Walter Matthau
Born: 1920-10-01 in New York City, New York, USA
Died: 2000-07-01
Known For: Acting
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.
Filmography
2026
- Elvis: A Life in Music as Self (archive footage)
2020
- 'Fail-Safe' and the Cold War as Self (archive footage)
2015
- Last of the Independents: Don Siegel and the Making of 'Charley Varrick' as Self (archive footage)
2000
- Hanging Up as Lou Mozell
- Revisiting 'Fail-Safe' as Self (archive footage)
1998
- The Odd Couple II as Oscar Madison
- The Marriage Fool as Frank Walsh
- Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy as Narrator
- Private Screenings: Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau as Self
1997
- Out to Sea as Charlie Gordon
- Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough as Self
1996
- The Grass Harp as Judge Charlie Cool
- I'm Not Rappaport as Nat Moyer
- Jack Lemmon: America's Everyman as Self
1995
- Grumpier Old Men as Max Goldman
- The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies as Self
1994
- I.Q. as Albert Einstein
- Incident in a Small Town as Harmon Cobb
1993
- Dennis the Menace as George Wilson
- Grumpy Old Men as Max Goldman
- Beyond JFK: The Question of Conspiracy as Self
1992
- Chaplin as Self (archive footage)
- Against Her Will: An Incident in Baltimore as Harmon Cobb
- Laurel and Hardy: A Tribute to the Boys as Self
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas! as Narrator (voice)
1991
- JFK as Senator Long
- Mrs. Lambert Remembers Love as Clifford Pepperman
1990
- The Incident as Harmon Cobb
1989
- Broadway's Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre as Self (voice)
1988
- The Couch Trip as Donald Becker
- The Little Devil as Padre Maurizio
1987
- James Stewart: A Wonderful Life as Self
- A Beverly Hills Christmas as Self
1986
- Pirates as Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red
- Kraft Salutes the George Burns 90th Birthday Special as Self
1985
- Movers & Shakers as Joe Mulholland
1984
- The Stars Salute the U.S. Olympic Team as Self - Performer
1983
- The Survivors as Sonny Paluso
1982
- I Love Liberty as Self
- I Ought to Be in Pictures as Herbert Tucker
- Portrait of a '60% Perfect Man': Billy Wilder as Self
- Hollywood: The Gift of Laughter as Self
1981
- Buddy Buddy as Trabucco
- First Monday in October as Dan Snow
1980
- Hopscotch as Miles Kendig
- Little Miss Marker as Sorrowful Jones
1978
- California Suite as Marvin Michaels
- The Stingiest Man in Town as Ebenezer Scrooge (voice)
- House Calls as Dr. Charley Nichols
- Casey's Shadow as Lloyd Bourdelle
- Actor as Boris Thomashevsky
- Funny Business as Self - Host
1976
- The Bad News Bears as Coach Morris Buttermaker
- The Gentleman Tramp as Self / Narrator
1975
- Saturday Night Live as Self - Host
- The Sunshine Boys as Willy Clark
- The Lion Roars Again as Self
1974
- Earthquake as Drunk
- The Taking of Pelham One Two Three as Lt. Garber
- The Front Page as Walter Burns
1973
- The American Film Institute Salute to ... as Self
- Charley Varrick as Charley Varrick
- The Laughing Policeman as Sgt. Jake Martin SFPD
1972
- Pete 'n' Tillie as Pete Seltzer
- Awake and Sing! as Moe Axelrod
1971
- Great Performances as Self
- A New Leaf as Henry Graham
- Plaza Suite as Sam Nash / Jesse Kiplinger / Roy Hubley
- Kotch as Joseph P. Kotcher
1969
- Hello, Dolly! as Horace Vandergelder
- Cactus Flower as Dr. Julian Winston
1968
- The Dick Cavett Show as Self - Guest
- Candy as Gen. R.A. Smight
- The Odd Couple as Oscar Madison
- The Secret Life of an American Wife as The Movie Star
- Jack Benny's Bag as Self
- Carol Channing and 101 Men as Self
1967
- A Guide for the Married Man as Paul Manning
1966
- The Fortune Cookie as Willie Gingrich
1965
- Mirage as Ted Caselle
1964
- Profiles in Courage as Gov. John Slaton
- Fail Safe as Prof. Groeteschele
- Ensign Pulver as Doc
- Goodbye Charlie as Leo Sartori
1963
- Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre as Tom Gregory
- Charade as Hamilton Bartholemew
- Island of Love as Tony Dallas
1962
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as Self
- The Merv Griffin Show as Self
- Lonely are the Brave as Sheriff Morey Johnson
- Who's Got the Action? as Tony Gagouts
- Big Deal in Laredo as Meredith
1961
- The Mike Douglas Show as Self
- Dr. Kildare as Franklin Gaer
- Target: The Corruptors!
- Tallahassee 7000 as Lex Rogers
1960
- Route 66
- Strangers When We Meet as Felix Anders
- Two by Saroyan: 'Once Around the Block' and 'My Heart's in the Highlands' as Ben Alexander / Philip Judah
1959
- Gangster Story as Jack Martin
1958
- Naked City as Peter Kanopolis
- King Creole as Maxie Fields
- Ride a Crooked Trail as Judge Kyle
- Voice in the Mirror as Dr. Karnes
- Onionhead as 'Red' Wildoe
1957
- A Face in the Crowd as Mel Miller
- Slaughter on 10th Avenue as Al Dahlke
1956
- Tony Awards as Self - Host
- Bigger Than Life as Wally Gibbs
1955
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents as Off. Pete Chandler
- The Indian Fighter as Wes Todd
- The Kentuckian as Stan Bodine
1954
- Climax! as Charlie Mapes
- Atomic Attack as Dr. Spinelli
1953
- The Oscars as Self
- General Electric Theater
1950
- Robert Montgomery Presents
- Lux Video Theatre as Coastguardsman
1949
- Suspense as Lawrence Stevens
1948
- The Philco Television Playhouse
- Studio One as Jacobs
1944
- Golden Globe Awards as Self - Nominee / Presenter