Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

George K. Spoor George Kirke Spoor (December 18, 1871 – 24 November 1953) was an early film pioneer who, with Gilbert M. "Broncho Billy" Anderson, founded Essanay Studios in Chicago in 1907. He was a founding partner of V-L-S-E, Incorporated, a film distri ...

A Pair of Sixes ''A Pair of Sixes'', originally titled ''The Party of the Second Part'', is a farce in three acts by Edward Peple that made its Broadway debut at the Longacre Theatre on March 17, 1914. The piece was produced by Harry Frazee and achieved a run ...

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Sapho, which was briefly closed for indecency. Holmes played

Rosencrantz Rosenkranz is the German word for rosary. Rosenkranz, Rosenkrantz, Rosencrance, Rosencrans or Rosencrantz may refer to: * Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two characters in Shakespeare's ''Hamlet'' * ''Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead'', a 1966 ...

with

E. H. Sothern Edward Hugh Sothern (December 6, 1859 – October 28, 1933) was an American actor who specialized in dashing, romantic leading roles and particularly in Shakespeare roles. Biography Sothern was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of English ...

in a production of

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

and toured with

Robert Edeson Robert Edeson (June 3, 1868 – March 24, 1931) was an American film and stage actor of the silent era and a vaudeville performer. Life and career Edeson was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of manager and actor George R. Edeson. Afte ...

. He appeared in stage hits such as ''The Commuters'', ''The Music Master,'' and ''His Majesty Bunker Bean.''

Film

Early film appearances included ''Efficiency Edgar's Courtship'' and ''Fools for Luck''. By the 1940s, he was working more on film than on stage. Holmes played a number of memorable roles, particularly in

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

, including the gullible millionaire conned in '' Nightmare Alley'' (1947), a shifty lawyer in '' Kiss of Death'' (1947), and as Gavery, a reptilian disbarred lawyer in

Act of Violence ''Act of Violence'' is a 1949 American film noir starring Van Heflin, Robert Ryan and featuring Janet Leigh, Mary Astor and Phyllis Thaxter. Directed by Fred Zinnemann and adapted for the screen by Robert L. Richards from a story by Collier Yo ...

(1949). He is also recognized for playing the Bishop of Avranches, who fiercely denounces

Pierre Cauchon Pierre Cauchon (1371 – 18 December 1442) was Bishop of Beauvais from 1420 to 1432. He was a strong partisan of English interests in France during the latter years of the Hundred Years' War. He was the judge in the trial of Joan of Arc an ...

in the

Ingrid Bergman Ingrid Bergman (29 August 191529 August 1982) was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films, television movies, and plays.Obituary ''Variety'', 1 September 1982. With a career spanning five decades, she is often ...

''

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronati ...

'' (1948),

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

's potential father-in-law in the 1953 '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' ("I don't want to marry your son for ''his'' money, I want to marry him for ''your'' money!"), and the voice of King Stefan in

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

's animated feature ''

Sleeping Beauty ''Sleeping Beauty'' (french: La belle au bois dormant, or ''The Beauty in the Sleeping Forest''; german: Dornröschen, or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess cu ...

'' (1959), Holmes' last credited screen role in which he replaced

Hans Conried Hans Georg Conried Jr. (April 15, 1917 – January 5, 1982) was an American actor and comedian. He was known for providing the voices of George Darling and Captain Hook in Walt Disney's ''Peter Pan'' (1953), Snidely Whiplash in Jay Ward's ''Dudle ...

, who was the model reference for Stefan and recorded only a few additional dialogues. He also played

Ebenezer Scrooge Ebenezer Scrooge () is the protagonist of Charles Dickens's 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol''. At the beginning of the novella, Scrooge is a cold-hearted miser who despises Christmas. The tale of his redemption by three spirits (the Ghost of ...

in what is largely considered a notoriously bad (and cheaply made) half-hour television version of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

's ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. ''A Christmas C ...

