William Holden, Stefanie Powers and their African Dream

This is a story about how fame and glamour mixed with a healthy dose of altruism and curiosity led to the formation of the prestigious William Holden

William Holden

Wildlife Foundation and its associated Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy.  

William Holden, one of the biggest box office draws of the 1950s, an Oscar-winning actor and devilishly handsome Hollywood legend carried on a nine-year affair with Stefanie Powers, whose tempestuous but tom-boyish beauty made her one of the most memorable female TV stars of the 1970s and 1980s. With her help, he left behind a legacy far more enduring and meaningful than his acting career. Stefanie remains the globe-trotting president and face of WHWF which she founded in his memory. 

A talented man of many passions (Audrey Hepburn, antique Asian art, Grace Kelly, travel, African wildlife conservation and Stefanie— not in any particular order), his work in Africa was probably his most enduring contribution to the planet. In love with the wildlife of eastern Africa and concerned about their decreasing numbers, Holden and two friends, oilman Ray Ryan and Swiss

Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club today

banker Carl Hirschmann,  bought a run-down hotel and converted it to the Mount Kenya Safari Club, refurbishing it as a ritzy watering hole for his wealthy Hollywood friends, European royalty and American tycoons of every commercial persuasion— the international jet set of the time. 

That was 1959, years before ecology, conservation and wildlife protection were to become popular. In 1967, Bill Holden and his friends purchased the surrounding property and founded the Mount Kenya Game Ranch. When business fell off in the '70s, Holden and his partners sold the club to Saudi millionaire Adnan Khashoggi. But, they kept the surrounding property and elevated the Game Ranch’s 1216 acres to an inspirational wildlife education center for Kenya’s youth and an animal rescue sanctuary.

Stefanie Steps Forward

Bill Holden died in 1981 (more on that later). By the following year, Stefanie Powers was the Founder and President of the William Holden Wildlife Foundation and a director of the Mount Kenya Game Ranch and Wildlife Conservancy in Nanyuki,

Stefanie Powers

Kenya—founded by Bill Holden and TV personality Don Hunt in or around 1964. She was also appointed conservation consultant to Jaguar and Land Rover after creating the Jaguar Conservation Trust operated on their behalf in Central America. 

She has been on the advisory board of four zoos in the United States and has served as a fellow of the Los Angeles Zoo, the Explorers' Club, and the Royal Geographic Society.  She is active in the movement to preserve and protect the dwindling herds of  North American wild horses, and has received numerous international awards for her work in conservation, which she considers a life-long commitment.  Powers still resides part of the year in Kenya. 

Bill Holden and Don Hunt
with zebra colt.

Although her history of animal care predates her relationship with Holden, many credit his inspiration for her dedication to wildlife conservation. Bill spent his time in Hollywood making movies to provide much of the funding for the Mount Kenya Game Ranch while Don Hunt and his wife, Iris, managed the ranch on a day-to-day basis. The partners’ ultimate goal was the preservation of endangered wildlife and its regeneration through selected breeding programs.

William Holden Wildlife Foundation

Today the William Holden Wildlife Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Beverly Hills, California. Its mission statement promises: 

To focus on the educational component of wildlife and environmental protection and conservation. To foster a better understanding of the crucial role flora and fauna plays in the quality of life and its sustenance on our planet with emphasis on practical methods of sustainability accessible to all. To teach alternatives to habitat destruction for man and animals. To enlighten students and visitors to the available innovations in energy producing techniques with low environmental impact. To inspire a personal commitment in all who participate.

The Foundation’s Education Center offers conservation programs designed for the local population and serves well over 10,000 students per year. The Foundation also operates an outreach program which installs libraries and field installations at rural schools to benefit over 2,000 students and their families. Holden realized that educating the people of Kenya was key to preserving their wildlife. Visit their website at http://www.whwf.org/

Bill Holden’s Demons…

Fame and glamour were heaped upon Bill Holden throughout his acting career and they helped with creation of his African dream, but they also contributed to his personal undoing. He was an intensely private man, but the disappointments he suffered were in full view of the curious and the prurient. 

His first marriage, to actress Brenda Marshall, began to unravel when he had a vasectomy at her request after birthing two sons. He enjoyed well-publicized extra-marital affairs with his leading ladies— most famously Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly and Capucine. 

Some biographers have said that Audrey was the real love of his life and credit his transformation from big game hunter to conservationist to the horror he felt after he shot an antelope. Observing its huge eyes and long, slender neck, he exclaimed, ‘I've just shot Audrey Hepburn.’

Holden & Hepburn in Sabrina

During the filming of Sabrina, Bill Holden and Audrey Hepburn fell deeply for one another despite his broken marriage to Brenda who would not agree to a divorce. In the end, Hepburn broke it off when she learned he could not have children-- one of her most cherished aspirations.

Holden suffered from alcoholism and depression for many years. By the early 1960s, his roles reflected his accelerated rate of aging. On the one hand he was no longer “The Golden Boy”, but the deepening lines in his craggy face brought him more mature character roles and acclaim for his acting abilities.

His troubles deepened in 1966 while in Italy. Holden was involved in a traffic accident in which the other driver was killed. Holden had been driving under the influence of alcohol; he was charged with vehicular manslaughter, and received an eight-month suspended prison sentence. Holden was apparently overcome with guilt and friends said this led to even heavier drinking.

Stefanie and Bill

He met Stephanie Powers when he was 56 and she was 32 at a California tennis tournament in 1972. The age difference did not seem to matter as Stephanie loved Bill-- and Kenya. For a while he stopped drinking. But his resolve didn't last and eventually, she too left. But Stefanie has kept both Bill and his promise to Africa in her heart for a very, very long time.

… And His Death

William Holden died in his high-rise apartment on the seaside cliffs of Santa Monica, California in November 1981 at the relatively young age of 63. He was alone and heavily intoxicated. He reportedly slipped on a throw rug, gashed his head on a night table and bled to death. The coroner said he was conscious for at least a half an hour after the fall, but probably did not comprehend the severity of his injury and did not call for help. His body was found on November 16, but forensic evidence suggested he had been dead for several days and probably passed on November 12.

His friend, director Billy Wilder said of Bill Holden: “ Here was a most successful man who virtually abandons his profession to take care of endangered species.  He does not care about himself; indeed he kills himself. What he didn't realize was that he himself was an endangered species: the beautiful American.”

Long live the William Holden Wildlife Foundation! The man did good things despite his demons.