Earl Holliman (September 11, 1928 – November 25, 2024) was an American film and TV actor who appeared in 97 features between 1952 and 2000, including recurring roles on the television series Hotel de Paree, Wide Country, Police Woman, The Thorn Birds, P.S. I Luv U, Delta, Caroline in the City, and Night Man (along with various guest spots on several game and talk shows). He won a Golden Globe Award in 1957 for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for his work in The Rainmaker (1956). This is his complete filmography, as well as his awards, nominations, and personal appearances.
Films Year Title Role Notes 1952 Pony Soldier Undetermined secondary role Uncredited 1953 Destination Gobi Frank Swenson Uncredited 1953 The Girls of Pleasure Island Marine Uncredited 1953 Scared Stiff Elevator boy Uncredited 1953 Devil's Canyon Joe Also known as Arizona Outpost 1953 East of Sumatra Cupid Credited as Henry Earl Holliman (His full name) 1954 Tennessee Champ Happy Jackfield 1954 Broken Lance Denny Devereaux 1954 The Bridges at Toko-Ri Nestor Gamidge 1955 The Big Combo Mingo 1955 I Died a Thousand Times Red 1956 Forbidden Planet Cook 1956 The Burning Hills Mort Bayliss 1956 Giant Bob Dace 1956 The Rainmaker Jim Curry Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture 1957 Gunfight at the O.K. Corral Charles Bassett 1957 Trooper Hook Jeff Bennett 1957 Don't Go Near the Water Adam Garrett 1958 Hot Spell John Henry "Buddy" Duval Jr. 1959 The Trap Tippy Anderson 1959 Last Train from Gun Hill Rick Belden 1960 Visit to a Small Planet Conrad 1961 Armored Command Sergeant Mike 1961 Summer and Smoke Archie Kramer 1965 The Sons of Katie Elder Matt Elder 1967 A Covenant with Death Brian Talbot 1968 The Power Talbot Scott 1968 Anzio Sergeant Stimler 1969 The Desperate Mission Shad Clay Television film 1970 Smoke Cal Finch Television film 1970 Tribes DePayster Television film 1971 Montserrat Luhan Television film 1971 Cannon Magruder Television film 1972 The Biscuit Eater Harve McNeil 1973 The Six Million Dollar Man: Wine, Women and War Harry Donner Television film 1973 Trapped David Moore Television film 1974 Cry Panic Sheriff Ross Cabot Television film 1974 I Love You... Good-bye Tom Chandler 1977 Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn Ray Church Television film 1979 Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff Ed Eckles 1979 The Solitary Man Dave Keyes Television film 1980 Where the Ladies Go Buck Television film 1981 Sharky's Machine Donald Hotchkins 1982 Country Gold Wade Purcell Television film (Remake of the 1950 motion picture All About Eve) 1986 Shattered... If Your Kid's on Drugs Kim's Father Television film 1987 American Harvest Krab Hogan Television film (also known as Race Against the Harvest and Golden Harvest) 1987 Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge Jake Flagg Television film 1997 Night Man Frank Domino Television film 1999 Bad City Blues Joe Gags 2000 The Perfect Tenant Arthur Michaels Final film role
Episodic television