'', first telecast in 1949.The Christmas Carol (1949) - Review @ EOFFTV
/ref> His final film was ''

Sleeping Beauty ''Sleeping Beauty'' (french: La belle au bois dormant, or ''The Beauty in the Sleeping Forest''; german: Dornröschen, or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess cu ...

'' (1959), as King Stefan.

Personal life

Holmes was married to actress Edna Phillips and was the father of actors

Phillips Holmes Phillips Raymond Holmes (July 22, 1907 – August 12, 1942) was an American actor. For his contributions to the film industry, he was posthumously given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. Early life, education and career Born in ...

, Madeleine Taylor Holmes, and Ralph Holmes. Only 8 months after the release of ''

Sleeping Beauty ''Sleeping Beauty'' (french: La belle au bois dormant, or ''The Beauty in the Sleeping Forest''; german: Dornröschen, or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess cu ...

'' Holmes died on September 30, 1959, at the age of 81.

Legacy

Holmes has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Californ ...

. His interment was is in

Culver City Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. Founded in 1917 as a "whites only" sundown town, it is now an ethnically diverse city with what was called the "third-most ...

's Holy Cross Cemetery.

Partial filmography

Silent *''Efficiency Edgar's Courtship'' (1917) (short) as Edgar Bumpus *''Fools for Luck'' (1917) as Philander Jepson *''Two-Bit Seats'' (1917) as Jimmy Mason * ''

The Small Town Guy ''The Small Town Guy'' is a 1917 American silent comedy film directed by Lawrence C. Windom and starring Taylor Holmes, Helen Ferguson and Fred Tiden.Connelly p.411 Cast * Taylor Holmes as Ernest Gledhill * Helen Ferguson Helen Ferguson ( ...

'' (1917) as Ernest Gledhill *'' Uneasy Money'' (1918) as Lord Dawlish *''

Ruggles of Red Gap ''Ruggles of Red Gap'' is a 1935 American comedy western film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Charles Laughton, Mary Boland, Charlie Ruggles, and ZaSu Pitts and featuring Roland Young and Leila Hyams. It was based on the best-selling 1915 ...

'' (1918) as Marmaduke Ruggles * ''

A Pair of Sixes ''A Pair of Sixes'', originally titled ''The Party of the Second Part'', is a farce in three acts by Edward Peple that made its Broadway debut at the Longacre Theatre on March 17, 1914. The piece was produced by Harry Frazee and achieved a run ...

'' (1918) as T. Boggs Johns *''It's a Bear'' (1919) as Orlando Wintrhop * '' A Regular Fellow'' (1919) (*George Eastman preserved) as Dalion Pemberton *''Taxi'' (1919) as Robert Hervey Randolph *'' Upside Down'' (1919) as Archibald Pim *''Three Black Eyes'' (1919) as Larry Van Cortlandt * '' Nothing But the Truth'' (1920) as Robert Bennett *''The Very Idea'' (1920) as Gilbert Goodhue *''Nothing but Lies'' (1920) as George Cross *''

Twenty Dollars a Week ''Twenty Dollars a Week'' is a 1924 American silent film, silent comedy drama film directed by F. Harmon Weight and starring George Arliss, Taylor Holmes, and Edith Roberts (actress), Edith Roberts. Ronald Colman, then a rising star, had a suppo ...

'' (1924) as William Hart *'' Her Market Value'' (1925) as Courtney Brooks * '' The Crimson Runner'' (1925) as Bobo (valet) * ''

The Verdict ''The Verdict'' is a 1982 American legal drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and written by David Mamet, adapted from Barry Reed's 1980 novel of the same name. It stars Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden, James Mason, Milo O'Shea, an ...

