Earl Holliman dead at 96: Hollywood actor and Golden Globe-winning star of The Rainmaker dies aged 96

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Award-winning US actor Earl Holliman, who was known for appearing in The Twilight Zone, has died at the age of 96.

The actor’s death was confirmed by his husband Craig Curtis. Curtis told The Hollywood Reporter that Holliman died in hospice care at his Studio City home on Monday, November 25.

Holliman was a celebrated actor who scooped the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1956 for his role as Jim Curry in The Rainmaker, also starring Burt Lancaster and Katherine Hepburn. He beat out Elvis Presley to the role that catapulted him to acclaim.

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Earl Holliman, star of The Twilight Zone and Forbidden Planet, has died aged 96.Earl Holliman, star of The Twilight Zone and Forbidden Planet, has died aged 96.
Earl Holliman, star of The Twilight Zone and Forbidden Planet, has died aged 96. | Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

The actor was known for his roles in Westerns, such as Giant, which he starred in alongside Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson, and Broken Lance, acting alongside Spencer Tracy and Robert Wagner. He also made appearances in films such as Forbidden Planet in 1956, The Trap in 1959, The Sons Of Katie Elder in 1965.

Holliman, who has a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, was also notable for his television work, including starring in the very first episode of the sci-fi TV series The Twilight Zone in 1959. He also has roles in shows such as Police Woman, Gunsmoke, Hotel de Paree, and Murder, She Wrote.

The actor ventured into the music world, experiencing success between 1958 and 1963. He held record deals with studios such as Capitol Records, releasing songs such as ‘A Teenager Sings The Blues’, and ‘Don’t Get Around Much Anymore’.

Holliman, a vegetarian, was also a prominent animal rights activist, sitting as the president of the organisation Actors and Other for Animals for 25 years, as well as being known for his care of animals, particularly birds, at his own home.

He is survived by his husband Craig Curtis.

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