Earl Holliman was escorting moviegoers to their seats through the dark corridors of a theater in Shreveport, Louisiana, approximately 80 years ago.
However, he was keen on being on the screen.
The ambitious young actor was repeatedly informed “you just don’t look the part” during his auditions, which resulted in him visiting the Paramount Studio barber shop to alter his appearance.
Earl Holliman, a Louisiana native born in 1928, had always aspired to appear on the big screen.
He was employed at the Strand Theater in Shreveport at the age of approximately 14, where he was paid 25 cents per hour to assist moviegoers in locating their seats by directing them through the aisles.
Saving his money, the future star “saved a few bucks,” and at the age of 15, he “hitchhiked to Hollywood.”
Earl Holliman pic.twitter.com/M3r4MHHwvJ
— Hollywood Yesterday✨ (@HollywoodYeste1) December 29, 2023
In an earlier interview, Holliman, 95, stated, “I brought a pair of dark sunglasses that I associated with Hollywood. On my first day in Hollywood, I visited Grauman’s Chinese Theater and walked up and down the forecourt in my dark glasses, hoping that everyone would wonder who I was.” “My tenure was brief.” I believed that I would be able to secure employment; however, I was unsuccessful in doing so.
The young man returned home and completed secondary school, feeling as though he had failed. Following his graduation, he entered the navy, which prepared him for enrollment at a radio communications school in Los Angeles.
“I would rush to the Hollywood Canteen whenever I was granted liberty [shore leave], where I encountered individuals with whom I would later collaborate, such as Roddy McDowall.” Holliman, who appeared in the 1953 film Scared Stiff alongside Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin, later applied to and was accepted to the Pasadena Playhouse.
However, Hollywood was unkind to the ambitious man, who was repeatedly told during auditions that he “just doesn’t look the part.”
“I was informed that, despite my talent as an actor, I was not sufficiently handsome to qualify as a leading man or eccentric enough to serve as a character actor.” He recollected, “I was just kind of in between.”
Holliman resolved to undergo a transformation in order to secure a role in the 1953 film The Girls of Pleasure Island and establish a career in the spotlight.
“Hairstyle that is amusing”
The protagonist of Forbidden Planet recounts his significant breakthrough that coincided with his new appearance: “Well, when I sat in the barber’s chair…”They reduced my hair to approximately one-quarter of an inch in length, and the front section was arranged in the manner of sideburns.
I was abruptly transformed into a character actor due to my large ears, fractured nose, two front teeth, small eyes, and peculiar hairdo. In a similar manner.
Upon securing the role in The Girls of Pleasure Island, Holliman delivered a Golden Globe-winning performance in 1956’s The Rainmaker, in which he appeared alongside Katharine Hepburn and Burt Lancaster.
In a 1991 interview with the Calgary Herald, he stated, “That remains my favorite film.” “It was the determining factor in elevating my career to a new level.”
In the years that followed, Holliman, who also pursued a successful career in music, shared the screen with Hollywood icons such as John Wayne, Dean Martin, Kirk Douglas, and Rock Hudson.
Afterward, the protagonist of the television series Wide Country portrayed Sergeant Bill Crowley in Police Woman from 1974 to 1978. The program also featured Angie Dickinson.
In reference to the rapport he shared with his co-star, who is now 92 years old, the Giant star explains, “She was very sexy, yet at the same time there was something about her that you wanted to protect, a little girl quality, that made you want to put your arm around her and say it was going to be okay.” Holliman continues, “We spent 12 to 14 hours together each day, and Angie is extremely opinionated. That is the way it is when she believes she is right, and we had our fair share of disagreements. However, you could tell that we shared a warmth.” It appeared to be two individuals who were deeply in love with one another. It was present.
The Thorn Birds actor, who was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1977, retired from acting after making brief appearances in television series such as the Twilight Zone and the short-lived Delta, which starred Delta Burke, and in films such as The Perfect Tenant (2000) and Bad City Blues (1999).
What television series or films have you collaborated on with Earl Holliman? Please share your thoughts with us and then share this story with others so that we can hear from them as well.
See More : Naqnews.com
The Biggest Hollywood Celebrities Visit the Ranches of California
I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article. https://accounts.binance.com/bg/register?ref=V2H9AFPY