Hal Holbrook

Harold Rowe "Hal" Holbrook (February 17, 1925 – January 23, 2021) was an American movie, television, stage and voice actor. Holbrook was known to the general audience for playing famous author Mark Twain in plays or on biographical shows.

Holbrook was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He began acting in 1954. He began his Mark Twain routine, so that he can earn money.

Holbrook soon began appearing on plays. He then called his Twain show Mark Twain Tonight. He is also known for his fictional-political shows and as "Deep Throat" in All the President's Men. He also played Abraham Lincoln in several biographical television movies.

Holbrook was nominated for many awards during his career. He is the oldest actor to have nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Early life
Holbrook was born on February 17, 1925 in Cleveland, Ohio. His parents were Harold Rowe Holbrook and Aileen Davenport. His parents left him, so he and his two sisters were raised by his grandparents in South Weymouth, Massachusetts. He studied at Culver Academies and at Denison University. His acting career would begin in theater in 1954.

Career
Holbrook is known for his television roles. These include Abraham Lincoln, Hays Stone in The Bold Ones: The Senator and Capt. Lloyd Bucher in Pueblo. But he is best known as Mark Twain in comedy stage works and comedy shows. His first solo performance as Twain was at Lock Haven State Teachers College in Pennsylvania in 1954. Holbrook had to smoke for his role as Twain. He would later name that play Mark Twain Tonight. He has portrayed Twain longer than Samuel Langhorne Clemens did.

Holbrook first appeared in movies in 1966, in The Group. After this, he appeared in two more movies: Magnum Force in 1973 and All the President's Men in 1976. Later, he appeared in The Fog, Wall Street, Hercules, The Bachelor, and in Walking the Dead.

He was also known for his role in the 2007 movie Into the Wild, for which he was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award and an Academy Award. He also appeared in Water for Elephants in 2011.

Later he has appeared as Francis Preston Blair in Steven Spielberg's movie Lincoln in 2012. He appeared during the opening ceremony of the 2013 Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Holbrook starred in the 2014 animated movie Planes 2: Fire & Rescue as a fire truck named Mayday. Holbrook is set to star in the 2015 thriller movie Go with Me along with Anthony Hopkins.

Personal life and death
Holbrook was married to Ruby Holbrook from 1945 until they divorced in 1965. Then he was married to Carol Eve Rossen from 1966 until they divorced in 1979. He was last married to Dixie Carter from 1984 until her death in 2010. Holbrook has two children with Ruby and one with Rossen.

Holbrook met Carter on the set of The Killing of Randy Webster in 1980. Holbrook now lives in McLemoresville, Tennessee, and in Beverly Hills, California. Holbrook has stated that he was a political independent because he votes for both Democrats and Republicans.

Holbrook died at his home in Beverly Hills, California, on January 23, 2021 at the age of 95. His death was announced more than a week later, on February 2.Hal Holbrook, Actor Who Channeled Mark Twain, Is Dead at 95

Awards and nominations
Holbrook has won three Tony Awards, in 1971, 1974, and in 1976. He won a Drama Desk Award in 1989. He also won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1966. He was nominated for an Academy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2007 for his role in Into the Wild. In 2008, at age 82, he became the oldest male actor to be nominated for an Academy Award. His nomination displaced Ralph Richardson, who previously held that distinction.Hal Holbrook Trivia at Who's Dated Who Here is the list of nominations or winning awards:

Academy Awards

(2008) Nominated - Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role / Into the Wild

Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards

(2008) Nominated - Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor / Into the Wild

Chicago Film Critics Association Awards

(2007) Nominated - Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor / Into the Wild

Online Film Critics Society Awards

(2008) Nominated - Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor / Into the Wild

Screen Actors Guild Awards

(2008) Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role - Motion Picture / Into the Wild

Primetime Emmy Awards

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor - Miniseries or a Movie-
(1967) Nominated - Mark Twain Tonight!
(1971) Nominated - A Clear and Present Danger
(1973) Nominated - That Certain Summer
(1974) Won - Pueblo
(1976) Won - Sandburg's Lincoln
(1978) Nominated - The Awakening Land
(1969) Nominated - 'The Whole World is WatchingOutstanding Lead Actor - Drama or Comedy Special
(1978) Nominated - Our TownPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor - Drama Series
(1971) Won - The Bold Ones: The SenatorOutstanding Informational Series
(1988) Nominated - Portrait of America (segment: New York City)
Outstanding Performance in Informational Programing
(1989) Won - Portrait of America (segment: Alaska)
Primetime Emmy Award for Actor of the Year (Retired category)
(1974) Won - PuebloMovies
YearTitleNotes1966The Group1967Mark Twain TonightTV special1968Wild in the Streets1972They Only Kill Their Masters 1973PuebloTV movie1973Jonathan Livingston Seagull Voice1973Magnum Force1974The Girl from Petrovka1974Carl Sandburg's LincolnTV miniseries1976All the President's Men1976Midway1977Julia1977Rituals1978Capricorn One1978The Awakening LandTV series1979When Hell Was in SessionTV series1979Murder by Natural CausesTV series1979The Legend of the Golden GunTV series1980The Fog1980The Kidnapping of the President1981The Killing of Randy WebsterTV series1982Creepshow1983The Star Chamber1983Girls Night Out1985Designing WomenTV series1985North and South Part 1TV miniseries1986Portrait of AmericaTV series1986Dress GrayTV series1986North and South Part 2TV miniseries1987Wall Street1988The Unholy1989Fletch Lives1990Evening ShadeTV series1993The Firm1996Innocent Victims1997Eye of God1997Cats Don't DanceVoice1997HerculesVoice1998Hush1998Walking to the Waterline1999The Bachelor2000Waking the Dead2000Men of Honor2000The Life & Adventures of Santa ClausVoice2001The Majestic2001The West WingTV series2002Seventh DayDocumentary2003Country Music: The Spirit of AmericaIMAX2003Shade2006The SopranosTV series2006NCISTV series2007Into the WildNominated for an Academy Award and an Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor.2008ERTV series2009That Evening Sun2010Sons of AnarchyTV series2010The EventTV series2011Water for Elephants2011Good Day For It2012Lincoln2012Savannah2013Promised Land2013RectifyTV series2013Monday MorningsTV series2014Planes 2: Fire & RescueVoice2015Go with MePost-production

References

For more information
Holbrook, Hal. (1959). Mark Twain Tonight! An Actor's Portrait. New York: Ives Washburn.
Young, Jordan R. (1989). Acting Solo: The Art of One-Person Shows. Beverly Hills: Past Times Publishing Co.

Other websites

The Seventh Day , a 2002 5-DVD set documentary on the history of the Sabbath. Produced by LLT Productions.
2004 Story on Holbrook  from NOWBiography and 2004 story about his return to Broadway from Playbill''
State of Mississippi Resolution

Category:1925 births
Category:2021 deaths
Category:Actors from Cleveland
Category:Actors from Massachusetts
Category:American Christians
Category:American historians
Category:American movie actors
Category:American musical theatre actors
Category:American stage actors
Category:American television actors
Category:American voice actors
Category:Stage names
Category:Drama Desk Award winners
Category:American Emmy Award winning actors
Category:Independent (United States)
Category:Television personalities from Ohio
Category:Tony Award winning actors