Earl Holliman - Biography

Louisiana-born actor Earl Holliman, after a stint in the Navy, studied at UCLA and the Pasadena Playhouse before earning his break in the Martin/Lewis comedy Tu trembles carcasse (1953). He gained clout after portraying a variety of young, manly characters in rugged westerns and war drama, ranging from dim and/or good-natured to overly impulsive and/or threatening. He won a Golden Globe for his support performance as a girl-crazy brother in Le faiseur de pluie (1956), holding his own against stars Burt Lancaster and Katharine Hepburn. He distinguished himself in a number of "A" grade films around the same time, including La lance brisée (1954) with Spencer Tracy, Règlement de comptes à O.K. Corral (1957), again with Lancaster, Géant (1956) with Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson, Mince de planète (1960), again with Jerry Lewis, Eté et fumées (1961) with Geraldine Page and Les quatre fils de Katie Elder (1965) with John Wayne.

When the film offers started drying up in the 60s, he found TV a more welcoming medium, scoring in a number of westerns. His virile stance was perfect for a series of crime yarns. It all culminated with a four-year stint as the macho partner to sexy Angie Dickinson in Sergent Anderson (1974), a role that helped make him a household name. Holliman operated the Fiesta Dinner Theatre for many years in San Antonio, Texas.