'' (1925) as Valet *'' Borrowed Finery'' (1925) as Billy * ''

One Hour of Love ''One Hour of Love'' is a 1927 American silent romantic drama film directed by Robert Florey and starring Jacqueline Logan, Robert Frazer and Montagu Love.Munden p.568 It is now considered to be a lost film. The film's sets were designed by the ...

'' (1927) as Joe Monahan *''Should a Mason Tell?'' (1927) (short) as Henry *''Their Second Honeymoon'' (1927) (short) as Henry *''King Harold'' (1927) (short) as Henry Sound *''Lovers' Delight'' (1929, Short) *''He Did His Best'' (1929, Short) *''Let Me Explain'' (1930, Short) *''Dad Knows Best'' (1930, Short) * ''Terry of the 'Times (1930) (unconfirmed, uncredited) * ''It Happened in Paris'' (1932) * ''

Before Morning ''Before Morning'' is a 1933 American pre-Code crime drama directed by Arthur Hoerl, and starring Leo Carrillo, Lora Baxter, and Taylor Holmes. The film was adapted for the screen by Arthur Hoerl, from the 1933 Broadway play of the same name b ...

'' (1933) as Leo Bergman * ''

The First Baby ''The First Baby'' is a 1936 American comedy film directed by Lewis Seiler and written by Lamar Trotti. The film stars Johnny Downs, Shirley Deane, Jane Darwell, Dixie Dunbar, Marjorie Gateson and Gene Lockhart. The film was released on April 2, ...

'' (1936) as Mr. Wells * ''

The Crime of Dr. Forbes ''The Crime of Dr. Forbes'' is a 1936 American crime film directed by George Marshall and starring Gloria Stuart, Robert Kent and Henry Armetta.Monaco p.357 The film's art direction was by Duncan Cramer. This film was shot at 20th Century Fox ...

'' (1936) as Dr. Robert Empey * ''

Make Way for a Lady ''Make Way for a Lady'' is a 1936 romantic comedy/drama directed by David Burton, starring Herbert Marshall and Anne Shirley. June Drew ( Anne Shirley) is the teenaged "lady" based on Elizabeth Jordan's novel ''Daddy and I''. Plot June Drew ( ...

'' (1936) as George Terry * ''

Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning b ...

'' (1947) as T.M. Wade * '' Kiss of Death'' (1947) as Earl Howser--Attorney * '' Nightmare Alley'' (1947) as Ezra Grindle * '' Let's Live Again'' (1948) as Uncle Jim * '' Smart Woman'' (1948) as Dr. Jasper * ''

Hazard A hazard is a potential source of harm Harm is a moral and legal concept. Bernard Gert construes harm as any of the following: * pain * death * disability * mortality * loss of abil ity or freedom * loss of pleasure. Joel Feinberg giv ...

'' (1948) as Mr. Meeler * '' The Plunderers'' (1948) as Eben Martin * ''

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronati ...

'' (1948) as The Bishop of Avranches * ''

That Wonderful Urge ''That Wonderful Urge'' is a 1948 20th Century Fox screwball comedy film directed by Robert B. Sinclair and starring Tyrone Power and Gene Tierney.''Harrison's Reports'' film review; November 27, 1948, page 190. It is a remake of ''Love Is News' ...

'' (1948) as Attorney Rice * ''

Act of Violence ''Act of Violence'' is a 1949 American film noir starring Van Heflin, Robert Ryan and featuring Janet Leigh, Mary Astor and Phyllis Thaxter. Directed by Fred Zinnemann and adapted for the screen by Robert L. Richards from a story by Collier Yo ...

'' (1948) as Gavery * '' Joe Palooka in the Big Fight'' (1949) as Dr. Benson * ''

Mr. Belvedere Goes to College ''Mr. Belvedere Goes to College'' is a 1949 American comedy film directed by Elliott Nugent. The screenplay written by Mary Loos, Mary C. McCall, Jr., and Richard Sale was based on characters created by Gwen Davenport. It follows on from '' Sitti ...

