Earl Holliman, 'Police Woman' Veteran & Star of 1st 'Twilight Zone,' Dies at 96

Earl Holliman, the square-jawed actor most famous for his run on TV's "Police Woman" opposite Angie Dickinson, died Monday while in hospice care at his Studio City, California, home. He was 96.

His death was confirmed to THR by his partner, Craig Curtis.

Holliman had many impressive credits, most prominently as the star of "Where Is Everybody?," the very first — and one of the best — episodes of the TV classic "The Twilight Zone." Airing October 2, 1959, the episode followed a lone man who suddenly becomes aware he is on a dirt road. He has no clue who or where he is, and keeps seeing figures that turn out to be mannequins. In the end, it is revealed he is a member of the U.S. Air Force who has been hallucinating while in an isolation chamber ahead of a trip to the moon.

In 1957, he had won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for his work in "The Rainmaker" (1956), in which he appeared with Katharine Hepburn.

The same year "The Rainmaker" was released, he was featured in the movie classic "Giant," playing the son-in-law of characters played by Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor.

Holliman was born September 11, 1928, in Delhi, Louisiana. After a stint in the military, for which he'd lied about his age, he pursued his dream of acting in Hollywood, studying acting and attending college.

Holliman made his film debut in 1953's "Scared Stiff," with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Quickly typecast has a tough guy, he frequently appeared as a soldier or cowpoke. Early films included "The Bridges at Toko-Ri" (1954), "I Died a Thousand Times" (1955), "Forbidden Planet" (1956), "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" (1957), and "Visit to a Small Planet" (1960).

He landed his first regular TV gig as the star of the western "Hotel de Paree" (1959-1960), and played another cowboy on "Wide Country" (1962-1963).

After appearing in the films "The Sons of Katie Elder" (1965), "The Desperate Mission" (1969), and "The Biscuit Eater" (1972), he was cast as Sergeant Bill Crowley on "Police Woman." The show, which ran from 1974-1978, was a groundbreaking portrayal of a woman (played by movie star Angie Dickinson) in charge. Along with Dickinson, Holliman appeared on all 91 episodes.

In 1977, Holliman bravely took on a part as a well-meaning gay elder in the salacious TV miniseries "Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn," starring Leigh McCloskey as a gay-for-pay male hustler. Holliman, who never came out publicly, played a good role model who never took advantage of McCloskey's Alexander, and indeed steered him out of sex work — and right out of town.

Perhaps his most-viewed television performance came in the massive miniseries "The Thorn Birds" in 1983, in which he starred with Richard Chamberlain and Barbara Stanwyck.

During this period, Holliman was demonstrating his quick wit on such game shows as "The $10,000 Pyramid," on which he was able to help numerous contestants take the top prize.

From 1992-1993, he played a major supporting part on Delta Burke's series "Delta," which earned him a second Golden Globe nomination.

His last work included two episodes of "Murder, She Wrote" (1992 & 1994) and appearances on the series "Caroline in the City" (1996-1999), "NightMan" (1997-1999), and "Chicken Soup for the Soul" (2000).

After appearing in the film "The Perfect Tenant" in 2000, Holliman retired, though he did occasionally appear at autograph shows and ran the Fiesta Dinner Theatre in San Antonio, Texas.

Holliman, who was widely known for his devotion to animal causes, including his work as the president of Actors and Others for Animals, is survived by Curtis.