From Small Town Dreams to Hollywood Stardom: How does the Legendary Actor Look Now?
Earl Holliman’s journey to Hollywood is a story of determination and dreams. At 14, in 1943, he was determined to become a movie star. Growing up in Oil City and Mooringsport, he traveled to Hollywood through various stops, first visiting relatives in Camden, Arkansas, then taking a bus to Texarkana, Texas, and finally hitchhiking to Hollywood. He saved money working as a theater usher and a night shift café worker near Barksdale Air Force Base, and had a lead on a place to stay in El Monte, California, far from Hollywood.
His first attempt in Hollywood didn’t pan out, prompting him to return home before enlisting in the Navy. However, his dream persisted, and he eventually returned to Los Angeles, studying at the Pasadena Playhouse and UCLA. Holliman’s efforts paid off with an impressive filmography, including roles in “Giant,” “Forbidden Planet,” and “The Sons of Katie Elder,” as well as notable TV roles in “Police Woman” and “The Thorn Birds.”
Holliman fondly remembers his first morning in El Monte, strutting in a silk shirt and dark glasses in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, dreaming of stardom. Today, at 95, he reflects on his remarkable journey.
