Known For
Acting
Born
Oct 01, 1920
Died
Jul 01, 2000
Place of Birth
New York City, New York, USA
Credits
121 titles
Walter Matthau
Biography
Walter Matthau (born Walter John Matthow; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, comedian and film director. He is best known for his film roles in A Face in the Crowd (1957), King Creole (1958) and as a coach of a hapless little league team in the baseball comedy The Bad News Bears (1976). He also starred in 10 films alongside Jack Lemmon, including The Odd Couple (1968), The Front Page (1974) and Grumpy Old Men (1993). Matthau won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the Billy Wilder film The Fortune Cookie (1966). Matthau is also known for his performances in Stanley Donen's romance Charade (1963), Gene Kelly's musical Hello, Dolly! (1969), Elaine May's screwball comedy A New Leaf (1971) and Herbert Ross' ensemble comedy California Suite (1978). He also starred in Plaza Suite, Kotch (both 1971), Charley Varrick (1973), The Sunshine Boys (1975), and Hopscotch (1980). On Broadway, Matthau originated the role of Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple by playwright Neil Simon, for which he received a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1965, his second after A Shot in the Dark in 1962. Matthau also received two British Academy Film Awards and a Golden Globe Award. In 1963, he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his performance in The DuPont Show of the Week. In 1982, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Known For
Filmography
Elvis: A Life in Music
Self (archive footage)
'Fail-Safe' and the Cold War
Self (archive footage)
Last of the Independents: Don Siegel and the Making of 'Charley Varrick'
Self (archive footage)
Hanging Up
Lou Mozell
The Marriage Fool
Frank Walsh
Private Screenings: Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau
Self
The Odd Couple II
Oscar Madison
Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy
Narrator
Out to Sea
Charlie Gordon
Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough
Self
I'm Not Rappaport
Nat Moyer
Jack Lemmon: America's Everyman
Self
The Grass Harp
Judge Charlie Cool
Grumpier Old Men
Max Goldman
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
Self
I.Q.
Albert Einstein
Incident in a Small Town
Harmon Cobb
Grumpy Old Men
Max Goldman
Dennis the Menace
Mr. Wilson
Beyond JFK: The Question of Conspiracy
Self
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
Narrator (voice)
Laurel and Hardy: A Tribute to the Boys
Self
Against Her Will: An Incident in Baltimore
Harmon Cobb
JFK
Senator Long
Mrs. Lambert Remembers Love
Clifford Pepperman
The Incident
Harmon Cobb
Broadway's Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre
Self (voice)
The Little Devil
Padre Maurizio
The Couch Trip
Donald Becker
A Beverly Hills Christmas
Self
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
Self
Pirates
Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red
Kraft Salutes the George Burns 90th Birthday Special
Self
Movers & Shakers
Joe Mulholland
The Stars Salute the U.S. Olympic Team
Self - Performer
The Survivors
Sonny Paluso
Portrait of a '60% Perfect Man': Billy Wilder
Self
Hollywood: The Gift of Laughter
Self
I Ought to Be in Pictures
Herbert Tucker
I Love Liberty
Self
First Monday in October
Dan Snow
Buddy Buddy
Trabucco
Hopscotch
Miles Kendig
Little Miss Marker
Sorrowful Jones
The Stingiest Man in Town
Ebenezer Scrooge (voice)
Funny Business
Self - Host
California Suite
Marvin Michaels
House Calls
Dr. Charley Nichols
Actor
Boris Thomashevsky
Casey's Shadow
Lloyd Bourdelle