n From his early, clean-cut roles through to the swarthier, hard-bitten types he played later in his career, William Holden always exuded a sexy confidence that rarely smacked of arrogance, and made him a hit with discerning female fans. It's interesting to note, then, that for all the swagger of his characters, Holden was still incredibly nervous about the filming of a love scene - even 16 years into his career. The film was the 1955 melodrama Picnic, and Holden - then aged 37 - had to smooch with Kim Novak to the sensuous strains of Moonglow in arguably the most smouldering movie scene of the year. He later revealed that he had had to get plastered in order to overcome his nerves.
n Holden became an overnight star when he won the leading role in the aptly titled 1939 movie Golden Boy. Inexperienced and not entirely serious about the acting game, Holden was sacked, but his co-star Barbara Stanwyck persuaded Columbia boss Harry Cohn to give him another chance.
n Although Holden's early films were unremarkable, they did provide him with a loyal fan base and offered him a wide range of roles. The breakthrough came in 1950 when he was cast as the cynical screenwriter in Billy Wilder's magnificent black comedy Sunset Boulevard.
n Thereafter Holden had mixed fortunes. Critical and commercial successes such as Wilder's Stalag 17 (1953) and Sabrina (1954), Picnic, and The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) were interspersed with distinctly routine assignments. During the 1960s, he indulged his love of exotic travel, often accepting movie work simply for the locations to which it would take him. However, he became disillusioned with acting and spent more time drinking and on safari in Kenya. He made something of a comeback in the late 1960s and early 1970s when he starred in The Wild Bunch and Network.
n Holden, who was married from 1941 to 1971 and was later involved with Stephanie Powers, died in 1981, having slipped and cut his head during one of his drinking binges.
William Holden stars in Rachel and the Stranger (Channel 5, 3.30pm).
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