Tim Holt

Charles John Holt III, better known as Tim Holt, was an American actor whose career spanned over four decades, making him one of the most prolific B‑western stars of his era. Born on February 5, 1919, in Beverly Hills, California, he grew up in a Hollywood family; his father, Jack Holt, was a noted silent‑film star, and his sister Jennifer Holt also pursued a career in westerns. After graduating from Culver Military Academy in 1936, he quickly entered the film industry, landing his first credited role in Stella Dallas (1937) and soon signing a seven‑year contract with RKO Pictures. Holt’s early work included supporting parts in classics such as Stagecoach (1939) and The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), where Orson Welles praised his talent. However, it was his turn as the charismatic cowboy lead in a string of low‑budget westerns that cemented his reputation; between 1940 and 1943 he appeared in eighteen westerns, often paired with sidekicks like Ray Whitley and later the comic Chito played by Richard Martin. His on‑screen persona combined boyish charm with a rugged, dependable heroism that resonated with wartime audiences.

During World War II Holt served as a bombardier in the United States Army Air Forces, earning a Distinguished Flying Cross and a Purple Heart after being wounded over Tokyo. After the war he returned to Hollywood, delivering memorable performances as Virgil Earp in My Darling Clementine (1946) and as Bob Curtin alongside Humphrey Bogart in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948). Despite a brief foray into higher‑budget productions, the decline of the B‑western market and the rise of television led to the end of his long‑running series in 1952. Holt then relocated to Oklahoma, where he managed a radio station, earned a degree in animal nutrition, and remained active in rodeos and western‑themed events until his death from bone cancer on February 15, 1973.