Holden was married to actress Ardis Ankerson ( stage name Brenda Marshall ) from 1941 until their divorce 30 years later , in 1971 . They had two sons , Peter Westfield " West " Holden ( 1943 – 2014 ) and Scott Porter Holden ( 1946 – 2005 ) . He adopted his wife 's daughter , Virginia , from her first marriage with actor Richard Gaines . Virginia married an Iranian-born University of Texas , California Lutheran University , & UCLA economics professor Ali Ashgar Vahabzadeh , who had anglicized his name to Ali O. Baylor , and the couple had a daughter Ardis Baylor , who is the mother of Santino William Legan , the perpetrator of Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting . During the filming of the film '' Sabrina '' ( 1954 ) , costar Audrey Hepburn and he had a brief but passionate affair . Holden met French actress Capucine in the early 1960s . The two starred in the films '' The Lion '' ( 1962 ) and '' The 7th Dawn '' ( 1964 ) . They reportedly began a two-year affair , which is alleged to have ended due to Holden 's alcoholism . Capucine and Holden remained friends until his death in 1981
Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting
Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting
William Holden