Born in Port of Spain Trinidad of African descent Holder was an actor known for his towering 200centimeter 66 height heavily accented deep basso voice and hearty laugh With that and his appearance in the 1970s 7 Up soft drink uncola advertising campaign Holders image quickly became recognizable He was also in the 1967 movie Dr Dolittle as William Shakespeare Willy and played Baron Samedi one of the main villains henchmen in the 1973 James Bond film Live and Let Die Though the 7 Up advertising campaign lasted only a short while in the early 1970s the company revived the campaign in the early 1980s after Holder achieved a spike in popularity in the 1982 movie version of the musical Annie in which he played the role of Punjab He was a prolific painter ardent art collector and performer who had also authored books and composed music As a choreographer he created dance pieces for many companies including the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and The Dance Theatre of Harlem Holder was married to dancer Carmen De Lavallade whom he met when both were in the cast of Truman Capotes House of Flowers
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