'' (1949) as Dr. Gibbs * ''

Once More, My Darling ''Once More, My Darling'' is a 1949 American comedy film directed by and starring Robert Montgomery and Ann Blyth. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound Recording ( Leslie I. Carey). Plot Collier "Collie" Laing, a confirm ...

'' (1949) as Jed Connell * ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. ''A Christmas C ...

'' (1949) as Ebeneezer Scrooge * ''

Woman in Hiding ''Woman in Hiding'' is a 1950 American film noir crime film directed by Michael Gordon and starring Ida Lupino, Stephen McNally and Howard Duff. Plot Deborah Chandler Clark watches police drag a North Carolina river for her body. She recounts ...

'' (1950) as Jed Connell * ''

Mr. Belvedere Goes to College ''Mr. Belvedere Goes to College'' is a 1949 American comedy film directed by Elliott Nugent. The screenplay written by Mary Loos, Mary C. McCall, Jr., and Richard Sale was based on characters created by Gwen Davenport. It follows on from '' Sitti ...

'' (1950) as Lucius Maury * ''

Quicksand Quicksand is a colloid consisting of fine granular material (such as sand, silt or clay) and water. It forms in saturated loose sand when the sand is suddenly agitated. When water in the sand cannot escape, it creates a liquefied soil that los ...

'' (1950) as Harvey * '' Caged'' (1950) as Senator Ted Donnolly (uncredited) * ''

Father of the Bride The Father of the Bride is commonly one of the wedding ceremony participants. Father of the Bride may also refer to: * ''Father of the Bride'' (novel), 1949, by Edward Streeter ** ''Father of the Bride'' (franchise), media franchise based on the 1 ...

'' (1950) as Warner * '' Bright Leaf'' (1950) as Lawyer Calhoun * ''

Copper Canyon Copper Canyon (Spanish: Barrancas del Cobre) is a group of six distinct canyons in the Sierra Madre Occidental in the southwestern part of the state of Chihuahua in northwestern Mexico that is in size. The canyons were formed by six rivers th ...

'' (1950) as Theodosius Roberts * '' Double Deal'' (1950) as C.D. 'Corpus' Mills * ''

The First Legion ''The First Legion'' is a 1951 American drama film directed by Douglas Sirk and written by Emmet Lavery. The film stars Charles Boyer, William Demarest, Lyle Bettger, Walter Hampden, Barbara Rush, Wesley Addy, H. B. Warner and Leo G. Carroll. ...

'' (1951) as Father Keene * ''

Rhubarb Rhubarb is the fleshy, edible stalks ( petioles) of species and hybrids (culinary rhubarb) of ''Rheum'' in the family Polygonaceae, which are cooked and used for food. The whole plant – a herbaceous perennial growing from short, thick rhizo ...

'' (1951) as P. Duncan Munk * ''

Drums in the Deep South ''Drums in the Deep South'' is an American Civil War war western film directed by William Cameron Menzies who was production designer of David O. Selznick's ''Gone With the Wind'' (1939) and also designed the cave sequences in Selznick's ''The A ...

'' (1951) as Albert Monroe * '' Two Tickets to Broadway'' (1951) as Willard Glendon * ''

Hold That Line ''Hold That Line'' is a 1952 comedy film starring the Bowery Boys. The film was released on March 23, 1952 by Monogram Pictures and is the 25th film in the series. Plot The members of the local university's trust make a wager that anyone can s ...

'' (1952) as Dean Forrester * '' Hoodlum Empire'' (1952) as Benjamin Lawton * ''

Sudden Fear ''Sudden Fear'' is a 1952 American film noir thriller film directed by David Miller, and starring Joan Crawford and Jack Palance in a tale about a successful woman who marries a murderous man. The screenplay by Lenore J. Coffee and Robert Smit ...

