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Walter Matthau

Walter Matthau

Birthday: 1920-10-01 | Place of Birth: New York City, New York, USA

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.

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Known For

Acting

Year
Title

Role

2020
'Fail-Safe' and the Cold War

as    Self (archive footage)

2000
Hanging Up

as    Lou Mozell

1998
The Marriage Fool

as    Frank Walsh

1998
The Odd Couple II

as    Oscar Madison

1997
Out to Sea

as    Charlie Gordon

1996
The Grass Harp

as    Judge Charlie Cool

1996
I'm Not Rappaport

as    Nat Moyer

1996
1995
Grumpier Old Men

as    Max Goldman

1994
I.Q.

as    Albert Einstein

1994
Incident in a Small Town

as    Harmon Cobb

1993
Dennis the Menace

as    George Wilson

1993
Grumpy Old Men

as    Max Goldman

1992
1992
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

as    Narrator (voice)

1990
The Incident

as    Harmon Cobb

1988
The Couch Trip

as    Donald Becker

1988
The Little Devil

as    Padre Maurizio

1987
A Beverly Hills Christmas

as    Self

1986
Pirates

as    Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red