Hal Holbrook
Biography
Harold Rowe Holbrook Jr. was born on February 17, 1925, in Cleveland, Ohio, and died on January 23, 2021, at the age of 95. He was an American actor, television director, and writer. Known professionally in acting with 168 known credits, Holbrook was also known as Harold Rowe. His career spanned many years, and he is recognized in the database for his acting work in movies and television shows.
Career overview
Harold Rowe Holbrook Jr. was born on February 17, 1925, in Cleveland, Ohio, and died on January 23, 2021, at the age of 95. He was an American actor, television director, and writer. Over the course of his extensive career in the entertainment industry, he accumulated 168 known credits in the acting category, working across both film and television.
He first achieved critical acclaim in 1954 for a one-man stage show titled Mark Twain Tonight! which he developed while studying at Denison University. In this production, he portrayed Mark Twain, a signature role he continued to perform for over six decades until he finally retired the show in 2017 due to failing health. His theatrical portrayal of Twain earned him the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1966.
In addition to his stage success, Holbrook built a distinguished career on television and in film. His work in television earned him five Primetime Emmy Awards, and his work in film garnered him an Academy Award nomination. He made his feature film debut in Sidney Lumet's production titled The Gro.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- Interpreting Twain (2018) as Self
- An American Conscience: The Reinhold Niebuhr Story (2017) as Reinhold Niebuhr (voice)
- Blackway (2015) as Whizzer
- Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014) as Mayday (voice)
- Holbrook/Twain: An American Odyssey (2014) as Self
- Rectify (2013) as Rutherford Gaines
- Monday Mornings (2013) as Dr. Arvin Wayne
- Eastwood Directs: The Untold Story (2013) as Self
- Savannah (2013) as Judge Harden
- Lincoln (2012) as Preston Blair
- Promised Land (2012) as Frank Yates
- Water for Elephants (2011) as Old Jacob
- Good Day for It (2011) as Hec
- Hawaii Five-0 (2010) as Leonard Patterson
- The Event (2010) as James Dempsey (voice)
- The Event (2010) as James Dempsey
- Flying Lessons (2010) as Harry Pleasant
- That Evening Sun (2009) as Abner Meecham
- Sons of Anarchy (2008) as Nate Madock
- Killshot (2008) as Papa
- The Business End: Violence in Cinema (2008) as Self
- A Moral Right: The Politics of Dirty Harry (2008) as Self
- The Evolution of Clint Eastwood (2008) as Self
- The Long Shadow of Dirty Harry (2008) as Self
- Into the Wild (2007) as Ronald "Ron" Franz
- Telling the Truth About Lies: The Making of "All the President's Men" (2006) Other
- Out of the Shadows: The Man Who Was Deep Throat (2006) as Self - Narrator (voice)
- Woodward and Bernstein: Lighting the Fire (2006) as Self - Narrator (voice)
- Grey's Anatomy (2005) as Lewis Clatch
- Bones (2005) as Red Hudmore
- The Seventh Day (2005) as Host
- NCIS (2003) as Mickey Stokes
- Hope & Faith (2003) as Edward Shanowski
- Shade (2003) as The Professor
- The Designing Women Reunion (2003)
- The Street Lawyer (2003) as Arthur Jacobs
- Butch Cassidy and the Outlaw Trail (2003) as Narrator
- Good Morning, Miami (2002) as Jim Templeton
- Mark Twain (2002) as Self (uncredited)
- Purpose (2002) as Tom Walker
- Eastwood & Co.: Making 'Unforgiven' (2002) as Narrator (voice)
- Mark Twain (2002) as self
- Dirty Harry: The Original (2001) as Self - Actor
- The Majestic (2001) as Congressman Doyle
- Haven (2001) as Harold L. Ickes
- Haven (2001) as Harold L. Ickes
- The Legend of the Three Trees (2001) as Narrator
- Men of Honor (2000) as 'Mr. Pappy'
- The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus (2000) as Ak - Master Woodsman of the World (voice)
- Waking the Dead (2000) as Isaac Green
- Founding Fathers (2000) as Benjamin Franklin (voice)
- The Sopranos (1999) as John Schwinn
- The West Wing (1999) as Albie Duncan
- Family Law (1999) as Judge Richard Lloyd
- The Florentine (1999) as Smitty
- The Bachelor (1999) as O'Dell
- Battleships (1999) as Narrator
- Lost in Middle America (and What Happened Next) (1999) as Narrator
- Becker (1998) as Mr. Humphries
- Hush (1998) as Dr. Franklin Hill
- Rusty: A Dog's Tale (1998) as Boyd Callahan
- My Own Country (1998) as Lloyd Flanders
- Judas Kiss (1998) as Senator Rupert Hornbeck
- Beauty (1998) as Alexander Miller
- Walking to the Waterline (1998) as Man on the Beach
- Hercules (1997) as Amphitryon (voice)
- Cats Don't Dance (1997) as Cranston (voice)
- Operation Delta Force (1997) as Admiral Henshaw
- The Third Twin (1997) as Pete
- Lewis & Clark - The Journey of the Corps of Discovery (1997) as Narrator (voice)
- Trail of Hope (1997) as Narrator
- Eye of God (1997) as Sheriff Rogers
