Clifton Webb

American actor, singer, dancer

Born: November 19, 1889 · Died: October 13, 1966

Famous Persons

Who was Clifton Webb?

Clifton Webb (born Webb Parmelee Hollenbeck; November 19, 1889 – October 13, 1966) was an American actor, singer, and dancer. Webb was born Webb Parmelee Hollenbeck in Indianapolis, Indiana, the only child of Jacob Grant Hollenbeck (1867 – May 2, 1939), the ticket-clerk son of a grocer from an Indiana farming family, and his wife, Mabel A. (née Parmelee, March 24, 1869 – October 17, 1960), the daughter of David Parmelee, a railroad conductor, and his wife, Grace (née Saville). Webb was subsequently received two more Oscar nominations, Best Supporting Actor for The Razor's Edge (1946) and Best Actor for Sitting Pretty (1948). He also won a Golden Globe for the former, with a second nomination for Stars and Stripes Forever (1952).

Webb's performance in Laura earned him an Academy Award nomination.

Historical significance

Originally trained as a ballroom dancer, he first achieved prominence on Broadway as a star of musicals and revues, and his appearances in the plays of Noël Coward, including Blithe Spirit. He had his film breakthrough at the age of 55 in Otto Preminger's Laura (1944), which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Sources and further reading

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MLA

“Clifton Webb.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/clifton-webb/. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.

APA

Clifton Webb. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/clifton-webb/

Chicago

“Clifton Webb.” thisDay. Accessed October 13, 2026. https://thisday.info/people/clifton-webb/.

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