Staunch, granite-jawed American leading man of silent and early talkie films, much associated with Westerns. A native of New York City, Holt often claimed to have been born in Winchester, Virginia, where he grew up. The son of an Episcopal minister, he attended Trinity School in Manhattan, then the Virginia Military Institute, from which he was expelled for bad behavior. Giving up his vague hopes of becoming a lawyer, he went on the road, engaging in numerous occupations. He mined gold in Alaska, worked as both a railroad and a civil engineer, delivered mail, rode herd on cattle, and played parts in traveling stage productions. While looking for work as a surveyor in San Francisco in 1914, he volunteered to ride a horse over a cliff in a stunt for a film crew shooting in San Rafael. In gratitude, the director gave him a part in the film. Holt followed the movie people to Hollywood and began getting bits and stunt jobs in the many Westerns and serials being made there. He impressed a number of co-workers at Universal Pictures, among them 'Francis Ford . Less than three years later, on January 18, 1951, Holt died of a heart attack at the Los Angeles Veterans Hospital in Sawtelle, a couple of blocks west of the Los Angeles National Cemetery where he is now buried.
One of the 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Father of actors Jennifer Holt and Tim Holt , with the latter of whom he bit-played in John Huston s The Treasure of the Sierra Madre .
Cartoonist Chester Gould drew his comic-strip character Dick Tracy based on Holts granite-jawed profile.
It is reported that he was cartoonist Al Capp s favorite actor, and Capp drew his bumbling detective character Fearless Fosdick to closely resemble Holt.
The only time he, Tim Holt and Jennifer Holt worked together was in 1946 when the three appeared together on a CBS radio program entitled "All-Star Theatre", a country-flavored show featuring Western music by Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage with a dramatic sketch. The Holts played father, son and daughter.
Became a life member of the Society of Colonial Wars in the State of California on July 13, 1928 based on his direct descent from Capt. John Marshall, 1700-1795. His General Society membership number was 7810 and his California Society membership number was 364.
Ex-father-in-law of William Bakewell.
Great grandfather of Shaeffer Holt.
