Earl Holliman, ‘Police Woman’ & ‘Twilight Zone’ Actor, Dies at 96
Veteran actor and star of the first-ever Twilight Zone, Earl Holliman, has died. He was 96.
Holliman passed away on Monday, November 25, at his home in Studio City, Los Angeles, as confirmed by his spouse, Craig Curtis. His niece, Theresa Mullins Harris, also announced the news on her Facebook page.
“I’m very sad to report that my Uncle, Earl Holliman passed away this afternoon after a short illness. He was 96 years old, and the last of his siblings,” Harris wrote. “He had a long wonderful life. His dream at 5 years old of becoming a movie star came true, more than he ever could have imagined.”
She added, “He loved hearing all the good things his fans had to say about him. He will be missed by all. I’m so glad that I was able to go out and spend time with him one last time this week.”
Born on September 11, 1928, in Delhi, Louisiana, Holliman had a stint in the U.S. Navy before enrolling at the Pasadena Playhouse to study acting. He landed his first on-screen role opposite Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in Scared Stiff (1953). From there, he appeared in many more movies, including Forbidden Planet (1956), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), The Trap (1959), and more.
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On television, Holliman portrayed Sundance in CBS’ Hotel de Paree from 1959 to 1960 and Mitch Guthrie in NBC’s Wide Country from 1962 to 1963. He also appeared in the debut episode of Rod Serling‘s The Twilight Zone, “Where Is Everybody?,” which aired on October 2, 1959.
His most memorable TV role came as Sergeant Bill Crowley on the NBC police procedural Police Woman, where he starred opposite Angie Dickinson. Holliman featured in all 91 episodes of the popular series from 1974 to 1978.
Holliman’s other TV credits include Marcus Welby, M.D., Gunsmoke, The Six Million Dollar Man,Bonanza, The Fugitive, Dr. Kildare, Empty Nest, Murder, She Wrote, Caroline in the City, and Night Man.
His final on-screen acting role came in the 2000 movie The Perfect Tenant.
He won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for The Rainmaker and also earned a nomination for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Television Series for his role in the 1992 sitcom Delta.
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