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Hal Holbrook, Tony and Emmy-Winning Actor, Dead at 95

By Zach Seemayer‍ 11:13 PM PST, February 1, 2021

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Celebrated stage and screen star Hal Holbrook has died, Holbrook's publicist, Steve Rohr, confirms to ET. He was 95.

Holbrook died on Jan. 23 at his home in Beverly Hills. No cause of death has yet been released.

Holbrook was best known for his role as Mark Twain, whom he portrayed for decades in a one-man show he developed, Mark Twain Tonight! Between the 1950s and 2010, Holbrook performed the show over 2,000 times throughout multiple productions on Broadway and in other venues nationwide.

Holbrook was born on Feb. 17, 1925 in Cleveland, Ohio. He began acting and performing while attending Denison University, where he first developed his show about Twain's life. The beloved show would go on to earn him a Best Actor Tony Award in 1966, and a TV adaptation earned him his first of many Emmy nominations in 1967.

Holbrook also had an incredible film and TV career spanning over six decades, with over 130 credits and innumerable accolades.

Holbrook had memorable roles in many acclaimed films including Lincoln, The Firm, Men of Honor, All the President's Men and Into the Wild, which snagged him an Oscar nomination and a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

He was nominated for a total of 12 Emmys, and won a total of five times -- including two Emmys in the same year, 1974, earning the awards for Best Lead Actor in a Drama and Actor of the Year for his performance in Pueblo.

His TV credits include Designing Women, North & South, Evening Shade, The West Wing, ER, The Event and Sons of Anarchy, among many others.

He is survived by three children and two stepdaughters, as well as four grandchildren.