'' (1952) as Scott Martindale (uncredited) * ''

Beware, My Lovely ''Beware, My Lovely'' is a 1952 film noir crime film directed by Harry Horner starring Ida Lupino, Robert Ryan and Taylor Holmes. The film is based on the 1950 play ''The Man'' by Mel Dinelli, who also wrote the screenplay. Plot A widow impulsi ...

'' (1952) as Mr. Walter Armstrong * ''

Woman of the North Country ''Woman of the North Country'' is a 1952 American Western film directed by Joseph Kane and starring Ruth Hussey, Rod Cameron, John Agar and Gale Storm. The film was released on September 5, 1952, by Republic Pictures. Plot Cast * Ruth H ...

'' (1952) as Andrew Dawson * '' Ride the Man Down'' (1952) as Lowell Priest * '' She's Back on Broadway'' (1953) as Talbot (uncredited) * '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' (1953) as Mr. Esmond Sr. * '' Wonder Valley'' (1953) as Sweetheart's Father * ''

Untamed Heiress ''Untamed Heiress'' is a 1954 American comedy film directed by Charles Lamont, written by Barry Shipman and starring Judy Canova, Don "Red" Barry, George Cleveland, Taylor Holmes, Chick Chandler and Jack Kruschen. It was released on April 1, 19 ...

'' (1954) as Walter Martin * ''

The Outcast Outcast or Outcasts may refer to: *Outcast (person), a person with social stigma or untouchability Literature * ''Outcast'' (Ballas novel), 1991 book by Iraqi-Israeli author Shimon Ballas * ''Outcast'' (Sutcliff novel), 1955 children's novel by R ...

'' (1954) as Andrew Devlin * ''

Tobor the Great ''Tobor the Great'' (a.k.a. ''Tobor'') is a 1954 independently made American black-and-white science fiction film, produced by Richard Goldstone, directed by Lee Sholem, and starring Charles Drake, Karin Booth, and Billy Chapin. The film wa ...

'' (1954) as Prof. Arnold Nordstrom * '' Hell's Outpost'' (1954) as Timothy Byers * ''

Lady and the Tramp ''Lady and the Tramp'' is a 1955 American animated musical romance film produced by Walt Disney and released by Buena Vista Film Distribution. The 15th Disney animated feature film, it was directed by Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and Hami ...

'' (1955) as Jim's Friend #2/Doctor (uncredited) * '' The Fighting Chance'' (1955) as Railbird - the Tout * ''

The Maverick Queen ''The Maverick Queen'' is a 1956 American Western film in Trucolor starring Barbara Stanwyck as the title character and Barry Sullivan as an undercover Pinkerton detective out to stop outlaws Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, and the Wild Bunch ...

'' (1956) as Pete Callaher * '' The Peacemaker'' (1956) as Mr. Wren * ''The Book of Acts Series'' (1957) as High Priest * ''

The Helen Morgan Story ''The Helen Morgan Story'', released in the UK as ''Both Ends of the Candle'', is a 1957 American biographical film directed by Michael Curtiz starring Ann Blyth and Paul Newman. The screenplay by Oscar Saul, Dean Riesner, Stephen Longstreet, ...

'' (1957) as Elderly Actor on Train (uncredited) * ''

Wink of an Eye "Wink of an Eye" is the eleventh episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek''. Written by Arthur Heinemann, based on a story by Gene L. Coon (under the pen name Lee Cronin), and directed by Jud ...

'' (1958) as Mr. Vanryzin * ''

Sleeping Beauty ''Sleeping Beauty'' (french: La belle au bois dormant, or ''The Beauty in the Sleeping Forest''; german: Dornröschen, or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess cu ...

'' (1959) as King Stefan (voice) (final film role)

References

External links

* * *
Taylor Holmes portrait section NY Public Library Billy Rose Collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holmes, Taylor American male film actors American male stage actors 1878 births 1959 deaths Vaudeville performers Male actors from Newark, New Jersey 20th-century American male actors American male silent film actors Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City