William Holden's father was an industrial chemist and his mother a teacher. In 1937, while studying chemistry at Pasadena Junior College, he was signed to a film contract by Paramount. His first starring role was as a young man torn between the violin and boxing, "Golden Boy" (1939). From then on he was type-cast as the boy-next-door. After returning from World War II military service, he got two very important roles: Joe Gillis the gigolo in "Sunset Blvd." (1950) the tutor in "Born Yesterday" (1950) followed by his Oscar-winning role as the cynical sergeant in "Stalag 17" (1953) and stayed popular through the '50s, e.g., "Picnic" (1955). He spent much of his later time as co-owner of the Mount Kenya Safari Club, dividing his time between Africa and Switzerland.

In case you were wondering, William Holden does have a Las Vegas connection. Holden married Brenda Marshall in 1941 inside a Congregationalist Church in Las Vegas.

We would like to thank the estate of actor William Holden (1918-1981) for their generosity in allowing the LVFCS to honor Mr. Holden's contribution to motion pictures in this modest way.

1997 Woody Allen

1998 Martin Scorsese

1999 Jack Lemmon

2000 William Goldman

2001 Gene Wilder

2002 Spike Lee

2003 Stan Winston

2004 Julie Andrews

2005 Jerry Lewis

2006 Peter O’Toole

2007 Jomes Hong

2008 Frank Langella

2009 Roger Deakins

2010 Thelma Schoonmaker

2011 Albert Brooks

2012 Alan Arkin

2013 John Goodman

2014 Bill Murray

2015 Ennio Morricone

2016 Kirk Douglas

2017 Lois Smith

2018 Sam Elliott

2019 Ruth E. Carter

2020 Rita Moreno

2021 Steven Spielberg

2022 Jamie Lee Curtis

The William Holden Wildlife Foundation Education Center offers visitors a unique opportunity to experience the outdoors in a rare communication with nature often unavailable to them in their own environment. It is essential to build a respect and appreciation for both the flora and fauna and the understanding of their delicate balance.

To receive an information, or to contribute to the work of the William Holden Wildlife Foundation, please send your contribution to:

The William Holden Wildlife Foundation

Post Office Box 67981

Los Angeles, CA 90067 USA

www.whwf.org