# R.I.P. Hal Holbrook **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** celebrity-death\ **Created:** [February 2, 2021, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-hal-holbrook/932043 "2021-02-02T12:09:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-hal-holbrook/932043/1 "2021-02-02T12:09:17Z")
[Hal Holbrook](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/02/theater/hal-holbrook-dead.html?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20210202&instance_id=26658&nl=the-morning®i_id=119968082&segment_id=50802&te=1&user_id=daeffd3dd102c14d378e3849f08c7822) passed away on January 23 at the age of 95. He played Mark Twain longer than Samuel Clemens did. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-hal-holbrook/932043/2 "2021-02-02T13:04:28Z")
He lived to 95, he always seemed old and I remember him from when I was a kid. He was excellent on the Sopranos. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-hal-holbrook/932043/3 "2021-02-02T13:06:11Z")
An old roommate of mine had Magnum Force on VHS. I enjoyed many happy hours watching Hal Holbrook play a baddie (not to mention evil Hutch, evil Otter and evil Spenser for Hire). ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-hal-holbrook/932043/4 "2021-02-02T13:08:19Z")
Superb actor. Well done old man, a life well lived. Whenever I think of Mark Twain I hear his voice. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-hal-holbrook/932043/5 "2021-02-02T13:21:54Z")
Damn. I hadn’t heard that. I’ve got a copy of his “play” _Mark Twain Tonight_, but he actually structured it as a series of vignettes he could mix and match for his audience. He was interviewed for Ken Burns’ PBS show on Twain, but his stuff didn’t make it into the show. You can hear it on the companion audio CD, where he talks about his experiences playing Twain for years. Of course, Holbrook had many other roles. Just look him up on Wikipedia or IMDB. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-hal-holbrook/932043/6 "2021-02-02T13:34:23Z")
I saw him do _Mark Twain Tonight_ in 1974 (I think). I also remember him as Julia Sugarbaker’s boyfriend on _Designing Women_. RIP, Hal. Now he’ll meet the _real_ Mark Twain. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-hal-holbrook/932043/7 "2021-02-02T14:38:19Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I also remember him as Julia Sugarbaker’s boyfriend on _Designing Women_ . His wife, IRL. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-hal-holbrook/932043/8 "2021-02-02T15:23:36Z")
Oh, I didn’t know that. Interesting. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-hal-holbrook/932043/9 "2021-02-02T16:00:18Z")
What could be more satisfying in life than feeding Adrienne Barbeau to the Tasmanian Devil? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-hal-holbrook/932043/10 "2021-02-02T16:04:32Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > What could be more satisfying in life than feeding Adrienne Barbeau to the Tasmanian Devil? \_ Serving up Richard Nixon to Woodward and Bernstein. Holbrook played Deep Throat in _All the President’s Men_. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-hal-holbrook/932043/11 "2021-02-02T16:49:40Z")
Wait, he’s _not_ the guy from Barney Miller? I had no idea! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-hal-holbrook/932043/12 "2021-02-02T17:36:57Z")
That would be Hal Linden. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-hal-holbrook/932043/13 "2021-02-02T17:40:55Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > he always seemed old and I remember him from when I was a kid Same here. I think he was born avuncular. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-hal-holbrook/932043/14 "2021-02-02T17:50:57Z")
Now he has joined Chaucer, Milton, Shakespeare, and the real Mark Twain. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-hal-holbrook/932043/15 "2021-02-02T18:39:58Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > He played Mark Twain longer than Samuel Clemens did. I feel bad for laughing at this time, but Damn, that’s funny! > [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > What could be more satisfying in life than feeding Adrienne Barbeau to the Tasmanian Devil? Uh, Burp, we need to talk… ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-hal-holbrook/932043/16 "2021-02-02T18:40:27Z")
Wouldn’t it be something if reports of his death are greatly exaggerated? 🤨 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-hal-holbrook/932043/17 "2021-02-02T18:44:24Z")
You figure he hooked up with Julie Strain and the two of them ran off together? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-hal-holbrook/932043/18 "2021-02-02T18:48:36Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Julie Strain Things like this do seem to be happening more frequently these days. 😖 ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-hal-holbrook/932043/19 "2021-02-02T21:32:26Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > > [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > > > What could be more satisfying in life than feeding Adrienne Barbeau to the Tasmanian Devil? \_ > > Serving up Richard Nixon to Woodward and Bernstein. How about sending a fake radio message to attract the Imperial Japanese Navy to an ambush at Midway so you can send them all to a watery hell? ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2021, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-hal-holbrook/932043/20 "2021-02-03T00:00:55Z")
When I was in high school, one of his relatives was my English teacher. Hal was the guest speaker for one class session. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-hal-holbrook/932043.md?page=2)