Birthplace of William Holden

One of the most famous people that ever lived in O'Fallon was movie star William Holden, who lived in the house at 319 N. Cherry St. until he was three years old before the family moved to Pasadena, California. Holden's real name was William Franklin Beedle Jr., and he was born in this house on April 17th, 1918. The house was then the property of his paternal grandfather, Walter Beedle. After signing to Paramount Studios in the late 1930s, William Jr. changed his name to William Holden. He continued to reside in California and act for the rest of his life and won the Best Actor Academy Award in 1954. The house continues to be a private residence and has been designated a local landmark by the City of O"Fallon Historic Preservation Commission.

William Beedle Sr. (father of the future movie star) graduated from O"Fallon High School in 1910. He met his future wife, Mary (or Marie) Ball of Litchfield, while the two were students at McKendree College. They were married in the home of William Sr.'s father, Walter Beedle, in O'Fallon (this house at 319 N. Cherry St.). Walter worked as a mining engineer in a local coal mine, the Taylor Mine. Walter's grandfather settled in the Ridge Prairie area of St. Clair County around 1812; Walter was born on the family farm about four miles west of O'Fallon in 1857 to Franklin and Rebecca Wastfield Beedle.

In 1920, William Beedle Sr. was a 28-year-old superintendent at a packing company. He shared the house with his wife Marie (age 25); son William F. (1 year 8 months, later "William Holden"); and widowed father Walter (63). Walter was the homeowner and was retired from mining. All of the Beedles were Illinois natives. Some of the neighbors worked at the coal mine, taught public school, or as a telegraph operator. Ten years before, William Sr. (18) was still single and lived in his parents' household in O'Fallon. Walter A. (52) and his wife Cynthia (47) also shared the home with daughter Gertrude (22); a third child lived elsewhere. Walter worked as a farmer for wages and owned his home; his father was born in Illinois and mother in England. Cynthia was a great-granddaughter of Captain Joseph Ogle, a pioneer settler of St. Clair County; Ogle settled on a large tract in Ridge Prairie around 1802. In 1900. Walter and Cynthia Beedle lived elsewhere in St. Clair County, in Caseyville, with their three children Ralph (15), Gertrude (13), and son William (8). Walter owned his house in Caseyville and worked as a railroad laborer in 1900; Ralph was a farm worker.

The Beedle family, including little William Jr, and infant son Bobby, moved from O'Fallon to Pasadena, California in 1921. Another son, Richard, was born in California. William Sr. worked as a chemist in California and Mary taught school. William Jr. was "discovered" at age 20 by a talent scout while acting in a production at the Pasadena Playhouse; William Jr. was playing the part of an 80-year-old man. When he was signed by Paramount Studios, he was advised to change his name, and "William Holden" was born. Holden was loaned out to Columbia Studios where his first big role was in the movie "Golden Boy" as a violinist who becomes a boxer.

During World War II, Holden served in the U.S. Army Air Force and made training films for the First Motion Picture Unit. His younger brother Bobby was killed in action in the Pacific. Holden won the Award for Best Actor in 1954 at the 26th Annual Academy Awards in Hollywood for his work in the 1953 movie "Stalag 17." Holden, his actress wife Brenda Marshall, and their three children lived in the San Fernando Valley in California in the 1950s. Holden continued to act for the rest of his life; he died in 1981 after an accidental slip and fall injury.

By 1954, the house at 319 N. Cherry St. was the home of Mr. and Mrs. Victor Logan. The house is still a private residence and is recognized as a local landmark.

City of O'Fallon. Landmark Designations - Photos & Descriptions, Historic Preservation Commission. Accessed December 12th, 2022. https://www.ofallon.org/historic-preservation-committee/pages/historical-landmark-designation-photos.

Hill Place. William Holden Gave His All Even "When Time Ran Out....", Hill Place. April 18th, 2013. Accessed December 15th, 2022. http://hillplace.blogspot.com/2013/04/william-holden-when-time-ran-out.html.

Hoffman, Henryk. Three Hollywood Stalwarts in Literature....Peck, Mitchum and Holden. Lewes, DE. Vernon Art and Science Incorporated, 2022.

O'Fallon Centennial Committee. O'Fallon Centennial Celebration, 1854 - 1954, Souvenir Program and History of O"Fallon. O'Fallon, IL. City of O'Fallon, 1954.

U.S. Census Bureau. Household of Walter Beedle, Caseyville District 88, St. Clair Co., Illinois, dwelling 226, family 231. Washington, DC. U.S. Government, 1900.

U.S. Census Bureau. Household of Walter Beedle, O'Fallon District 155, St. Clair Co., Illinois, dwelling 129, family 133. Washington, DC. U.S. Government, 1910.

U.S. Census Bureau. Household of William Beedle, O'Fallon District 205, St. Clair Co., Illinois, dwelling 148, family 158. Washington, DC. U.S. Government, 1920.