Award-winning Hollywood actor Earl Holliman, applauded for his appearances in Twilight Zone and Forbidden Planet, has died. He was 96.
The Hollywood Reporter notes Holliman won a best supporting actor Golden Globe for portraying Katharine Hepburn’s girl-crazy kid brother in The Rainmaker (1956) — seeing off Elvis Presley for the role — and then appeared in another Burt Lancaster film as Wyatt Earp’s assistant in Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957).
The outlet goes on to highlight some of his other achievements, stating:
In the George Stevens epic Giant (1956), the Louisiana native played the son-in-law of Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson’s characters, was the cook in Forbidden Planet (1956) and appeared as the brother of John Wayne, Dean Martin and Michael Anderson Jr. in Henry Hathaway’s The Sons of Katie Elder (1965).
Holliman also portrayed a man with amnesia in a deserted town on the very first episode of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone, “Where Is Everybody?” which premiered on Oct. 2, 1959.
TV work came when Holliman replaced actor/singer Bert Convy after the pilot to star as the macho Lt. Bill Crowley on Police Woman, which aired from 1974-78.
He shared a complimentary chemistry with Dickinson who starred as LAPD undercover cop Sgt. Suzanne “Pepper” Anderson on the series’ four seasons, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The Twilight Zone, a CBS television science fiction anthology series. Pilot episode, Where is Everybody? originally broadcast October 2, 1959. Features Earl Holliman as Mike Ferris, a U.S. Air Force test pilot, who undergoes a mentally strenuous test. (CBS via Getty)
Actors John Wayne as John Elder, Dean Martin as Tom Elder, and Earl Holliman as Matt Elder in the Western ‘The Sons of Katie Elder’, 1965. (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)
“She’d get into trouble and I’d run in and save her,” Holliman, talking about a typical Police Woman storyline, said in a 2003 interview. “I would make some smart remark and she would come back at me in some sexy kind of way, and a lot of that was ad-libbed. We had a tacit kind of permission to do that.”
The NBC series boasted other major guest stars like Mark Harmon, Joan Collins, Sam Elliott, William Shatner, Adam West, Barry Williams, Smokey Robinson, Kim and Kyle Richards, and Sandra Dee.
He was also in the short-lived series Wide Country and Hotel de Paree and more recently starred in Murder, She Wrote.
Holliman’s last credits were Arthur Michaels in The Perfect Tenant and Gramps in Chicken Soup for the Soul, according to IMDb.
A true Hollywood icon, Holliman was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1977, cementing his legacy in the entertainment world.
Earl Holliman and Angie Dickinson during 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Center Theater Group – August 27, 1992 at Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, United States. (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty)
Holliman grew up in Oil City, Louisiana, and at just 15 years old, enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II, per Variety.
While stationed in Hollywood, he rubbed elbows with stars at the famed Hollywood Canteen.
However, his true age was discovered after a year, leading to his discharge — only for him to re-enlist after graduating high school.
Upon returning to Los Angeles, Holliman pursued acting, studying at the Pasadena Playhouse and UCLA, before going on to spend his working life in the entertainment industry.
The late star made his acting debut with one line of dialogue in the 1953 Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis comedy Scared Stiff and went onwards from there.
Holliman also enjoyed a brief career as a singer thanks to a record deal with Capitol Records.
In addition, Holliman was an animal rights activist and served as president of Actors and Others for Animals for 34 years. He was also an honorary chairman for Toys for Tots.