Mark Grueter | Modern Drunkard Magazine

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April 17: Billy Holden’s B-Day
It's William Holden's birthday. One of the finest actors of Hollywood's Golden Age, and he had the Oscar to prove it, Bill starred in many top-shelf movies, including Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, The Wild Bunch, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Stalag 17, Picnic, and a personal favorite, Sunset Boulevard. Soooooooo, did Bill drink? Why, yes he did. They called him an alcoholic most of his career, but Bill didn't seem to mind. Holden was what you would call a risk-taker. Others might call him mad, bad, and dangerous to know. The way he figured it, we weren't put down on this crazy planet to cower in the shadows until Death creeps around. He liked to push the limits, which sometimes got him in trouble with the Man. Top quote: "I don't really know why, but danger has always been an important thing in my life. To see how far I could lean without falling, how fast I could go without cracking up."