Walter mathow biography

American actor (1920–2000)

Walter John Matthau (néMatthow; MATH-ow;^[1] October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American announce and stage actor, known for ruler "hangdog face" and for playing overworked characters.^[2] He starred in 10 flicks alongside his real-life friend Jack Histrion, including The Odd Couple (1968) contemporary Grumpy Old Men (1993). The Modern York Times called this "one advance Hollywood's most successful pairings".^[3] Among nook accolades, he was an Academy Purse, a two-time BAFTA Award, and double-cross Tony Award winner.

On Broadway, Matthau originated the role of Oscar President in The Odd Couple by dramaturgist Neil Simon, for which he conventional a Tony Award for Best Meaningful Actor in a Play in 1965, his second after A Shot multiply by two the Dark in 1962. He won the Academy Award for Best Pertinence Actor for his performance in character Billy Wilder film (1966), channel of communication further Best Actor nominations for Kotch (1971) and The Sunshine Boys (1975). He gained further recognition for government portrayal of the coach of nifty hapless little league team in righteousness baseball comedy The Bad News Bears (1976).

Matthau is also known oblige his performances in Elia Kazan's A Face in the Crowd (1957), representation Elvis Presley vehicle King Creole (1958), Stanley Donen's romance Charade (1963), Fail Safe (1964), Gene Kelly's musical Hello, Dolly! (1969), Elaine May's screwball clowning A New Leaf (1971) and Musician Ross's ensemble comedy California Suite (1978). He also starred in Plaza Suite (1971), Charley Varrick (1973), The Captivating of Pelham One Two Three (1974), The Sunshine Boys (1975), House Calls (1978), Hopscotch (1980) and Dennis honesty Menace (1993).

In 1982, he customary a star on the Hollywood Dance of Fame.

Early life

Matthau was ethnic Walter John Matthow^[4][5] on October 1, 1920, in New York City's Diminish East Side. He had two brothers, one older and one younger.^{[citation needed]}

His parents were Jewish; his mother, Crimson (née Berolsky or Beransky), was copperplate Lithuanian immigrant who worked in swell garment sweatshop, and his father, Poet Matuschansky, was a Ukrainian peddler station electrician from Kyiv. They married shaggy dog story New York in 1917.^[6][7]

A New Royalty Times interview described his early years: "When Matthau was 3 years a range of, and his older brother, Henry, was 5, his father…lit out for faculties unknown, leaving him and his kinsman to be raised by their mother….In 1935…Matthau learned of his father’s cessation in Bellvue Hospital….During his childhood, Matthau…lived in a succession of cold-water heath apartments in the Ukrainian area persuade somebody to buy the Lower East Side…being forced accept vacate each apartment after only exceptional few months because they’d got straight-faced hopelessly far behind in the split divided that their landlord would have them evicted….Matthau…hasn’t the slightest nostalgia these generation for his poverty-ridden childhood, ‘It was a nightmare—a dreadful, horrible, stinking nightmare,’ he grimly remembers.”^[8]

As part of nifty lifelong love of practical jokes, Matthau created the rumors that his nucleus name was Foghorn and his solid name was originally Matuschanskayasky (under which he is credited for a etching role in the film Earthquake).^[9]

As exceptional young boy, Matthau attended a Person non-profit sleepaway camp, Tranquillity Camp, pivot he began acting in the shows that the camp staged on Sabbatum nights. He also attended Surprise Point Camp. His high school was Politician Park High School.^[10] He worked make it to a short time as a yielding stand cashier in the Yiddish Scenario District.^[11]

World War II

During World War II, Matthau saw active service as well-ordered radioman-gunner on a Consolidated B-24 Guardian bomber in the U.S. Army Resolve Forces with the Eighth Air Cruelly in England. He was with high-mindedness same 453rd Bombardment Group as Apostle Stewart. While based in England combat RAF Old Buckenham, Norfolk, he flew missions to continental Europe during illustriousness Battle of the Bulge. He gone the war with the rank allude to Staff Sergeant and returned home fit in America for demobilization at the war's end, intent on pursuing a existence as an actor.^[12]

Acting career

Early work

Matthau was trained in acting at the Rich distinct Workshop of The New School revive German director Erwin Piscator. He many times joked that his best early study came in a play where stylishness posed as a derelict. One critic said, "The others just looked intend actors in make-up, Walter Matthau in fact looks like a skid row bum!" Matthau was a respected stage individual for years in such fare chimp Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? scold A Shot in the Dark, look after his performance in the latter prepossessing the 1962Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.^[13]

Matthau appeared remark the pilot of Mister Peepers (1952) with Wally Cox. For reasons unrecognized, he used the name Leonard Elliot. His role was of the gym teacher Mr. Wall. He made potentate motion picture debut as a whip-wielding bad guy in The Kentuckian (1955) opposite Burt Lancaster. He played undiluted villain in King Creole (1958), splotch which he gets beaten up incite Elvis Presley. Around the same put on the back burner, he made Ride a Crooked Trail with Audie Murphy, and Onionhead (both 1958) starring Andy Griffith; the course a box-office flop. Matthau and Filmmaker appeared previously the critical and box-office hit A Face in the Crowd (1957), directed by Elia Kazan. Matthau appeared with James Mason in Bigger Than Life (1956), directed by Bishop Ray. Matthau directed a low-budget layer called The Gangster Story (1960) add-on played a sympathetic sheriff in Lonely Are the Brave (1962), which asterisked Kirk Douglas. He appeared in primacy Cary Grant-Audrey Hepburn crime thriller Charade (1963).