- All the Winters that Have Been (1997) as Uncle Ren Corvin
- Innocent Victims (1996) as Bob Hennis
- Carried Away (1996) as Doctor Evans
- The Battle of The Alamo (1996) as Voice
- The Outer Limits (1995) as Justice Oliver Harbison
- Stormchasers (1995) as Narrator
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Jealous Jokester (1995) as Wild Bill McKenzie
- She Stood Alone: The Tailhook Scandal (1995) as Adm. Kelso
- ER (1994) as Walter Perkins
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Grimacing Governor (1994) as Wild Bill McKenzie
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Lethal Lifestyle (1994) as William McKenzie
- The Firm (1993) as Oliver Lambert
- Bonds of Love (1993) as Jim Smith
- Eastwood & Co.: Making 'Unforgiven' (1992) as Narrator (voice)
- Evening Shade (1990) as Evan Evans
- A Killing in a Small Town (1990) as Dr. Beardsley
- Fletch Lives (1989) as Hamilton "Ham" Johnson
- Day One (1989) as Gen. George Marshall
- Sorry, Wrong Number (1989) as Jim Coltrane
- American Experience (1988) as Narrator (voice)
- The Unholy (1988) as Archbishop Mosely
- The Fortunate Pilgrim (1988) as Dr. Andrew McKay
- Emma: Queen of the South Seas (1988) as Jonas Coe
- Superman's 50th Anniversary: A Celebration of the Man of Steel (1988) as Self
- I'll Be Home for Christmas (1988) as Joseph Bundy
- Wall Street (1987) as Lou Mannheim
- Plaza Suite (1987) as Sam Nash
- Designing Women (1986) as Reese Watson
- Designing Women (1986) Director
- Dress Gray (1986) as Gen. Charles Hedges
- Under Siege (1986) as President Maxwell Monroe
- All Star Party for Clint Eastwood (1986) as Self (uncredited)
- North and South (1985) as Abraham Lincoln
- 92 Grosvenor Street (1985)
- George Washington (1984) as John Adams
- Celebrity (1984) as Calvin Sledge
- The Three Wishes of Billy Grier (1984) as Grandpa Grier
- The Star Chamber (1983) as Benjamin Caulfield
- America Remembers John F. Kennedy (1983) as Host
- Hazardous Waste: The Search for Solutions (1983) as Narrator (voice)
- Girls Nite Out (1982) as Jim MacVey
- Creepshow (1982) as Henry Northrup (segment "The Crate")
- The Killing of Randy Webster (1981) as John Webster
- The Fog (1980) as Father Malone
- The Kidnapping of the President (1980) as President Adam Scott
- Off the Minnesota Strip (1980) as Bud Johansen
- Natural Enemies (1979) as Paul Steward
- Murder by Natural Causes (1979) as Arthur Sinclair
- The Legend of the Golden Gun (1979) as J.R. Swackhammer
- When Hell Was in Session (1979) as Cmdr. Jeremiah A. Denton
- The Awakening Land (1978) as Portius Wheeler - The Solitary
- Tartuffe (1978) as Self - Host
- Capricorn One (1977) as Dr. James Kelloway
- Rituals (1977) as Harry
- Julia (1977) as Alan
- Our Town (1977) as Stage manager
- All the President's Men (1976) as Deep Throat
- Midway (1976) as Cmdr. Joseph Rochefort
- The Time of Your Life (1976) as Self - Host
- Saturday Night Live (1975) as Self (uncredited)
- Dinah! (1974) as Self
- The Girl from Petrovka (1974) as Joe
- Lincoln (1974) as Abraham Lincoln
- Magnum Force (1973) as Lieutenant Briggs
- Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1973) as Elder (voice)
- Jane Goodall and the World of Animal Behavior: The Wild Dogs of Africa (1973) as Narrator
- Pueblo (1973) as Capt. Lloyd Bucher
- The Hero Cop: Yesterday and Today (1973) as Self
- They Only Kill Their Masters (1972) as Dr. Warren G. Watkins
- That Certain Summer (1972) as Doug Salter
- Great Performances (1971) as Self - Host
- Goodbye, Raggedy Ann (1971) as Harlan Webb
- Suddenly Single (1971) as Larry Hackett
- Appointment With Destiny (1971) as Narrator
- Travis Logan, D.A. (1971) as Matthew Sand
- The Bold Ones: The Senator (1970) as Senator Hays Stowe
- The Great White Hope (1970) as Cameron
- The People Next Door (1970) as David Hoffman
- A Clear and Present Danger (1970) as Hays Stowe
- The Wacky Zoo of Morgan City (1970) as Mitch Collins
- The Whole World Is Watching (1969) as Chancellor Graham
- The Dick Cavett Show (1968) as Self - Guest
- The Name of the Game (1968) as John Adrian
- The Brotherhood (1968) as Man at the Table (uncredited)
- Wild in the Streets (1968) as Senator Fergus
- Mark Twain Tonight! (1967) as Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens)
- Mark Twain Tonight! (1967) Writer
- CBS Playhouse (1966) as Tom Wingfield
- The Group (1966) as Gus Leroy
- The Glass Menagerie (1966) as her son
- The F.B.I. (1965) as Christopher Simes
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) as Self
- The Merv Griffin Show (1962) as Self
- The Mike Douglas Show (1961) as Self
- Tonight Starring Jack Paar (1957) as Self
- Tony Awards (1956) as Self - Presenter
- The Wonderful World of Disney (1954) as Mitch Collins
- The Oscars (1953) as Self
- The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) as Self