Editing William Holden (section)

==Personal life==
[[File:Reagan wedding - Holden - 1952.jpg|thumb|275px|Matron of honor [[Brenda Marshall]] (left) and best man William Holden were the only guests at the 1952 wedding of Ronald and Nancy Reagan]]
Holden was best man at the wedding of his friend [[Ronald Reagan]] to actress [[Nancy Reagan|Nancy Davis]] in 1952. Although a registered Republican, he never involved himself in politics.

While in Italy in 1966, Holden killed another driver in a drunk-driving incident near [[Pisa]]. He received an eight-month suspended sentence for vehicular manslaughter.<ref>Brown, Andrew M. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110410131010/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/andrewmcfbrown/100082838/should-we-let-alcoholics-drink-themselves-to-death/ "When Alcoholics drink themselves to death"], ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', London, April 7, 2011. {{dead link|date=December 2019}}</ref>

Holden maintained a home in Switzerland and also spent much of his time working for [[wildlife conservation]] as a managing partner in an animal preserve in Africa. His Mount Kenya Safari Club in [[Nanyuki]] (founded 1959) was popular with the international [[jet set]].<ref name="Bennett"/> On a trip to Africa, he fell in love with the wildlife and became increasingly concerned with the animal species that were beginning to decrease in population. With the help of his partners, he created the Mount Kenya Game Ranch and inspired the creation of the [[William Holden Wildlife Foundation]].<ref>[http://www.animalorphanagekenya.org/what-we-do/wildlife-education The William Holden Wildlife Education Center] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129035809/http://www.animalorphanagekenya.org/what-we-do/wildlife-education/ |date=November 29, 2014 }}, ''Mount Kenya Wilderness Conservancy'', 2015; retrieved January 24, 2015.</ref>

===Marriage and relationships===
Holden had a daughter born in 1937 from his relationship with actress Eva May Hoffman.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Arlene Holden|url=https://www.geni.com/people/Arlene-Holden/6000000177148685837|access-date=November 27, 2021|website=geni_family_tree|language=en-US}}</ref>

Holden was married to actress [[Brenda Marshall]] from 1941 until their divorce in 1971.<ref name=obit /> They had two sons.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.desertsun.com/story/life/entertainment/2014/09/29/west-holden-william-holden-actor-death-theater/16457703| title=West Holden: More than just the son of William Holden| last=Fessier| first=Bruce| date=September 29, 2014| newspaper=[[The Desert Sun]]| location=Palm Springs, California}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Miller |first=Frank |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M7X0EAXFR6wC&dq=%22William+Holden%22+%22brenda+marshall%22+%22Peter%22+%22scott%22&pg=PA101 |title=Leading Men: The 50 Most Unforgettable Actors of the Studio Era |date=2006-09-28 |publisher=Chronicle Books |isbn=978-0-8118-5467-2 |pages=101 |language=en}}</ref> Holden also adopted Marshall's daughter from Marshall's previous marriage to actor [[Richard Gaines]].

Holden met French actress [[Capucine]] in the early 1960s. The two starred in the films ''[[The Lion (film)|The Lion]]'' (1962) and ''[[The 7th Dawn]]'' (1964). They reportedly began a two-year affair, which is alleged to have ended due to Holden's alcoholism.<ref>Osborne, Robert (host). "The Lion", ''Turner Classic Movies'', November 4, 2012.</ref> Capucine and Holden remained friends until his death in 1981.

In 1972, Holden began a nine-year relationship with actress [[Stefanie Powers]] and sparked her interest in animal welfare.<ref name="Capua 2010, p. 165">Capua 2010, p. 165.</ref> After his death, Powers set up the [[William Holden Wildlife Foundation]] at Holden's Mount Kenya Game Ranch.<ref>Bacon, Doris Klein. [http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20082277,00.html "For Love of Bill"], ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'', Vol. 17, No. 21, May 31, 1982.</ref>

===Death===
According to the Los Angeles County Coroner's autopsy report, Holden bled to death in his apartment in Santa Monica, California, on November 12, 1981, after lacerating his forehead by slipping on a rug while intoxicated and hitting a bedside table. Forensic evidence recovered at the scene suggested that the actor was conscious for at least half an hour after the fall. His body was found four days later.<ref name="AutopsyFiles" /> Rumors circulated that he was suffering from lung cancer, which Holden had denied at a 1980 press conference. His death certificate makes no mention of cancer.<ref name="Bennett">Bennett, Bruce. [http://www.nysun.com/arts/william-holdens-unscripted-fall-from-grace/81095/ "William Holden's Unscripted Fall From Grace"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130923014132/http://www.nysun.com/arts/william-holdens-unscripted-fall-from-grace/81095 |date=September 23, 2013 }}, ''[[The New York Sun]]'', July 2, 2008.</ref><ref name="AutopsyFiles">[http://www.autopsyfiles.org/reports/deathcert/holden,%20william_dc.pdf Death Certificate of William Holden], autopsyfiles.org; accessed September 28, 2016.</ref> He dictated in his will that the [[Neptune Society]] cremate him and scatter his ashes in the Pacific Ocean. In accordance with his wishes, no funeral, or memorial service, was held.<ref>Capua 2010, p. 164</ref>

President Ronald Reagan released a statement: "I have a great feeling of grief. We were close friends for many years. What do you say about a longtime friend – a sense of personal loss, a fine man. Our friendship never waned."<ref name=obit>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/11/17/obituaries/william-holden-dead-at-63-won-oscar-for-stalag-17.html| title=William Holden Dead at 63; Won Oscar for 'Stalag 17'| last=Charlton| first=Linda| date=November 17, 1981| work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

For his contribution to the film industry, Holden has a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] located at 1651 Vine Street.<ref>[http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/william-holden "Hollywood Star Walk: William Holden"], ''Los Angeles Times'', March 26, 2013.</ref> He also has a star on the [[St. Louis Walk of Fame]].<ref>[http://www.stlouiswalkoffame.org/inductees/?view=achievement "St. Louis Walk of Fame Inductees"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121031162946/http://www.stlouiswalkoffame.org/inductees/?view=achievement |date=October 31, 2012 }}, ''St. Louis Walk of Fame''; retrieved January 24, 2015.</ref>

His death was noted by singer-songwriter [[Suzanne Vega]], whose 1987 song "[[Tom's Diner]]" evokes a sequence of events one morning in 1981. The song includes a mention of reading a newspaper article about "an actor who had died while he was drinking". Vega later confirmed that this is a reference to Holden.<ref name="Vega">[[Suzanne Vega]], [http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com//2008/09/23/toms-essay ''Tom's Essay''], ''The New York Times'', September 23, 2008; retrieved September 27, 2016.</ref>