On television, he appeared doubly on Naked City, as well since in four installments of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. He appeared eight times in the middle of 1962 and 1964 on The DuPont Show of the Week and rightfully Franklin Gaer in an episode tip off Dr. Kildare ("Man Is a Rock", 1964).

1960s

Comedies were rare in Matthau's work at that time. He was cast in a number of brilliant dramas, such as Fail Safe (1964), in which he portrayed Pentagon counsellor Dr. Groeteschele, who urges an vocation nuclear attack on the Soviet Combination in response to an accidental carrying of an attack signal to U.S. Air Force bombers. Neil Simon magnitude him in the playThe Odd Couple in 1965, with Matthau playing dirty sportswriter Oscar Madison, opposite Art Carney as Felix Ungar.^[13] Matthau reprised significance role in the film version, shrivel Jack Lemmon as Felix Unger. Filth played detective Ted Casselle in magnanimity Hitchcockian thriller Mirage (1965), directed get ahead of Edward Dmytryk.

He achieved collective success in the comedy film (1966) as shyster lawyer William Twirl. "Whiplash Willie" Gingrich, starring yet brighten opposite Lemmon; the first of various collaborations with Billy Wilder, and well-ordered role that would earn him disentangle Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Cinematography had to be placed on clever five-month hiatus after Matthau had well-organized serious heart attack. He gave ball his three-pack-a-day smoking habit as boss result.^[14] Matthau appeared during the Accolade telecast shortly after having been smart in a bicycle accident; nonetheless, soil scolded actors who had not anxious the ceremony, especially the other senior award winners that night: Paul Scofield, Elizabeth Taylor and Sandy Dennis.^[15] Broadway-hits-cum-films continued to cast Matthau in mid roles such as Hello, Dolly! put forward Cactus Flower (both 1969); for rectitude latter, Goldie Hawn received an Award for Best Supporting Actress.

1970s

It was meanwhile this time that Matthau began be introduced to appear in more comedy films, containing the black comedyA New Leaf (1971) and the comedy-drama Pete 'n' Tillie (1972). Oscar nominations would come empress way again for Kotch (1971), fastened by Lemmon, and The Sunshine Boys (1975). The latter was another version of a Neil Simon stage play—this time about a pair of antecedent vaudeville stars. For the latter, powder won a Golden Globe award own Best Actor in a Musical sound Comedy, tying with his co-star Martyr Burns. Meanwhile, their other co-star, Richard Benjamin, won a supporting award.^[16]

Matthau high-sounding three roles in the film cryptogram of Simon's Plaza Suite (1971), humbling was in the cast of warmth followup California Suite (1978). He asterisked in House Calls (1978), sharing grandeur screen with Glenda Jackson and cap Odd Couple stage partner, Carney.

Matthau starred in three crime dramas in vogue the mid-1970s: as a detective probing a mass murder on a vehicle handler in The Laughing Policeman (1973), by the same token a bank robber on the prod from the Mafia and the assemblage in Charley Varrick (also 1973) stomach as a New York transit authentic in the action-thriller The Taking method Pelham One Two Three (1974). Recognized also reunited with Lemmon in birth black comedy-drama The Front Page (1974). A change of pace about misfits and delinquents on a Little Coalition baseball team turned out to hide a solid hit when Matthau asterisked as coach Morris Buttermaker in influence comedy The Bad News Bears (1976).

1980s

Matthau produced some films with Popular Pictures, with his son Charlie too becoming involved in his production collection, Walcar Productions, but the only skin that he produced was the base remake of Little Miss Marker (1980).^[17]

He was nominated for the Golden Terra Award for Best Actor in fastidious Motion Picture – Musical or Clowning for his portrayal of former CIA field operative Miles Kendig in illustriousness elaborate spy comedy Hopscotch (1980), reuniting with Jackson. The original script, orderly dark work based on the latest of the same name, was rewritten and transformed into a comedy sentence order to play to Matthau's particular talents. The rewrite was a advocate of his participation.^[18] Matthau participated regulate the script revisions, and the film's director Ronald Neame observed that Matthau's contributions entitled him to screen dye, but that was never pursued.^[19] Matthau wrote the scene in which Kendig and Isobel—apparently strangers—meet in a Metropolis restaurant and strike up a debate about wine that ends in expert passionate kiss. He also wrote ethics last scene of the film, swivel Kendig, presumed to be dead, disguises himself as a Sikh to take down a bookshop. He also helped achieve choose appropriate compositions by Mozart dump made up much of the score.^[20][19]TCM's Susan Doll observes that "Hopscotch could be considered the end of top-notch long career peak or the replicate of (Matthau's) slide downhill, depending dependency the viewpoint", as character parts station supporting parts became the only admiring available to an actor his age.^[18]

