Celeste Holm facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Celeste Holm
Holm in 1955
Born	(1917-04-29)April 29, 1917 Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Died	July 15, 2012(2012-07-15) (aged 95) Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Chicago
Occupation	Actress singer
Years active	1937–2012
Spouse(s)	Ralph Nelson ​ ​ (m. 1936; div. 1939)​ Francis Davies ​ ​ (m. 1940; div. 1945)​ A. Schuyler Dunning ​ ​ (m. 1946; div. 1953)​ Wesley Addy ​ ​ (m. 1961; died 1996)​ Frank Basile ​ (m. 2004)​
Children	2, including Ted Nelson

Celeste Holm (born April 29, 1917 – died July 15, 2012) was a famous American actress. She starred in plays, movies, and TV shows.

Celeste Holm won an Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, for her role in the movie Gentleman's Agreement (1947). She was also nominated for Oscars for her parts in Come to the Stable (1949) and All About Eve (1950). Many people also remember her from movies like The Snake Pit (1948) and High Society (1956). She first became famous for playing Ado Annie in the musical Oklahoma! (1943).

Early Life and Education

Celeste Holm was born and grew up in Manhattan, New York City. She was an only child. Her mother, Jean Parke, was an artist and writer. Her father, Theodor Holm, was a businessman from Norway.

Because of her parents' jobs, Celeste traveled a lot when she was young. She went to different schools in the Netherlands, France, and the United States. She started high school in Chicago and later graduated from the Francis W. Parker School (Chicago) in 1935. There, she acted in many school plays. After high school, she studied drama at the University of Chicago before becoming a professional actress in the late 1930s.

Acting Career Highlights

Celeste Holm in Gentleman's Agreement (1947)

Celeste Holm's first professional acting job was in a play called Hamlet. She first appeared on Broadway in 1938 in a play called Gloriana. Her first big role on Broadway was in The Time of Your Life (1940), where she acted alongside Gene Kelly.

Her most famous Broadway role was as Ado Annie in the very first production of the musical Oklahoma! in 1943. This role made her well-known to critics and audiences.

Moving to Movies and TV

After her success on Broadway, a movie studio called 20th Century Fox signed Celeste Holm to a movie contract in 1946. Her first movie was Three Little Girls in Blue (1946).

She won an Oscar and a Golden Globe award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Gentleman's Agreement (1947). Even with movie success, Celeste preferred acting in live theater. She chose only a few movie roles over the next ten years. Some of her popular films from this time include The Tender Trap (1955) and High Society (1956), both with Frank Sinatra.

Celeste also starred in TV shows. She played a professor who became a reporter in the CBS series Honestly, Celeste! (1954). She also appeared in the musical Cinderella (1965) as the Fairy Godmother. In the early 1970s, she was in the NBC sitcom Nancy.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Celeste Holm acted in more movies and TV shows. She was in films like Tom Sawyer (1973) and Three Men and a Baby (1987). She also made guest appearances in popular TV series such as Columbo and Falcon Crest. In 1979, she played First Lady Florence Harding in the TV mini-series Backstairs at the White House. She also appeared regularly on the soap opera Loving in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Her last TV appearance was in the series Promised Land (1996–99).

Awards and Recognition

Accepting her Academy Award for Gentleman's Agreement (1947)

Celeste Holm received many awards and honors during her life. She was given the Sarah Siddons Award in 1968 for her great work in Chicago theater. The King of Norway, King Olav, made her a Knight, First Class of the Order of St. Olav in 1979. In 1992, she was added to the American Theater Hall of Fame.

She was also very active in helping others. She was a spokesperson for UNICEF, an organization that helps children worldwide. From 1995, she was the Chairman of the Board of Arts Horizons, a group that supports arts education. In 1995, she was also honored by being inducted into the Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame.

In 2006, Celeste Holm received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the SunDeis Film Festival. In 2009, she was a special guest at a convention where some of her movies were shown, and she received an honorary award.

Personal Life

Celeste Holm was married five times. Her first marriage was at age 19 to Ralph Nelson in 1936. They had a son named Ted Nelson, who later became famous for his work with computers and the internet.

She married Francis Emerson Harding Davies in 1940. This marriage ended in 1945. From 1946 to 1952, she was married to A. Schuyler Dunning, and they had a second son, Daniel Dunning.

In 1961, Celeste married actor Wesley Addy. They lived on her family farm in Washington Township, Morris County, New Jersey. Wesley Addy passed away in 1996.

On her 87th birthday in 2004, Celeste married opera singer Frank Basile. He was 41 years old. After their marriage, Celeste and Frank had a legal disagreement about a financial trust that had been set up for Celeste. This led to a long legal battle.

Later Years and Passing

In her later years, Celeste Holm faced some health challenges. She had memory loss, skin cancer, and other health issues.

In June 2012, she was taken to the hospital. She had a heart attack on July 13, 2012, and passed away two days later at her home in New York City. She was 95 years old.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Radio

Awards and Nominations

In 1960, Celeste Holm received two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. One star is for her work in movies, and the other is for her work on television.

Images for kids

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  Holm in 1999

See also

In Spanish: Celeste Holm para niños