Wissenswertes

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

(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.

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

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".

Was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2002.

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.

Following her divorce from Ralph Nelson, Holm put her son Ted Nelson in the care of her parents in order to pursue her acting career. She saw him only in between breaks from shooting or rehearsals, but maintained a closer relationship with him when Ted became an adult.

Won an undisclosed settlement from Pedro Almodóvar for his use of film footage of her from Alles über Eva (1950) without her permission in his film Alles über meine Mutter (1999); her contract from the film stipulated her image could not be used.

Was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor

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.).

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

Performed in five stage shows with George M. Cohan.

Her professional theatrical debut was in a production of "Hamlet", with Leslie Howard.

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

He appeared in two Best Picture Academy Award winners: Tabu der Gerechten (1947) and Alles über Eva (1950). She also appears in one more Best Picture nominee: Die Schlangengrube (1948) and has an uncredited voice-only role in another: Ein Brief an drei Frauen (1949).

Was a spokesperson for UNICEF.

Inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame in 1992

She became a singer by accident. In WWII she wanted to entertain the troops and had to be a singer so became one.

Appointed to the National Arts Council by President Ronald Reagan.

She has appeared in two films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant Tabu der Gerechten (1947) and Alles über Eva (1950).

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.

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

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

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.

Is one of 14 actresses who won their Best Supporting Actress Oscars in a movie that also won the Best Picture Oscar (she won for Tabu der Gerechten (1947)). The others are Hattie McDaniel for Vom Winde verweht (1939), Teresa Wright for Mrs. Miniver (1942), Mercedes McCambridge for Der Mann, der herrschen wollte (1949), Donna Reed for Verdammt in alle Ewigkeit (1953), Eva Marie Saint for Die Faust im Nacken (1954), Rita Moreno for West Side Story (1961), Meryl Streep for Kramer gegen Kramer (1979), Juliette Binoche for Der englische Patient (1996), Judi Dench for Shakespeare in Love (1998), Jennifer Connelly for A Beautiful Mind: Genie und Wahnsinn (2001), Catherine Zeta-Jones for Chicago (2002) and Lupita Nyong'o for 12 Years a Slave (2013), and Jamie Lee Curtis for Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022).

Her remains are buried in New York City's Woodlawn Cemetery.

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

Is one of 23 Oscar-winning actresses to have been born in the state of New York. The others are Alice Brady, Teresa Wright, Anne Revere, Claire Trevor, Judy Holliday, Shirley Booth, Susan Hayward, Patty Duke, Anne Bancroft, Barbra Streisand, Jane Fonda, Lee Grant, Beatrice Straight, Maureen Stapleton, Whoopi Goldberg, Mercedes Ruehl, Marisa Tomei, Mira Sorvino, Susan Sarandon, Jennifer Connelly, Melissa Leo and Anne Hathaway.

She was nominated for the 2023 New Jersey Hall of Fame in the Performing Arts & Entertainment category.

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.

She was nominated for the 2025 New Jersey Hall of Fame in the Performing Arts and Entertainment category.