Celeste Holm

Made her Broadway debut in Saroyan's 'The Time of Your Life' when 19.Seven years later after appearing in plays and musicals she was put under contract by 20th Century Fox.

She was nominated for the 2014 New Jersey Hall of Fame in the Arts and Entertainment Category.

(July 15, 2012) Early morning, she was admitted to New York's Roosevelt Hospital with dehydration and suffered a heart attack whilst in the facility. Holm died a few hours later.

She had confirmed that she no longer spoke to her sons following five years of litigation, which resulted in her losing $2 million in lawyer's fees (2 July 2011).

Toured occasionally with her one-woman show, "An Intimate Evening with Celeste", in which she related stories from her long film career, followed by readings from writer Ruth Draper, until her retirement in 2009.

In April 2006, Holm was presented with one of the first two Lifetime Achievement Awards ever awarded by the SunDeis Film Festival at Brandeis University. (Margaret O'Brien received the other.).

Met her fifth husband Frank Basile, 46 years her junior, at a fundraiser in October 1999.

Best remembered by the public for her role as Hattie Green on Promised Land (1996).

Received an honorary degree from Seton Hall University in May 1991.

Grandmother to David Dunning (b. 1981); they have been estranged since 2007.

Turned down the 1977 Broadway revival of "Oklahoma!" when she realized she was wanted for Aunt Eller not Ado Annie.

In 1970, Celeste returned to television series as the chaperon to the president's daughter on Nancy (1970). For the next two decades, she would appear on television in regular series, miniseries and movies.

Celeste Holm (1917-2012), in early 1971, was asked to open the new University of Michigan Professional Theatre program's new just finished stage facility. Celeste Holm and her husband Wesley Addy (m. 22 March 1966-31 Dec 1996, his death) approached their friend Claibe Richardson with the proposal; to present his recent musical "The Grass Harp", staged at the Rhode Island School of Design Auditorium by the Trinity Square Repertory Company, produced and directed by Adrian Hall, to open the new theatre at Michigan University, Ann Arbor. Celeste and husband Wesley Addy had been looking for a musical property for Celeste to perform. Broadway producer Richard Barr, had taken under option "The Grass Harp" property as his new production, agreed to the Celeste Holm proposal. University of Michigan would finance the complete cost of mounting the musical. This opportunity became CFR's chance to get a production mounted to take onto Broadway, financed by the University of Michigan. Celeste would be a featured cast member performing the role "Baby Love" with her heavenly-pride-and-joys. The roulette ball rolling! CFR had to get new orchestrations and adapt the rewrites Kenward Elmslie had recently submitted. CFR, a professional friend with director Ellis Rabb, recommended Ellis to Richard Barr as the musical's director. (Ellis Rabb had never directed a musical in his life, nor would Ellis ever do another musical in his career!). Ellis Rabb brought Michael Tipton, his scenic and lighting designer and costumer Nancy Pptts along. The original Trinity Square cast was evaluated and recast. Barbara Baxley as Dolly Heart Talbo was replaced with Barbara Cook; Carol Bruce as Verena Talbo was replaced with Ruth Ford; Elaine Stritch as Baby Love was replaced with Celeste Holm. James Tilton's stage set had a metal tree trunk and limbs plunked upstage center of the basic main stage set; no casters for moving "in-one" for scenes staged in the tree's branches. Instead, the featured set piece stood planted as a tomb stone center stage, up/towards the back-stage. All musical dance numbers staged up-stage "in-one", while the cast stood "down-stage" observing the action. After the musical closed at Michigan University, the production was moved to NYC, to begin previews October 28th, opening November 2nd. In the transition to Broadway, Celeste Holm had served her purpose of getting the show on track, until everyone decided Celeste was not to be included in the Broadway transfer. CFR's lawyer Rose Caputo was replaced with new legal representation through Richard Barr. Richard Barr wanted Rose Caputo to surrender all of her Claibe Richardson legal material representation. Caputo refused. CFR, nevertheless, got what he wanted with new management, dumping further relations with his friend and lawyer Rose Caputo. The question why was the musical a flop? Between Richard Barr, CFR and Ellis Rabb, Celeste Holm was fired, replaced with Karen Morrow. The physical stage production was doomed with burlap material employed as side leg panels, borders, and as a stage drop masking surround. Burlap brown material is a dense coarse woven fabric which should never be used as stage curtain or stage border configuration because the material absorbs sound, not deflect sound. The audience could hear the orchestra but the cast voices could not get past and over the orchestra pit. The Martin Beck Theatre is an immense theatre auditorium; with little voices, no mikes nor sound support except for Cook and Morrow; a big orchestra for the musical but with no stage hands because there was no scenery to move! Ruth Ford worrying if her silk stocking seam is in a straight line! The musical opened during a newspaper strike with no advance publicity. No advance theatre block-party ticket sales. The musical's closing notice was posted five days after opening November 2nd. The musical can never be revived nor staged because of orchestration copy rights forfeited by CFR and Elmslie.

Her son Ted is an innovator in the information technology industry. It was Nelson who coined the term "hypertext", in the early 1960s.

In 1957 King Olav V of Norway made her Knight 1st Class of the Order of St. Olav for her help in saving one of Norway's national treasures, the schooner "Christian Radich".

They were The Tender Trap (1955) and High Society (1956).

In addition to her stage career, Celeste appeared on television in her own series, Honestly, Celeste! (1954) and as a panelist on Who Pays? (1959).

Lived on Central Park West in Manhattan, New York City, in a co-op apartment she bought in 1953 for $10,000 cash.

But, Celeste was a star who loved the stage so she left Hollywood, only to return for two MGM musicals in the 1950s.

Celeste would be nominated twice more for Academy Awards in the Come to the Stable (1949) and All About Eve (1950).

Was the 29th actress to receive an Academy Award; she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Gentleman's Agreement (1947) at The 20th Academy Awards on March 20, 1948.

With her third film, Gentleman's Agreement (1947), she would win the Supporting Actress Oscar and a Golden Globe.

She was signed by 20th Century Fox in 1946 and appeared in her first film, Three Little Girls in Blue (1946).

Originated the role of boy-crazy Ado Annie, the girl who "cain't say no", in "Oklahoma!" on Broadway in the 1940s.

Her professional theatrical debut was in a production of "Hamlet", with Leslie Howard ("Ashley Wilkes" from Gone with the Wind (1939)).

Gave birth to her 1st child at age 20, a son Theodor "Ted" Nelson on June 17, 1937. Child's father is her 1st ex-husband, Ralph Nelson.

Celeste Holm was an only child, born into a home where her mother was a painter and her father worked in insurance. She would study acting at the University of Chicago and make her stage debut in 1936. Her Broadway debut came when she was 19 in 'The Time of Your Life'. She appeared in many successful plays, including "The Women", "Oklahoma!" and "Bloomer Girl". It was in the production of "Oklahoma!" that Celeste would sing the showstopper, "I Cain't Say No".

Her father was an insurance adjuster for Lloyd's of London who emigrated from Norway to the US in 1909, and her mother a portrait artist and author.

Daughter of Theodor (1888-1978), born in Norway, and Jean (née Parke) Holm (1887-1973), born in the state of Minnesota.

Maternal granddaughter of Charles Parke (1848-1921), born in the state of Illinois, and Blanche (née Newell) Hand (1860-1898), born in the state of New York.