Phillips Holmes

Phillips Raymond Holmes (July 22, 1907 – August 12, 1942) was an American actor. For his contributions to the film industry, he was posthumously given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. Early life, education and career Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the son of Edna Phillips and stage star Taylor Holmes, Holmes enjoyed a privileged childhood and received his education at Trinity College, Cambridge in England, the University of Grenoble in France, and a year at Princeton University where he was spotted in the undergraduate crowd during the filming of Frank Tuttle's Varsity in 1928 and offered a screen test. In the early 1930s, he became a popular leading man, playing leads in a few important productions, notably in Josef von Sternberg's An American Tragedy (1931) and Ernst Lubitsch's Broken Lullaby (1932).

At Paramount, he starred in melodrama and comedy. In 1933, his contract with Paramount ran out and he moved to MGM for one year. As the decade progressed, Holmes' career declined, and he appeared in a few box-office failures, including Sam Goldwyn's poorly received Nana (1934). His last American movie was General Spanky (1936).

Scandal In 1933, Holmes was driving with actress Mae Clarke when he crashed into a parked car. Clarke, who suffered a broken jaw and facial cuts, sued Holmes for , claiming that he had been driving while drunk. Recorded by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission under a younger age of 31, he was buried at the Cemetery of the Gate of Heaven, Hawthorne, New York.

Legacy Holmes has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Filmography

Uneasy Money (1918) as Caddy (film debut, uncredited) Her Market Value (1925) as Party Boy (uncredited) Varsity (1928) as Middlebrook His Private Life (1928) as Pierrot (uncredited) The Wild Party (1929) as Phil The Studio Murder Mystery (1929) as Young Actor (uncredited) Stairs of Sand (1929) as Adam Wansfell Illusion (1929) as Eric's Friend in Audience (uncredited) The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1929) as Roger Longmore Pointed Heels (1929) as Donald Ogden Only the Brave (1930) as Capt. Robert Darrington Paramount on Parade (1930) as Hunter - Episode 'Dream Girl' The Devil's Holiday (1930) as David Stone Grumpy (1930) as Ernest Heron Her Man (1930) as Dan Keefe The Dancers (1930) as Tony Man to Man (1930) as Michael Bolton The Criminal Code (1931) as Robert Graham Stolen Heaven (1931) as Joe Bartlett Confessions of a Co-Ed (1931) as Dan Carter An American Tragedy (1931) as Clyde Griffiths Two Kinds of Women (1932) as Joseph Gresham Jr. Broken Lullaby (1932) as Paul Renard Night Court (1932) as Mike Thomas Make Me a Star (1932) as Phillips Holmes (uncredited) 70,000 Witnesses (1932) as Buck Buchan The Secret of Madame Blanche (1933) as Leonard St. John Men Must Fight (1933) as Bob Seward Looking Forward (1933) as Michael Service Storm at Daybreak (1933) as Csaholyi The Big Brain (1933) as Terry Van Sloan Dinner at Eight (1933) as Ernest DeGraff Beauty for Sale (1933) as Burt Barton Penthouse (1933) as Tom Siddall Stage Mother (1933) as Lord Aylesworth Nana (1934) as Lieutenant George Muffat Caravan (1934) as Lt. von Tokay Private Scandal (1934) as Cliff Barry Million Dollar Ransom (1934) as Stanton Casserly No Ransom (1934) as Tom Wilson Great Expectations (1934) as Pip Ten Minute Alibi (1935) as Colin Derwent The Divine Spark (1935) as Vincenzo Bellini Chatterbox (1936) as Philip 'Phil' Greene Jr The House of a Thousand Candles (1936) as Tony Carleton General Spanky (1936) as Marshall Valient The Dominant Sex (1937) as Dick Shale Housemaster (1938) - Philip de Pourville