Wiliam Holden & Brenda Marshall

As Hollywood’s up-and-coming leading man, Holden had his pick of the most beautiful ladies around. The one that finally captured his heart, however, was the beautiful actress, Brenda Marshall. Holden first met Marshall while working on Invisible Stripes, but held back on asking her out since she was still technically married and had a kid of her own.Holden couldn’t get her out of his head after first laying eyes on her, though, and three months later, he finally cracked.

After three months of dreaming about Marshall, Holden finally asked her out. Much to his delight, Marshall accepted, and she was the perfect woman for him. He pushed her to officially divorce her husband so they could start a life together, which, of course, she eventually did.They dated for 6 months.

In July of 1941, Holden suggested that they elope in Las Vegas.Due to his filming schedule and his desire to keep his wedding plans hush-hush, Holden ended up missing his own wedding! Filming for The Remarkable Andrew went two hours past schedule; by the time he and his fiancé arrived in Las Vegas, the minister they booked was long gone. Holden and Marshall had to beg the minister to carry out the ceremony in their tiny hotel room.Just as they were about to start their lives together, however, a huge problem arose.

Around this time, WWII rocked the lives of everyone in the United States, and that included Holden’s as well. Caught up in the patriotic favor of the nation, Holden enlisted, leaving his new wife behind and putting his acting career on hold.

In September of 1945, Holden eagerly returned to his acting career. He took a lot of pride in being a family man, eventually adopting his wife’s daughter from her first marriage. After that, the happy couple went on to have two more sons, Scott and Peter.

At his behest, Marshall retired as an actress, making him the sole breadwinner in the family. There was one major problem with this: His wife made five times more than him! Tragically, Holden’s dream of supporting his family through acting began to fall apart. There were simply no roles for him.He became increasingly irritable, isolating himself from his friends and unable to face their questions.11 months later, however, his luck finally changed.The first film he appeared in after finishing his service was Blaze of Noon.

During one scene in Sunset Boulevard, Holden needed to kiss his co-star, Gloria Swanson. During the second take, Holden kissed Swanson…and didn’t stop, even when Wilder yelled “Cut!” He only stopped when Marshall, who dropped by to visit him, yelled “Cut!” from behind the camera. It wasn’t a good look for Holden, and it foreshadowed the tragic path that his relationship with his wife was about to take.

When Sunset Boulevard came out in theaters, it proved to the world that Holden wasn’t just a pretty leading man; he was a true actor, who could take on complicated characters and bring them to life. The film truly catapulted Holden to fame, but it came with a cost—his wife. Jealous of Holden’s sudden stardom and the loss of her own, Marshall took every opportunity to knock him down a peg—and the cracks in their marriage began to show.Sunset Boulevard, and Holden’s performance in the film, impressed everyone so much that they nominated him for an Academy Award. This should’ve been a joyous occasion for all, except for two issues: first, he didn’t win, and second, his wife spent the evening making passive-aggressive comments about how José Ferrer, who took the award home, deserved the win over Holden.

With his relationship falling apart, Holden began looking for other ways to fill the hole in his heart.Holden rumoured had affairs with some beautiful actresses like Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly.

In the early 1960s, Holden left for Africa to film The Lion. This time, his female co-star was a French actress named Capucine. Unsurprisingly, Holden fell in love, and when Marshall found out, she was angry. The two argued fiercely, which the crew guessed was due to his affair with the beautiful Capucine.

The couple separated several times and both had outside affairs. After 30 years marriage, Holden and Marshall divorced in 1971.

A movie they filmed together : Wings Up (1943)