Henry EARL HOLLIMAN, who passed away on this date (b: 9/11/1928) was an American actor, animal rights activist, and singer known for his many character roles in films, mostly Westerns and dramas, in the 1950s and 1960s. He won a Golden Globe Award in 1956 for the film The Rainmaker and portrayed Sergeant Bill Crowley on the television police drama Police Woman throughout its 1974 to 1978 run.

Holliman also had important roles in major films such as Broken Lance, The Bridges at Toko-Ri, The Big Combo, I Died a Thousand Times, Forbidden Planet, Giant, Hot Spell, Anzio, The Desperate Mission, The Biscuit Eater, Sharky’s Machine, and Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge. He also had several notable television appearances in The Twilight Zone, Hotel de Paree, The Thorn Birds, Gunsmoke, Murder, She Wrote, and Caroline in the City.

From 1958 to 1963, Holliman also performed as a singer and had record deals with such notable recording studios as Capitol Records, Prep, and HiFi. Aside from acting, Holliman was also an activist and was an honorary chairman for Toys for Tots. He was also the president of Actors and Others for Animals for 25 years.

In 1960, Holliman lived in Paris, in a flat on the Left Bank. While he adopted the French culture and language quite rapidly, he maintained his reputation for being “as American as apple pie.” After returning to the United States to live, Holliman became a longtime resident of Studio City, California.

Holliman was a vegetarian and against using animal fur for clothing. He was known for his work as an animal rights activist, including serving for more than 25 years as president of Actors and Others for Animals. He was well known for nursing animals on his own property, at one point feeding roughly 500 pigeons in a day, as well as healing a wounded dove and a blind opossum inside his home. For many years, he was one of many in the film community to help organize meals during the Christmas season for the less fortunate at the Los Angeles Mission.

Though he never spoke publicly about his sexuality, Holliman was confirmed to have had a male spouse at the time of his death in November 2024; his husband, Craig Curtis, spoke publicly to The Hollywood Reporter to confirm his death.