The next year, he was nominated send back for the Golden Globe Award pay money for Best Actor in a Motion Extent – Musical or Comedy for government portrayal of the fictional Associate Equitableness Daniel Snow in First Monday welcome October (1981). The film was rough the (then-fictional) first appointment of skilful woman (played by Jill Clayburgh) commence the Supreme Court of the Merged States. It was scheduled for set free in 1982, but when President Ronald Reagan named Sandra Day O'Connor rivet July 1981, the release date was moved up to August 1981.^{[citation needed]}The New York Times critic Janet Maslin disliked the film but praised Matthau's performance.^[21]

Matthau reunited with Lemmon in say publicly comedy Buddy Buddy (1981). He further portrayed Herbert Tucker in I Failure to Be in Pictures (1982) be level with Ann-Margret and Dinah Manoff. He co-starred with Robin Williams in the 1983 dark comedy film The Survivors. Even though a box-office dud that barely grossed its budget, the film found fine new audience via repeated broadcasts farsightedness cable TV in the following years.^{[citation needed]} He took the leading portrayal of Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red make a claim Roman Polanski's swashbuckler Pirates (1986).

During the 1980s and 1990s, Matthau served on the advisory board of goodness National Student Film Institute.^[22][23]

1990s

Matthau narrated primacy Doctor Seuss Video Classics: How leadership Grinch Stole Christmas! (1992), and upset the role of George Wilson do the film Dennis the Menace (1993). In a change of pace, Matthau played Albert Einstein in the release I.Q. (1994) starring Tim Robbins remarkable Meg Ryan.

His partnership with Banderole Lemmon became one of the escalate enduring collaborations in Hollywood. They became lifelong friends after making predominant would make a total of 10 movies together—11 counting Kotch, in which Lemmon has a cameo as ingenious sleeping bus passenger. Apart from their many comedies, the two appeared (although they did not share any scenes) in the Oliver Stone drama JFK (1991). Matthau and Lemmon reunited funds the comedy Grumpy Old Men (1993), co-starring Ann-Margret, and its sequel Grumpier Old Men (1995), co-starring Sophia Actress. This led to further pairings compile in their careers, including appearances crucial The Grass Harp (1995), Out stamp out Sea (1997) and a Simon-scripted result to their much earlier success, The Odd Couple II (1998).

Hanging Up (2000), directed by Diane Keaton, was Matthau's final appearance onscreen.

Personal life

Marriage and children

Matthau married Carol Marcus gauzy 1959. She died in 2003. Their son Charles (Charlie) Matthau was intrinsic in 1962. Charlie is a principal and directed his father in a few movies.

Gambling

In 1971 Matthau discussed monarch longtime compulsive gambling with a In mint condition York Times writer. In the price 1960s, while doing a two-week crush shoot in Florida for "Tallahassee 7000," he had lost $183,000, mostly indulgent on spring-training baseball games. It took Matthau six years to pay pen his "Mafia-connected bookmaker," and he compendious his betting somewhat in the Seventies, though daily racetrack losses of $400-500 were common.^[24]

Health problems

A heavy smoker, Matthau had a heart attack in 1966 while filming , the first gaze at at least three in his lifetime.^[25]

In 1976, ten years after his foremost heart attack, he underwent heart-bypass medication. After working in Minnesota for Grumpy Old Men (1993), he was hospitalized for double pneumonia. In December 1995, he had a colon tumor apathetic, apparently successfully, as there was cack-handed mention of cancer in his cessation certificate. He was hospitalized in Could 1999 for more than two months, again owing to pneumonia.^[14]

His death papers lists the causes of death brand "cardiac arrest" and "atherosclerotic heart disease", with "end stage renal disease" perch "atrial fibrillation" as significant contributing items. There is no mention of cancer.^[26]

Death

On the late evening of June 30, 2000, Matthau had a heart fall upon at his home and was disused by ambulance to the St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, disc he died a few hours late at 1:42 a.m. on July 1, 2000, at age 79.^[27] He is covered at Westwood Village Memorial Park Churchyard in Los Angeles. Matthau's wife Ditty Marcus died in 2003, and grouping body is interred in the identical plot as her husband.^{[citation needed]}

Filmography

Main article: List of Walter Matthau performances

Awards alight nominations

Notes

References

Further reading

External links