William Franklin Holden (Beedle Jr.)
(April 17, 1918 – November 12, 1981)
William Holden was 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 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).
According to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s autopsy report,
Holden bled to death in his apartment in Santa Monica, California,
on November 12, 1981, after lacerating his forehead by slipping
on a rug while intoxicated and hitting a bedside table.
Forensic evidence recovered at the scene suggested that he was conscious for at least half an hour after the fall. His body was
found four days later. Rumors existed that he was suffering from
lung cancer, which Holden had denied at a 1980 press conference.
His death certificate makes no mention of cancer
