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Golden Boy: The Untold Story of William Holden
A portrait of William Holden details the actor's life, film career, and personal relationships and reveals the darker side behind the golden public image
- GenresBiographyNonfiction
276 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1983
86 people want to read
About the author
Bob Thomas
131 books33 followersRobert Joseph "Bob" Thomas was an American Hollywood film industry biographer and reporter who worked for the Associated Press from 1944.
Born in San Diego, he grew up in Los Angeles, where his father was a film publicist. He attended UCLA. He lived in Encino with his wife, Patricia. They have three daughters. Thomas, aged 92, died on March 14, 2014 at his home.
Thomas made his mark by engaging celebrities in activities that brought out their personalities, whether by measuring their waistline after childbirth (as he did with Betty Grable) or testing just how tall a leading lady needed to be by kissing her himself (as he did with June Haver). Acclaimed as the dean of Hollywood reporters, Bob Thomas wrote about the movie business for the Associated Press since the days when Hollywood was run by the men who founded it: Jack Warner, Darryl F. Zanuck, Harry Cohn and Louis B. Mayer.
During his long history of reporting for the AP, Thomas authored at least 30 books. Many in the film industry credit his 1969 biography of producer Irving G. Thalberg as sparking their interest in pursuing a career behind the scenes. Other Thomas biographies include Joan Crawford, Marlon Brando, David O. Selznick, Walter Winchell, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Howard Hughes, Abbott & Costello, Walt Disney, and a children's book, Walt Disney: Magician of the Movies. - Wikipedia
Born in San Diego, he grew up in Los Angeles, where his father was a film publicist. He attended UCLA. He lived in Encino with his wife, Patricia. They have three daughters. Thomas, aged 92, died on March 14, 2014 at his home.
Thomas made his mark by engaging celebrities in activities that brought out their personalities, whether by measuring their waistline after childbirth (as he did with Betty Grable) or testing just how tall a leading lady needed to be by kissing her himself (as he did with June Haver). Acclaimed as the dean of Hollywood reporters, Bob Thomas wrote about the movie business for the Associated Press since the days when Hollywood was run by the men who founded it: Jack Warner, Darryl F. Zanuck, Harry Cohn and Louis B. Mayer.
During his long history of reporting for the AP, Thomas authored at least 30 books. Many in the film industry credit his 1969 biography of producer Irving G. Thalberg as sparking their interest in pursuing a career behind the scenes. Other Thomas biographies include Joan Crawford, Marlon Brando, David O. Selznick, Walter Winchell, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Howard Hughes, Abbott & Costello, Walt Disney, and a children's book, Walt Disney: Magician of the Movies. - Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 19, 2025
4.5 stars
"Here was a most successful man who virtually abandons his profession to take care of endangered species. He does not care about himself, indeed he kills himself. What [William Holden] didn't realize was that he himself was an endangered species: the beautiful American." -- director Billy Wilder, page 264
In the 40+ years since his passing, it's unlikely fans/readers will get another bio about actor William Holden (1918-1981). Somewhat like his quasi-contemporary Lee Marvin - another WWII vet turned alcoholic performer / Oscar winner who also died too young at age 63 - Holden has largely slipped from our cultural radar, although some of his movies will always be available on streaming services and classic movie networks. Fame is just a fickle thing - for a number of years (circa 1953 to 1958) Holden was the most popular silver-screen actor in America alongside friendly rivals John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart, in terms of commercial / critical acclaim and box office success. After winning a Best Actor Oscar for his antiheroic role as the POW Sefton in Stalag 17 (directed by Wilder, who is quoted above), Holden starred in FOUR hit films in 1954 alone and then enjoyed another decade or so as a leading man in Hollywood. However, the unrepentant scourge of alcoholism was apparent to his friends and/or co-workers even long before he reached middle age, and Holden grimly died his predicted "lonely, alone and without dignity" death in 1981. (A thirty-year marriage to a former actress who was verbally abusive - along with throwing a glass ashtray at his head, causing minor injury - for most of their union also probably did not help Holden's long term well-being.) So Thomas' Golden Boy is a particularly sad bio - the number of times Holden attempted to dry out in his final fifteen years becomes almost laughable for the revolving-door aspect - and will likely not do much to lift readers' moods, especially in the later chapters. Yet it was still apparent Holden was not a bad man - his care for animals and/or work in wildlife conservation was of particular importance to him - and his actual sturdy Midwestern decency was no act. Perhaps most intriguingly (yet not ludicrously), the author relays a plausible-sounding theory that Holden worked clandestinely for the CIA on occasion, given that his acting work / fame allowed him access to several nations across the globe that would otherwise be off-limits to official government operatives. Since Holden was known to be patriotic and something of a quiet loner (in addition to being a convincing actor), it was not at all a stretch to believe this angle had some truth behind it . . . and truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. 😉
