (1973).

Holden starred in some of Hollywood's most popular and critically acclaimed films, including Sunset Boulevard (1950), Sabrina (1954), Picnic (1955), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), The Wild Bunch (1969) and Network (1976). He was named one of the "Top 10 Stars of the Year" six times (1954–1958, 1961), and appeared as 25th on the American Film Institute's list of 25 greatest male stars of Classical Hollywood cinema.