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Hal Holbrook Biography

Birth Name:
Harold Rowe Holbrook Jr.
Birth Place:
Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Profession
Actor, director, writer

Fast Facts

  • His family can trace their American roots back to 1635, when an ancestor traveled from Weymouth, England, to Massachusetts
  • He and his two sisters were raised by his grandfather after his parents' divorce when he was 2
  • Left Denison University to serve during WWII in the Army Engineers before returning to complete his degree
  • Best known for his one-man show, Mark Twain Tonight!, which began as an honors project that he and his first wife, Ruby, created at Denison
  • Found his first steady acting job on the soap opera The Brighter Day in 1954
  • Was the oldest-ever Oscar nominee for Best Supporting Actor at the time of his nod in 2008 for Sean Penn's Into the Wild; Robert Duvall broke his record in 2015 with his nomination for The Judge
  • Penned the 2011 memoir Harold: The Boy Who Became Mark Twain

Awards

  • 2012Screen Actors Guild Awards-Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture: nominated
  • 2008Critics' Choice Awards-Best Supporting Actor: nominated
  • 2007Oscar-Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: nominated
  • 2007Detroit Film Critics Society-Best Supporting Actor: nominated
  • 2007Chicago Film Critics Association-Best Supporting Actor: nominated
  • 2007Utah Film Critics-Best Supporting Actor: nominated
  • 2007Los Angeles Film Critics Association-Best Supporting Actor: nominated
  • 2007Screen Actors Guild Awards-Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role: nominated
  • 2007Screen Actors Guild Awards-Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture: nominated
  • 1989Emmy-Outstanding Performance in Informational Programming: winner
  • 1988Emmy-Outstanding Individual Achievement - Informational: nominated
  • 1978Emmy-Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama or Comedy Special: nominated
  • 1978Emmy-Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series: nominated
  • 1976Emmy-Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series: winner
  • 1974Emmy-Actor of the Year - Special: winner
  • 1974Emmy-Best Lead Actor in a Drama: winner
  • 1973Emmy-Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: nominated
  • 1971Emmy-Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: nominated
  • 1971Emmy-Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series: winner
  • 1969Emmy-Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: nominated
  • 1967Emmy-Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Drama: nominated
  • 1966Tony-Actor (Dramatic): winner

Relationships