he was born in o'fallon, illinois and moved to south pasadena, california when he was three. he was a star during the golden age of hollywood. he began his career western movies, including "arizona" and "texas". holden starred in "the man from colorado" and "rachel and the stranger". he won an academy award for best actor in "stalag 17". he was also nominated twice more for "sunset boulevard" (1951) and "network" (1976). among his best works in film highlights "submarine command" (1951), "sabrina" (1954), "the bridge on the river kwai" (1957). he starred with john wayne in "the horse soldiers" (1957), and with richard widmark in "alvarez kelly" (1966). in 1969, he played an outlaw leader, in the sam peckinpah film, "the wild bunch". in the 1970s, holden worked in "the towering inferno" (1974), and "when time ran out" (1980). he played the role of richard thorn, the adoptive father of a child possessed by the devil, in the second film of "the omen", "" (1978).