The Expressions of Thomas Holding (1920) 🇬🇧

Thomas Holding — The British stage artiste who scored his biggest success in America.

Thomas Holding, who has mode such a great success in the motion picture world of America, is a Britisher by birth, and that is perhaps one reason why picture-goers in this country take such a great interest in him.

Born at Blackheath, in Kent, Thomas was educated at Rugby, and while at school he always figured prominently in the various teams. Athletics and sports of all kinds were in those days his first interest, and he confesses somewhat sadly now that he did not devote as much time to his studies as he might have done.

His Successes on the Stage.

For over twelve years Thomas Holding followed a career on the legitimate stage, and he played with such talented and popular artistes as Edward Terry, Sir J. Forbes Robertson, Maxine Elliot, and Nazimova — for this last-named artiste had a sparkling career on the speaking stage before she entered the picture firmament.

As a footlight favourite, Thomas Holding toured throughout England, and all over Australia.

Two of his greatest legitimate successes were “Peg o’ My Heart,” in which production he was the leading man, and in the role of that evergreen play, “Ben Hur,” at the Manhattan Opera House.

Each of these productions had protracted runs, and Thomas Holding received many columns of praise from the newspaper critics.

Footlights or Arclights.

In the early days of the screen the popular leading man received many generous offers to leave the stage and devote all his time and energy to the making of photo-plays. But he was wedded to his first art, and it was a long time before he could be induced to make one brief appearance before the camera, and give up the footlights for the arclights of the studio.

One by one, however, Thomas’ friends and acquaintances in the professional world fell to the lure of the screen, and in time he succumbed also.

His bow to picture-goers was made in that very successful screen production, “The Eternal City,” adapted from Hall Caine’s work of the same name.

His leading lady was then Pauline Frederick, and Thomas Holding has since confessed that the pleasure he experienced while acting with this great emotional artiste did more than anything else to convince him that there was something in screen art, after all.

However, since that now far-off day Thomas Holding has appeared in a large number of successful screen plays, and he never regrets the time when he gave way to the persuasion of the motion picture director.

Besides playing for Famous Players, the popular artiste has also appeared in Morosco pictures, Petrova pictures — named after Olga Petrova — and the Keenan-Calvert, Universal and Fox companies.

His Varied Experience.

With Olga Petrova, Thomas Holding starred in “Daughters of Destiny,” a film which most picture-goers appreciated at the time of its release. Other of his numerous successes are: “The Redeeming Love,” “Bella Donna,” “Tempered Steel,” “Marriage,” “Vanity Pool,” “The Danger Zone,” “The Lone Wolf’s Daughter,” and “The Peace of Roaring River.” So, you see, his experiences have been very varied.

With brown-eyed Bessie Barriscale he appeared in “Tangled Threads.”

Possibly no motion picture artiste has acted with a greater number of leading ladies than has Thomas Holding, and he is therefore more fitted to discuss their art, temperament and other things than many people who have professed to study these things.

But all attempts to make him talk are of no avail. When invited to compare the moods or give opinions of Geraldine Farrar, Olga Petrova, Nazimova [Alla Nazimova] or Pauline Frederick, Thomas is silent.

“Picture-goers have an opportunity of seeing the work of all these artistes upon the screen,” he says, “ and they surely do not wish to bring trouble upon my head by leading me into such difficult problems as these.”

The Leading Man Type.

In personal appearance, Thomas Holding is just the type for a leading man. He has dark hair and blue eyes, and is, so those who have seen him declare, even more handsome off the screen than he is on. His height is six feet, and he is perfectly proportioned in every way. He has played both hero and villain with equal success, and personally does not mind much what his role is.

As a means of keeping fit, Thomas Holding is a great believer in outdoor life and open-air exercise. Walking, rowing, motoring and swimming are his favourite recreations, and, according to his outlook on life, it needs a lot of indoor attraction to take a man’s thoughts off these.

There is just one other thing which cannot be forgotten, and that is golf. Of course, every Britisher away from home keeps up his golf, and Thomas Holding is no exception to the rule. It is the great link, he declares, that keeps a man’s thoughts centred on his Mother Country.

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If you write to him, address your letter:
Thomas Holding,
1476 Morgan Place,
Los Angeles,
California.

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Photo Captions:

• In dangerous mood.
• So tired.
• I don’t understand you.
• Must you go.
• Good-bye.

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(Special to “The Picture Show.”)

Collection: Picture Show Magazine, October 1920