Year Title Role Notes 1957 Matinee Theater Tom Cotterell "The Man with the Pointed Toes" 1957 Playhouse 90 Capt. Volodney "The Dark Side of the Earth" 1958 Playhouse 90 Robin Tripp "The Return of Ansel Gibbs" 1958 Kraft Television Theatre Singer "The Battle for Wednesday Night" 1958 Kraft Television Theatre American airman "The Sea Is Boiling Hot" 1958 Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse Les Tranier "Silent Thunder" 1958 Studio One Wayne Pilgrim "The Lady Died at Midnight" 1959 The Twilight Zone Mike Ferris "Where Is Everybody?" (series premiere) 1959–60 Hotel de Paree Sundance Kid Starring role, 33 episodes 1961 The Dick Powell Show Paul Williams "Killer in the House" 1961 Westinghouse Presents Webster "The Dispossessed" 1962 Bus Stop Allan Stumbo "The Stubborn Stumbos" 1962 Checkmate Jack Quentin "The Bold and the Tough" 1962 General Electric Theater David Seymour "The Troubled Heart" 1962–63 Wide Country Mitch Guthrie Starring role (28 episodes) 1964 The Great Adventure Will Cross "Teeth of the Lion" 1965 Bonanza Sherman Clegg "The Flannel-Mouth Gun" 1965 Dr. Kildare Capt. Bob Hill "Wings of Hope" 1965 Slattery's People Major Roger Dyne "The Hero" 1965 The Fugitive Charley Judd "The Good Guys and the Bad Guys" 1965 The Virginian Wiley "Ring of Silence" 1965 12 O'Clock High Lt. Paul Stiger "The Ticket" 1966 The F.B.I. Robert Charles Porter "Special Delivery" 1967 Custer Dan Samuels "Pursued" 1968 Judd, for the Defense Sheriff Lonny Querido "No Law Against Murder" 1969 Marcus Welby, M.D. Father Hugh "Neither Punch nor Judy" 1969 Gunsmoke Will Smith "A Man Called Smith" 1970 The F.B.I. Walter Carr "The Quest" 1970 Gunsmoke Will Hackett "Hackett" 1970 It Takes a Thief Major Arlin McCoy "Situation Red" 1970–73 The Wonderful World of Disney Cal FinchCal Winslow "Smoke""The Boy and the Bronc Buster" 1971 Alias Smith and Jones Wheat "Alias Smith and Jones" (S01, E01) "The Day They Hanged Kid Curry" (S02, E01)1971 The F.B.I. Drake Faron "Dynasty of Hate" 1971 Ironside Gordy Brokaw "The Target" 1971 Medical Center Dr. Ian Hayton "Suspected" 1972 The Rookies Easy Wyatt "A Very Special Piece of Ground" 1973 The Streets of San Francisco Chris "The Stamp of Death" 1973 Medical Center Brent "Impact" 1973 The F.B.I. Frank "The Payoff" 1973 Gunsmoke Boone Shadler "Shadler" 1974 Police Story Sgt. Charlie Ryan "Fingerprint" 1974–78 Police Woman Sgt. Bill Crowley Main cast (91 episodes) 1977 The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast Himself "Angie Dickinson" 1979 CHiPs Himself "Roller Disco: Part 2" Uncredited1980 The American Sportsman Himself "Mountain Gorilla" 1983 The Thorn Birds Luddie Mueller Television miniseries 1986 Hotel Owen McDermott "Separations" 1990 Empty Nest Mike Bradovitch "Harry's Excellent Adventure" 1991-92 P.S. I Luv U Matthew Durning Main Cast (13 episodes) 1991 Murder, She Wrote Sheriff J.T. Tanner "Who Killed J. B. Fletcher?" 1992 In the Heat of the Night Dr. Lambert "Last Rights" 1992 The Larry Sanders Show Himself "The Hey Now Episode" 1992–93 Delta Darden Towe Main cast (17 episodes) 1994 Murder, She Wrote Wayne Platte "Roadkill" 1995 American Masters Himself "Rod Serling: Submitted for Your Approval" 1996 Captain Planet and the Planeteers Milton (voice) "Never the Twain Shall Meet" 1996–99 Caroline in the City Fred Duffy "Caroline and the Twenty-Eight-Pound Walleye""Caroline and the Ancestral Home""Caroline and the Big Move" 1997–99 Night Man Frank Dominus Main cast (25 episodes) 2000 Chicken Soup for the Soul Gramps "Summer School" 2015 Voces Himself "Children of Giant"
Non-acting appearances
