Editing William Holden (section)

===''The Bridge on the River Kwai''===
[[File:William Holden and Chandran Rutnam while shooting The Bridge on the River Kwai.jpeg|left|thumb|Holden and [[Chandran Rutnam]] during shooting]]
Holden had his most widely recognized role as "Commander" Shears in [[David Lean]]'s ''[[The Bridge on the River Kwai]]'' (1957) with [[Alec Guinness]],<ref>{{cite web| title=13 Fascinating Facts About 'The Bridge on the River Kwai'| url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/82646/13-fascinating-facts-about-bridge-river-kwai| website=Mental Floss| access-date= January 3, 2017| date=July 7, 2016}}</ref> a huge commercial success. His deal was considered one of the best ever for an actor at the time, with him receiving 10% of the gross, which earned him over $2.5 million. He stipulated that he only receive a maximum of $50,000 of this per year (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|50000|1957}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars {{inflation-fn|US}}).<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|page=2|date=May 21, 1958|title=Columbia Earns as It Holds Coin Due Bill Holden on 10% of 'Kwai'|url=https://archive.org/stream/variety210-1958-05#page/n147/mode/1up|access-date=January 23, 2021|via=[[Archive.org]]}}</ref>
[[File:William Holden and Donna Reed hold their gold-plated Oscars, 1954.jpg|right|thumb|With [[Donna Reed]] at the 1954 [[Academy Awards]] show]]
He made another war film for a British director, ''[[The Key (1958 film)|The Key]]'' (1958) with [[Trevor Howard]] and [[Sophia Loren]] for director [[Carol Reed]].<ref>{{cite web| title=Detail view of Movies Page| url=http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=52624| website=www.afi.com| access-date= January 3, 2017}}</ref> He played an American Civil War military surgeon in [[John Ford]]'s ''[[The Horse Soldiers]]'' (1959) opposite [[John Wayne]], which was a box-office disappointment.<ref>{{cite book| last1=Longley York| first1=Neil| title=Fiction as Fact: "The Horse Soldiers" and Popular Memory| date=May 2001| publisher=The Kent State University Press| isbn=978-0873386883| page=82| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P3GCfNndaXcC&pg=PA82| access-date=January 3, 2017}}</ref> Columbia would not meet Holden's asking price of $750,000 and 10% of the gross for ''[[The Guns of Navarone (film)|The Guns of Navarone]]'' (1961); the amount he wanted exceeded the combined salaries of stars [[Gregory Peck]], [[David Niven]], and [[Anthony Quinn]].<ref>p. 120 Capua, Michelangelo ''William Holden: A Biography'' McFarland (2016)</ref>

Holden had another hit with ''[[The World of Suzie Wong (film)|The World of Suzie Wong]] '' (1960) with [[Nancy Kwan]], which was shot in Hong Kong. Less popular was ''[[Satan Never Sleeps]]'' (1961), the last film of [[Clifton Webb]] and [[Leo McCarey]]; ''[[The Counterfeit Traitor]]'' (1962), his third film with Seaton; or ''[[The Lion (1962 film)|The Lion]]'' (1962), with [[Trevor Howard]] and [[Capucine]]. The latter was shot in Africa and sparked Holden's fascination with the continent that was to last for the rest of his life.

Holden's films continued to struggle at the box office: ''[[Paris When It Sizzles]]'' (1964) with Hepburn was shot in 1962 but given a much delayed release; ''[[The 7th Dawn]]'' (1964) with Capucine and [[Susannah York]], a romantic adventure set during the [[Malayan Emergency]] produced by [[Charles K. Feldman]]; ''[[Alvarez Kelly]]'' (1966), a Western; and ''[[The Devil's Brigade (film)|The Devil's Brigade]]'' (1968). He was also one of many stars in Feldman's ''[[Casino Royale (1967 film)|Casino Royale]]'' (1967).