Oscar Winner Celeste Holm Dead at 95

Academy Awarding actress Celeste Holm, best known for roles in classic films like ‘Gentleman’s Agreement’ and ‘All About Eve,’ passed away in her New York apartment early this morning. She was 95 years old.

Born in 1917, Holm rose to prominence on the Broadway stage, where she originated the role of Ado Annie in the first production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic musical ‘Oklahama!’ From there, she made the leap into films and in 1947, she took home the Best Supporting Actress trophy for her role in Elia Kazan’s classic ‘Gentleman’s Agreement,’ one of the earliest films to seriously tackle the subject of anti-Semitism. She also received Oscar nominations for her work in ‘All About Eve’ and ‘Come to the Stable.’

Although she appeared in plenty of other notable films (including ‘The Tender Trap,’ ‘A Letter to Three Wives’ and ‘High Society’), much of her later career was spent on the stage and on television. In 1996, her character on ‘Touched By An Angel’ was spun-off into another series, ‘Promised Land,’ which ran for three years and 67 episodes. Prior to her death, she completed work on two films. ‘Driving Me Crazy’ is scheduled for release sometime this year and ‘College Debts’ will arrive in 2013.

Married five times (including a thirty-five year marriage to Robert Wesley Addy, which ended with his death in 1996), Holm leaves behind a husband, two sons and three grandchildren.