Veteran actor Earl Holliman was reported dead this week at 96, according to the New York Post.
Holliman, best known for playing supporting roles in “Rainmaker” and “Police Woman,” died while in hospice at a Studio City, California location, his partner Craig Curtis confirmed on Tuesday.
The actor’s chops were cut in the 1950s and 60s where he took notable roles during Hollywood’s fascination with Westerns and period dramas.
At 25, Holliman earned his first on-screen line in the 1953 Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis comedy “Scared Stiff.” He got his big break in 1956’s “The Rainmaker,” beating out Elvis Pressley for the part of Jim Curry, the brother of Katharine Hepburn’s character.
Together, their small Depression-era town confronts a con man who promises to deliver rain to break their drought. Holliman won a Golden Globe for his performance, catapulting the handsome actor to numerous other Westerns and big-budget productions like “Giant” and “Forbidden Planet,” according to Variety.
Other credits to Holliman include “Broken Lance,” “The Bridges at Toko-Ri,” “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral,” “Don’t Go Near the Water,” “Last Train from Gun Hill,” “The Sons of Katie Elder” and “Sharky’s Machine.” Other notable roles include “Broken Lance,” “Hot