"Here was a most successful man who virtually abandons his profession to take care of endangered species. He does not care about himself, indeed he kills himself. What [William Holden] didn't realize was that he himself was an endangered species: the beautiful American." -- director Billy Wilder, page 264
In the 40+ years since his passing, it's unlikely fans/readers will get another bio about actor William Holden (1918-1981). Somewhat like his quasi-contemporary Lee Marvin - another WWII vet turned alcoholic performer / Oscar winner who also died too young at age 63 - Holden has largely slipped from our cultural radar, although some of his movies will always be available on streaming services and classic movie networks. Fame is just a fickle thing - for a number of years (circa 1953 to 1958) Holden was the most popular silver-screen actor in America alongside friendly rivals John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart, in terms of commercial / critical acclaim and box office success. After winning a Best Actor Oscar for his antiheroic role as the POW Sefton in Stalag 17 (directed by Wilder, who is quoted above), Holden starred in FOUR hit films in 1954 alone and then enjoyed another decade or so as a leading man in Hollywood. However, the unrepentant scourge of alcoholism was apparent to his friends and/or co-workers even long before he reached middle age, and Holden grimly died his predicted "lonely, alone and without dignity" death in 1981. (A thirty-year marriage to a former actress who was verbally abusive - along with throwing a glass ashtray at his head, causing minor injury - for most of their union also probably did not help Holden's long term well-being.) So Thomas' Golden Boy is a particularly sad bio - the number of times Holden attempted to dry out in his final fifteen years becomes almost laughable for the revolving-door aspect - and will likely not do much to lift readers' moods, especially in the later chapters. Yet it was still apparent Holden was not a bad man - his care for animals and/or work in wildlife conservation was of particular importance to him - and his actual sturdy Midwestern decency was no act. Perhaps most intriguingly (yet not ludicrously), the author relays a plausible-sounding theory that Holden worked clandestinely for the CIA on occasion, given that his acting work / fame allowed him access to several nations across the globe that would otherwise be off-limits to official government operatives. Since Holden was known to be patriotic and something of a quiet loner (in addition to being a convincing actor), it was not at all a stretch to believe this angle had some truth behind it . . . and truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. 😉
July 28, 2008
William Holden is now officially my new favorite deceased actor. He was a good guy.
July 8, 2009
I liked when Barbara Stanwyck got her award. And she said "tonight my Golden Boy you got your wish". I thought that was great even though she was being honored, she remembered Wiliiam Holden. They starred together in his first movie "Golden Boy".
October 21, 2013
A largely respectful biography of one of my favourite actors, whose chronic alcohol addiction dogged him throughout his life and career. Some of the areas are thin on detail, but overall this was a good read for any fan of the wonderful William Holden. (William Holden was such a beautiful and gifted man, surely it is time for a new biography about his career?)
March 27, 2025
William Holden was a complex man and a solid actor. Unfortunately, ‘Golden Boy: The Untold Story of William Holden’ by Bob Thomas is neither complex nor solid. The author states early that he was a personal friend of William Holden’s and therefore much of the biography is told through anecdotes which are either of not much interest or seek to smooth over the actors roughest and most undesirable traits. William Holden was an enigma: living a very private life and only hesitantly acknowledging that he was an actor, despite having won an Oscar. Instead, William Holden saw himself as a citizen of the world, travelling and investing and merely occasionally appearing in movies. Strangely, despite itself, the book does eventually build an impression of the man, however being so simplistically written and carefully avoiding controversy, on completing the book the reader is left to wonder how much about the actor we still don’t know.
December 30, 2010
One of my favorite classic actors. A decent bio about a great actor. It's sad, though, that every bio of every actor from that time always seems to include some sort of struggle with alcoholism.
