Holly Woodlawn
A Warhol superstar who leapt from the streets to the silver screen, embodying the raw, glittering chaos of 1970s New York.
1946–2015 (age 69)·American actress·Birthday: October 26·Baby Boomers
Biography
Born Haroldo Santiago Franceschi Rodriguez Danhakl in Puerto Rico, Holly Woodlawn ran away to New York City as a teenager, reinventing herself entirely. She became a fixture of the downtown scene, a self-created persona of glamour and survival. Andy Warhol cast her in his film 'Trash,' where her performance as a transgender woman rooting through garbage for heroin was both unscripted and electrifyingly real. That role made her a symbol of the era's underground, a status cemented when Lou Reed immortalized her in 'Walk on the Wild Side.' Her later years saw her performing in cabaret and publishing a riotous, poignant memoir, 'A Low Life in High Heels,' ensuring the legend she crafted out of sheer will would endure.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Holly was born in 1946, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Holly Was Born
The biggest hits of 1946
#1 Movie
The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
Holly's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1946Born
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1951Started school
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1959Became a teenager
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Could drive
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1964Could vote
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Turned 21
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1976Turned 30
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 40
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 50
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 60
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2015Died at 69
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
Key Achievements
- Delivered a landmark performance in Andy Warhol's 1970 film 'Trash,' which became a cult classic of underground cinema.
- Was immortalized in pop culture by name in Lou Reed's 1972 hit song 'Walk on the Wild Side.'
- Authored the acclaimed memoir 'A Low Life in High Heels' in 1991, chronicling her extraordinary life.
- Starred as a member of Warhol's troupe in the satirical film 'Women in Revolt' in 1971.
Did You Know?
She was born in Puerto Rico and her birth name was Haroldo Santiago Franceschi Rodriguez Danhakl.
She reportedly survived by shoplifting at Bloomingdale's when she first arrived in New York.
Her stage name was inspired by a character from the comic strip 'Harold Teen.'
“I didn't choose to be famous, I chose to be fabulous.”
