Matinee Classics - Judd Holdren Biography & Filmography

Judd Holdren ACTOR

PHOTOS

JUDD HOLDREN BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Judd Holdren was born on October 16th, 1915 in Villisca, Iowa with the middle name Clifton, to a family with nine other siblings. As a youngster, he developed an interest in acting and later decided to drop out of high school and he went to study acting at the Omaha Playhouse in Nebraska.

Holdren took a brief break from pursuing his acting career to serve in the United States Coast Guard during World War II. Upon completing his service he chose to relocate to Hollywood and focus 100% on a career in entertainment.

He began with working on a number of films taking on small un-credited roles such as, "All the King's Men" (1949), "Francis the Talking Mule" (1950). Soon he would be cast in the roles he is most well known for portraying the heroic Captain in the serials, "Captain Video, Master of the Stratosphere" (1951), "Zombies of the Stratosphere" (1952), "The Lost Planet" (1953), and the television series, "Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe" (1955), for which he starred in twelve episodes.

In addition to his work in films, he also made a number of television appearances throughout his career on such series as, "Bachelor Father", "Border Patrol", "M-Squad", "Dragnet", "Playhouse 90", "The Web", "Silent Service" and "The Lone Ranger".

His most recent film roles were in 1960 and he was not credited for his work in either of them, "Ice Palace", "The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond" and "Critic's Choice" (1963). Holdren then chose to retire from acting and pursued a whole new career as an insurance salesman.

Judd never married and never had any children of his own. On March 11th, 1974, Judd Holdren committed suicide by taking a bullet to his head. His remains are interred at Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood, California.