Hollenbeck

According to two Murrow biographies Hollenbeck was ". . a veteran of wartime radio reporting, a bony, furrow faced man with a nervous stomach, a deceptively velvet voice, and the look of a tortured intellectual."

"Hollenbeck was a wreck of a man, emaciated, high strung, a heavy drinker, suffering from ulcers and obsessed by a failed marriage. He was emotionally and physically sick, and frightened of losing his job."

. . . from biographies of Murrow by A.M. Sperber, and Joseph Persico.

It's pretty apparent from the clues in the film, that he was in a very fragile state of mind at the time of the Murrow broadcast castigating McCarthy. In the days leading up to Murrow's comments, he voiced his personal concerns about his own past political
connections and how that might affect his job.
Yet, after Murrow's show, he showed the courage of his convictions by stating on-air his strong
support of Murrow's
controversial editorial,
risking personal attacks by the some in the press.
He had a lot at stake,
both personally and professionally, and it just all quickly unraveled for him, psychologically -- resulting in his committing suicide in his home. What a tragedy ...

Probably all of those things. I guess in the 1950s people didn't seek help with a therapist or psychologist. Too bad.

He was depressed among other things. Great role by Ray Wise.