Hal Holbrook
Biography
Hal Holbrook was an American actor who built his reputation on a one-man stage show about Mark Twain. He developed Mark Twain Tonight! while a student at Denison University and first performed it in 1954; he won a Tony Award for it in 1966 and kept performing it for over six decades, retiring it in 2017. Television brought him five Primetime Emmy Awards, including one for playing a senator in The Bold Ones: The Senator. He made his movie debut in The Group (1966) and gained wide attention as Deep Throat in All the President's Men (1976). In Magnum Force (1973) he played a police lieutenant. He voiced Amphitryon in Hercules (1997) and portrayed Abraham Lincoln in a 1974 miniseries. His supporting turn in Into the Wild (2007) earned an Academy Award nomination, and he later played Francis Preston Blair in Lincoln (2012).
95years old at death
- Born Cleveland
- Died Beverly Hills
- Star sign: AquariusThe sign runs January 20 to February 18
- Harold Rowe Holbrook Jr. (birth name)
Movie Career
- Films
- 51
- Career span
- 49 years1966 to 2015
Genres
First and latest
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Early training
Holbrook earned his degree at Denison University, and an honors project there about Mark Twain grew into the one-man show he became best known for, Mark Twain Tonight!. He also studied acting at HB Studio in New York City.
Big break
Ed Sullivan caught Holbrook's Twain act and put him on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 12, 1956, when he was 30, five days shy of turning 31. It was his first national exposure.
A first
Holbrook acted in Sean Penn's film Into the Wild in 2007. He was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role at the 80th Academy Awards, and at age 82 he was the oldest nominee ever in that category.
A first
Holbrook retired Mark Twain Tonight! in 2017, when he was 92, after the show had toured the country and amounted to over 2,100 performances.
A role that slipped away
Holbrook had limited singing ability, but in 1968 he still took over for Richard Kiley in the original Broadway run of Man of La Mancha.
Hal Holbrook movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Peter Hyams directed two of these films, Martin Ritt two. Ed Harris appears in four of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Ed Harris's page
Gary Busey's page
Lawrence Dane's page
Gary Reineke's page
Frank Welker's page
All films by Peter Hyams
All films by Martin Ritt
Also two films together30 more actors
- Anthony HopkinsBlackway (2015) and The Girl from Petrovka (1974)
- Ned BeattyThe Unholy (1988) and All the President's Men (1976)
- Charlton HestonHercules (1997) and Midway (1976)
- Martin LandauHaven (2001) and The Majestic (2001)
- Barry CorbinPlanes: Fire & Rescue (2014) and That Evening Sun (2009)
- Margo MartindaleEye of God (1997) and The Firm (1993)
- Michael DouglasWall Street (1987) and The Star Chamber (1983)
- Joseph Gordon-LevittLincoln (2012) and Killshot (2008)
- Jason RobardsJulia (1977) and All the President's Men (1976)
- David Ogden StiersThe Majestic (2001) and Day One (1989)
- James KarenWall Street (1987) and Capricorn One (1978)
- James SpaderLincoln (2012) and Wall Street (1987)
- Adrienne BarbeauCreepshow (1982) and The Fog (1980)
- E.G. MarshallCreepshow (1982) and A Clear and Present Danger (1970)
- Tim GuineePromised Land (2012) and Water for Elephants (2011)
- Viveca LindforsCreepshow (1982) and Natural Enemies (1979)
- James SikkingThe Star Chamber (1983) and Capricorn One (1978)
- Jane AlexanderAll the President's Men (1976) and The Great White Hope (1970)
- Julie HarrisCarried Away (1996) and The People Next Door (1970)
- Robert WebberMidway (1976) and The Great White Hope (1970)
- Bobcat GoldthwaitRusty: A Dog's Tale (1998) and Hercules (1997)
- Mike KellinA Clear and Present Danger (1970) and The People Next Door (1970)
- Terry KinneyPromised Land (2012) and The Firm (1993)
- Robin GammellThe Star Chamber (1983) and Rituals (1977)
- John McMartinDay One (1989) and All the President's Men (1976)
- Robert WaldenCapricorn One (1978) and All the President's Men (1976)
- Rue McClanahanRusty: A Dog's Tale (1998) and The People Next Door (1970)
- Murray WestgateThe Kidnapping of the President (1980) and Rituals (1977)
- Carrie NyeCreepshow (1982) and The Group (1966)
- Fred FranklynThe Fog (1980) and The Kidnapping of the President (1980)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Box office
What Hal Holbrook's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$1.7 billion
28 of the 51 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 51 films: 28 worldwide figure; 4 us gross only; 8 never in cinemas; 11 figure not found.
- 28Worldwide figure
- 4US gross only
- 8Never in cinemas
- 11Figure not found
Top grosser
Highest grossing
The eight biggest films earned 78% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$275M16.3% of the total
- 2$270M16.0% of the total
- 3$253M15.0% of the total
- 4$151M9.0% of the total
- 5$117M6.9% of the total
- 6$100M5.9% of the total
- 7$82M4.9% of the total
- 8$71M4.2% of the total
$367 millionfrom the other 20 films with a worldwide figure, 22% of the total
Awards
Five awards and honors from 1966 to 2003, four of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emmy Awards | |||
| 1971 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | The Bold Ones | Won |
| Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special | Won | ||
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie | Won | ||
| Tony Awards | |||
| 1966 | Best Actor in a Play | Won | |
| Other honors | |||
| 2003 | National Humanities Medal | Won | |
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.