Earl Holliman’s Journey from Small Towns to Hollywood Stardom

Earl Holliman’s path to Hollywood is a story of determination and youthful ambition. At just 14 in 1943, Holliman set his sights on becoming a movie star.

Born and raised in Oil City and Mooringsport—not Shreveport as often reported—he began his journey by traveling to relatives in Camden, Arkansas, then taking a bus to Texarkana, Texas, before hitchhiking all the way to Hollywood. He had saved money from working as a theater usher and a night-shift job at a café near Barksdale Air Force Base. A serviceman he met offered him a place to stay, which turned out to be in El Monte, California—far from Hollywood—but Holliman saw it as a risk worth taking.

After a brief return home and a stint in the Navy, he pursued his dream, studying at the Pasadena Playhouse and UCLA. His persistence led to iconic roles in Giant (1956), Forbidden Planet, The Rainmaker, and The Sons of Katie Elder, as well as TV hits like Police Woman and The Thorn Birds.

Reflecting on his early days, Holliman recalled: “I strutted in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, wondering if people mistook me for a star. It was the innocent dream of youth.”