Peter Westfield Holden was the son of Hollywood actor William Holden and actress Brenda Marshall. Here’s what know about him:
Background and Family
Born on November 17, 1943, Peter Westfield Holden was the second child of William Holden and Brenda Marshall. He had one brother, Scott Porter Holden, and a half-sister called Virginia Holden by his father’s first wife.
Career
Some sources claim Peter was interested in acting. There is a mention he appeared in local theater productions and friends thought he was good at acting. But unlike his parents he never got into professional acting.
Personal Life
Personal details about Peter remain mostly secret. No public record of marriage or children exists.
Legacy
Peter died in June 2014 at 70 years old. He isn’t a public figure himself but was a part of William Holden’s legacy.
His Parents, William Holden and Brenda Marshall
William Holden and Brenda Marshall were a popular Hollywood couple during the Golden Age. Holden was a strong leading man, and Marshall was an actress who won hearts on and off the screen. Their individual careers were great, but their turbulent couple story added another dimension.
Born William Franklin Beedle Jr. in 1918, Holden’s journey to Hollywood wasn’t preordained. Raised in Illinois, he attended Pasadena Junior College before moving west. Good looks and charm got him a contract with Paramount Pictures in the late 1930s. Cast in B-movies, Holden showed his talent. He featured in several films including “Golden Boy” (1939) and “Our Town” (1940). His career was interrupted by World War II, where he served in the U.S. Army Air Forces.
Born Ardis Ankerson in 1915, Marshall started her journey on the other coast. She was raised in the Philippines and came to America aspiring to be an actress. Her film debut was in 1937, and by the late 1930s she was a rising starlet, featuring in films such as “The Sea Hawk” (1940) opposite Errol Flynn.
Holden met Marshall in 1941 and sparks flew. That year they married in Las Vegas. Their relationship seemed like a Hollywood fairytale. Both had careers and appeared to be happy couples in public. But under the surface there were cracks.
Marshall’s career later started to slow down. She concentrated on family and played fewer roles. Meanwhile, Holden had a stellar career. In 1950 he made “Sunset Boulevard” and in 1953 won the Academy Award for Best Actor. That difference in professional trajectory reportedly caused friction in their marriage.
The couple stayed married for 30 years despite the tension. They had a life of luxury with homes in California and Africa, where Holden co-founded the Mount Kenya Safari Club. But there were rumors of affairs on both sides of the aisle during their marriage. They split in the late 1960s but never divorced – and they were legally bound until Holden died in 1981.
William Holden and Brenda Marshall do not have a Hollywood happy ending. Still, their individual successes, their complex love story and contribution to the Golden Age of cinema leave their story a perennial favorite with film buffs and Hollywood history buffs alike.
