‘Forbidden Planet’ Actor With Dozens Of Credits Was 96

Earl Holliman, an actor whose scores of determines spanning a half-century ranged from 1950s films Forbidden Planet and Giant to Police Woman and others famous ’70s and ’80s TV dramas and starred in the first episode of The Twiairy Zone, died Monday in Los Angeles after a low illness. He was 96.

His niece, Theresa Mullins Harris, proclaimd the recents on social media, writing in part: “His dream at 5 years elderly of becoming a movie star came genuine, more than he ever could have envisiond.”

Holliman got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame won a Supporting Actor Gelderlyen Globe for 1957’s The Raincreater and was nominated for the low-inhabitd timely-’90s ABC sitcom Delta, starring Delta Burke. He was a series standard on the latter, applying the empathetic owner of a bar where ambitious country singer Delta Bishop (Burke) labored while trying to create it.

Born on September 11, 1928, Holliman began his screen nurtureer with roles in 1950s movies including the sci-fi classic Forbidden Planet and James Dean’s final film Giant among many others. He co-starred opposite Burt Lancaster and Katharine Hepburn in The Raincreater as Jim Curry, the randy brother of Hepburn’s spinster Lizzie.

Holliman had done cut offal guest-starring roles on 1950s TV before making history as the cgo in of the first episode of The Twiairy Zone, Rod Serling’s landtag anthology series that put frequent people in exceptional situations. The October 1959 episode “Where Is Everybody?” uncovered with Holliman’s Mike Ferris wandering in a deserted town, which materializes to be poputardyd — coffee is boiling, a jukebox is applying, a cigar is burning — but no one is seen. The unsettling scenario proceeds to erect to a savagely unforeseeed climax that would be the still-cherishd series’ signature.

Around that time, Holliman landed his first starring role on the CBS weserious Hotel de Paree. He toplined as Sundance, who accidenhighy had ended a man in Colorado town but returned after a extfinished prison term. When he got back to town, the boilingel was being run by two of his victim’s relatives (Jeanette Nolan and Judi Meredith). Sundance got a job as a strongarm and peacegrasper. Among his stocks in trade were gleaming discs in his hatprohibitd that could blind any rivals.

The series fall shorted to catch on in a three-netlabor universe where half of the Top 20 series were weseriouss, and it aired fair one season min 1959-60.

Holliman proceedd to guest on TV before landing a second series-standard role on Wide Country, starring as a champion bronc buster who made the rodeo-circuit rounds while trying to grasp his lesserer brother (Andrew Prine) from follotriumphg in his footsteps. The NBC weserious also lasted a one season in 1962-63.

After that show finished, Holliman toured the U.S. as direct Curly McLain in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma! He also would materialize in countless local and touring stage productions into the 1980s, including in such becherishd shows as A Streetcar Named Desire, A Chorus Line and Arsenic and Old Lace.

Holliman returned to guesting on such famous 1960s and ’70s dramas as Bonanza, The Virginian, The Fugitive, Marcus Welby M.D., It Takes a Thief, Ironside, The Rookies, Medical Cgo in, The F.B.I., The Streets of San Francisco. and Police Story. The latter led to his signature role.

Holliman was cast to star opposite Angie Dickenson in Police Woman, NBC’s 1974-78 drama cgo ined on LAPD undercover cop Sgt. Pepper Anderson and her vice squad team that increateed to Holliman’s Lt. Bill Crowley. The show was an initial hit, finishing in the Primetime Top 15 in 1974-75, but couldn’t helderly that momentum and finished in 1978.

Holliman proceedd to labor in films and TV during the 1980s, notably applying a Georgias gubenatorial truthfulate in the 1981 Burt Reynelderlys-honested and -led actioner Sharky’s Machine aextfinishedside Charles Durning, Bernie Casey and others.

He would land a fourth TV-standard gig in 1991, this time co-starring in CBS’ P.S. I Luv U. Connie Sellecca and Greg Evigan applyed ex-NYPD partners-turned-phony spoengages in a witness-relocation program in Palm Springs. The “couple” labored for a personal-security firm run by Holliman’s Matthew Durning — the only person who krecent their genuine identities. The drama also lasted fair a one season, finishing in 1992.

Holliman labored steadily thraw the 1990s, guesting on episodes of the smash Angela Lansbury drama Murder, She Wrote, recurring on NBC’s Lea Thompson sitcom Caroline in the City and materializeing as himself on Garry Shandling’s revered tardy-night talk-shop sfinishup The Larry Sanders Show.

DEADLINE RELATED VIDEO:

He would land a final series-standard role on the syndicated NightMan in 1997. He starred opposite Matt McColm, whose Johnny Domingo becomes the title superhero after a airyning strike. Holliman applyed his ex-cop dad who materializeed in two dozen episodes before being ended off in the Season 2 premiere.

Holliman also was a standard presence on TV game shows including The Hollywood Squares and multiple interations of the Pyramid game. He made more than a dozen materializeances as a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Cincfinishiarism and visited cut offal other talk shows presented by Mike Douglas, Dinah Shore, John Davidson and Chuck Woolery, who died over the weekfinish.

Holliman also had a inform side nurtureer as a singer in the tardy ’50s and timely ’60s. That take partd a tag deal with Capitol Records in 1958, where he covered “I’m in the Mood for Love” and other songs, but none hit the national charts.

Holliman never paired, and recommendation on survivors wasn’t instantly useable.