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- November 30, 1981 MILESTONES
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- DIED. William Holden, 63, Oscar-winning actor who played in
- more than 50 films; of head injuries suffered in a fall; in his
- Santa Monica, Calif., apartment. Holden became a star at 21 as
- the hard-punching innocent in Golden Boy (1939), but his appeal
- for the next 40 years was that of the man's man, cocky, cynical,
- meeting the demands of any situation head-on and with no sweat.
- He could lead a troop of renegade soldiers out of Stalag 17
- (for which he won his Oscar as Best Actor) or across The Bridge
- on the River Kwai. He was equally at home on the range, leading
- The Wild Bunch to one last dustup with destiny. Moving and
- speaking with the languid grace of inherited wealth (his father
- ran a chemical business), he wooed Audrey Hepburn into maturity
- in Sabrina and shepherded Gloria Swanson through the gaudy
- dementia of Sunset Boulevard. His easy sexual authority dared
- women to try to impress him. One who did, Kim Novak, made film
- history with Holden: their slow dance in Picnic (1956) remains
- electrifying expression of romantic passion. In the '60s, Holden
- found refuge in the wilds of Kenya, where he supported
- conservation causes. In Santa Monica to read a movie script,
- Holden fell down after drinking heavily, lost consciousness and
- bled to death.
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