Year Title Role Notes 1956 The Jukebox Jury Himself 1958 The Lux Show Himself 1958 The 33rd Annual Academy Awards Himself Audience Attendee 1961-62 Here’s Hollywood Himself 1963 The Mike Douglas ShowHimself 1963-79 The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson Himself 14 guest spots (recurring appearances include 3 in 1972, 5 in 1975, and 2 in 1977) 1965 You Don't SayHimself 1966 The 38th Annual Academy Awards Himself Audience Attendee 1971 The Movie Game Himself 1974 Celebrity Bowling Himself Holliman and Robert Culp vs. James Farentino and Stephen Young 1975 The Bob Braun Show Himself 1975 The Mike Douglas Show Himself 1975-80 The Hollywood Squares Himself 33 episodes 1976 The 2nd Annual People's Choice Awards Himself Presenter 1976 The John Davidson Show Himself He also guest performed singing 2 songs 1975-76 The Magnificent Marble Machine Himself 1975-76 The Dinah Shore Show Himself 1977 The 3rd Annual People's Choice Awards Himself Presenter 1977 AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Bette Davis Himself 1977 The 29th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Himself Presenter 1977 To Say the Least Himself 1977 Circus of the Stars Himself Performer 1980 Fossey's War Himself Documentary 1980 CHiPs Himself "The Great 5K Star Race" and "Boulder Wrap Party: Part 2" 1983 All-Star Party for Frank Sinatra Himself 1983 – 91 The $10,000 Pyramid Himself 95 episodes 1984 The 10th Annual People's Choice Awards Himself Accepting Award for Favorite TV Mini Series 1985 Doris Day’s Best Friends Himself 1986 Wildside Himself Documentary in which he both hosted and narrated 1986 All-Star Party for Clint Eastwood Himself 1987 AFI Lifetime Achievement Award: A Tribute to Barbara Stanwyck Himself 1987 The 44th Annual Golden Globe Awards Himself 1988 The 57th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade Himself Seasonal Television Special 1989 Safe House Himself Video documentary 1989 The 58th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade Himself Seasonal Television Special 1990 The 7th Annual Television Academy Hall of Fame Awards Himself Television Special 1991 The $25,000 Pyramid Himself 1991 The Chuck Woolery Show Himself 1991 AFI Lifetime Achievement Award: A Tribute to Kirk Douglas Himself 1992 One on One with John Tesh Himself 1992 The 61st Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade Himself Seasonal Television Special 1993 The 7th Annual Genesis Awards Himself Host 1994 Golden Globes 50th Anniversary Celebration Himself 1995 The 9th Annual Genesis Awards Himself Presenter 1996 Biography: Burt Lancaster – Daring to Reach Himself 1997 The 69th Annual Academy Awards Himself Audience Attendee 1998 Memories of Giant Himself 1998 The 70th Annual Academy Awards Himself Audience Attendee 1999 The 13th Annual Genesis Awards Himself Presenter 1999 Biography: Angie Dickinson - Tinseltown's Classiest Broad Himself 2000 E! True Hollywood Story: Rod Serling - Beyond The Twilight Zone Himself 2000 The 14th Annual Genesis Awards Himself Presenter 2001 Intimate Portrait: Lisa Hartman-Black Himself 2003 Intimate Portrait: Angie Dickinson Himself 2003 Return to Giant Himself Video documentary 2005 Madman Muntz: American Maverick Himself Documentary (also notes him with a special thanks) 2006 Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon Himself Video documentary short 2006 Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet Himself Video documentary short 2007 John Wayne Behind The Scenes Himself Video documentary 2008 Stanley Rubin: A Work in Progress Himself 2009 The Rules of Film Noir Himself Television Movie Documentary (also features archive footage of him as Mingo in The Big Combo) 2015 Tab Hunter Confidential Himself Documentary 2021 Journey to Royal Himself Documentary
Unmade films Year Film Role and fate of film or role Ref.1956Bus Stop Beauregard Decker (part given to Don Murray)Interview, Skip