Editing William Holden (section)

===''Sunset Boulevard''===
[[File:Gloria Swanson and William Holden.jpg|thumb|With [[Gloria Swanson]] in ''[[Sunset Boulevard (film)|Sunset Boulevard]]'' (1950)]]
Holden's career took off again in 1950 when [[Billy Wilder]] tapped him to play a down-at-heel screenwriter taken in by a faded silent film actress ([[Gloria Swanson]]) in ''[[Sunset Boulevard (film)|Sunset Boulevard]]''. Holden earned his first Best Actor Oscar nomination for the role.<ref>Capua 2010, pp. 54–55.</ref>

Getting the role was a lucky break for Holden, as [[Montgomery Clift]] was initially cast but backed out of his contract.<ref name=Monush>Monush, Barry. ''The Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors'', Applause (2003) pp. 335–336</ref> Swanson later said, "Bill Holden was a man I could have fallen in love with. He was perfection on and off screen."<ref name=Chandler/> And Wilder commented "Bill was a complex guy, a totally honorable friend. He was a genuine star. Every woman was in love with him."<ref name=Chandler>Chandler, Charlotte. ''Nobody's Perfect: Billy Wilder: a Personal Biography'', Simon & Schuster (2002) p. 147</ref> Paramount reunited him with [[Nancy Olson]], one of his ''Sunset Boulevard'' costars, in ''[[Union Station (film)|Union Station]]'' (1950).

Holden had another good break when he was cast as [[Judy Holliday]]'s love interest in the big-screen adaptation of the Broadway hit ''[[Born Yesterday (1950 film)|Born Yesterday]]'' (1950). He made two more films with Olson: ''[[Force of Arms (film)|Force of Arms]]'' (1951) at Warner Bros. and ''[[Submarine Command (film)|Submarine Command]]'' (1951) at Paramount. Holden did a sports film at Columbia, ''[[Boots Malone]]'' (1952), then returned to Paramount for ''[[The Turning Point (1952 film)|The Turning Point]]'' (1952).