belfasttelegraph

Monday 20 May 2013

Oscar-winning actress Holm dies

Actress Celeste Holm, pictured at a friend's home in California in 1997 (AP)

Celeste Holm, who soared to Broadway fame in Oklahoma! and won an Oscar in Gentleman's Agreement, has died at the age of 95.

Holm had been in hospital for about two weeks after being admitted with dehydration after a fire in actor Robert De Niro's apartment in the same Manhattan building in Park West.

She had asked to be taken home, and she spent her final days with her husband, Frank Basile, and other relatives and close friends by her side, according to Amy Phillips, her great-niece.

In a career that spanned more than half a century, Holm played everyone from Ado Annie - the girl who just can't say no in Oklahoma! - to a worldly theatrical agent in the 1991 comedy I Hate Hamlet to Bette Davis' best friend in All About Eve.

She won the Academy Award in 1947 for best supporting actress for her performance in Gentleman's Agreement and received Oscar nominations for Come To The Stable (1949) and All About Eve (1950).

Holm was also known for her untiring charity work - at one time she served on nine boards.

But late in her life she was caught up in a bitter, multi-year legal family battle that pitted her two sons against her and her fifth husband - former waiter Basile, whom she married in 2004 and was more than 45 years her junior.

The court fight over investments and inheritance wiped away much of her savings and left her dependent on social security.

The actress and her sons no longer spoke, and she was sued for overdue maintenance and legal fees on her Manhattan apartment.

Latest Entertainment News

Latest Music News

Latest Film & TV News

Latest Eating Out News

Horoscopes

Your Horoscopes by Russell Grant

Taurus:

An embarrassing secret will come to light, affecting your reputation. Somebody who once admired you will now turn away in dismay. Instead of trying to win their affection again, lay low for a wee while. You'll make a much better impression by letting your actions speak for themselves. There is a chance this relationship is beyond redemption. If your former friend decides to keep their distance, you will have no other choice than to respect their feelings. Better luck next time.More