August 27, 2018
I have recently read the book, "Golden Boy: The Untold Story of William Holden", by Bob Thomas. This book is about the life of actor William Holden and discusses his childhood and teenage years, being discovered as an actor, his early acting years, his years as a big movie star, his relationships and friendships, his world travels, his later years in acting, and his work in animal conservation in Africa (which he used a good amount of his own money to fund). The things I like about this book are the direct quotes and stories from friends, acquaintances, and people he worked with while working as an actor. There is a quote from the book that I like from his friend Ronald Reagan which states that he and William Holden had been simpatico because each considered himself "the original guy who would be caught with a fork if it was raining soup". William Holden was best man to Ronald Reagan when he married Nancy.
William Holden unfortunately had problems with alcohol, but was known to fight hard to try to overcome his problems and was still able to accomplish great things. My only complaint about the Golden Boy book was that I think it is possible that some of the negative comments and stories written could have been exaggerated. William Holden's companion, during his later years, Stefanie Powers wrote a book called "One From The Heart" where she devotes a good part of the book to her relationship, travels, and animal conservation work with William.
Overall, I did enjoy reading the book "Golden Boy" and learning more about William Holden's life. I have recently discovered William Holden and his movies and have watched 17 of his movies since April. I have enjoyed all of the movies I have watched with William Holden and my favorite movies with him so far are "The World of Suzy Wong", "The Counterfeit Traitor", "Breezy", "The Towering Inferno", "Network", "Executive Suite", "Sunset Boulevard", "Picnic", and "The Christmas Tree".
If you are interested in learning more about William Holden, there is a documentary called "Golden Boy" on youtube and another documentary called "William Holden: An Untamed Spirit" on the website daily motion. On Turner Classic Movies backlot website if you have a membership, it has extended conversations with Stefanie Powers about William Holden and his movies. There are also websites with People Magazine articles, a Roger Ebert article, New York Times articles, and a PhotoPlay magazine article (written in April 1956 by his secretary saying what it is like to work with William Holden) written about William Holden.
William Holden unfortunately had problems with alcohol, but was known to fight hard to try to overcome his problems and was still able to accomplish great things. My only complaint about the Golden Boy book was that I think it is possible that some of the negative comments and stories written could have been exaggerated. William Holden's companion, during his later years, Stefanie Powers wrote a book called "One From The Heart" where she devotes a good part of the book to her relationship, travels, and animal conservation work with William.
Overall, I did enjoy reading the book "Golden Boy" and learning more about William Holden's life. I have recently discovered William Holden and his movies and have watched 17 of his movies since April. I have enjoyed all of the movies I have watched with William Holden and my favorite movies with him so far are "The World of Suzy Wong", "The Counterfeit Traitor", "Breezy", "The Towering Inferno", "Network", "Executive Suite", "Sunset Boulevard", "Picnic", and "The Christmas Tree".
If you are interested in learning more about William Holden, there is a documentary called "Golden Boy" on youtube and another documentary called "William Holden: An Untamed Spirit" on the website daily motion. On Turner Classic Movies backlot website if you have a membership, it has extended conversations with Stefanie Powers about William Holden and his movies. There are also websites with People Magazine articles, a Roger Ebert article, New York Times articles, and a PhotoPlay magazine article (written in April 1956 by his secretary saying what it is like to work with William Holden) written about William Holden.
February 17, 2019
Such a sad biography. I have always loved William Holden's movies like "Sunset Boulevard", "Born Yesterday", "Sabrina", "Picnic" and on and on. I was also aware of his many travels to Asia and Africa. So I thought it would be interesting to read about his life. Turns out he was a man who tried to escape his many demons by turning to drink with disastrous results. I found many of the details of his descent into alcoholism very troubling. It will be hard to think of him as a glamorous movie star going forward now knowing the facts. Still this book is well written and does not sensationalize any of his romances or binges. Just be warned some chapters are difficult to read toward the book's end.
June 7, 2023
Sad tale of a good man and great actor who couldn’t defeat alcohol dependency. If you’re a fan you’ll enjoy it.
January 5, 2022
Interesting bio
July 21, 2015
I think the author gets stuck on some of the more salacious details of William Holden's death. However, he does do a great job at painting the picture of a determined young man who would become a matinee idol and the love of interest of Hollywood's beauties on and off the screen. Anyone who doesn't get choked up reading about Barbara Stanwyk's classy gesture to keep her "Golden Boy" on that all important career making pictures should have Turner Classic Movies removed from their TV lineup.
May 9, 2008
A touching biography of a decent and gifted man who seems to have been a victim of a clash between his own ideals and the life others scripted for him.
October 3, 2010
To look beyond what you see.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews