About
Walter Matthau
Overview
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.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Walter Matthau, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known for
Acting |
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| 2020 | 'Fail-Safe' and the Cold War | Actor | Self (archive footage) | N/A N/A |
| 2015 | Last of the Independents: Don Siegel and the Making of 'Charley Varrick' | Actor | Self (archive footage) | 59 Average |
| 2014 | And the Oscar Goes To... | Actor | Self (archive footage) | 59 Average |
| 2002 | The Kid Stays in the Picture | Actor | Self (archive footage) | 60 Fair |
| 2000 | Revisiting 'Fail-Safe' | Actor | Self (archive footage) | N/A N/A |
| 2000 | Hanging Up | Actor | Lou Mozell | 57 Average |
| 1998 | The Marriage Fool | Actor | Frank Walsh | 59 Average |
| 1998 | Private Screenings: Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau | Actor | Self | N/A N/A |
| 1998 | The Odd Couple II | Actor | Oscar Madison | 59 Average |
| 1998 | Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy | Actor | Self | 59 Average |
| 1997 | Out to Sea | Actor | Charlie Gordon | 58 Average |
| 1997 | Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough | Actor | Self | 59 Average |
| 1996 | I'm Not Rappaport | Actor | Nat Moyer | 58 Average |
| 1996 | Jack Lemmon: America's Everyman | Actor | Self | 59 Average |
| 1995 | Grumpier Old Men | Actor | Max Goldman | 61 Fair |
| 1995 | The Grass Harp | Actor | Judge Charlie Cool | 58 Average |
| 1995 | The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies | Actor | Self | 59 Average |
| 1994 | I.Q. | Actor | Albert Einstein | 59 Average |
| 1994 | Incident in a Small Town | Actor | Harmon Cobb | 59 Average |
| 1993 | Grumpy Old Men | Actor | Max Goldman | 62 Fair |
| 1993 | Dennis the Menace | Actor | George Wilson | 58 Average |
| 1993 | Beyond JFK: The Question of Conspiracy | Actor | Self | 58 Average |
| 1992 | How The Grinch Stole Christmas! | Actor | Narrator (voice) | 59 Average |
| 1992 | Laurel and Hardy: A Tribute to the Boys | Actor | Himself | 59 Average |
| 1992 | Against Her Will: An Incident in Baltimore | Actor | Harmon Cobb | 58 Average |
| 1991 | JFK | Actor | Senator Long | 72 Good |
| 1991 | Mrs. Lambert Remembers Love | Actor | Clifford Pepperman | 59 Average |
| 1990 | The Incident | Actor | Harmon Cobb | 59 Average |
| 1988 | James Stewart: A Wonderful Life | Actor | Self | 59 Average |
| 1988 | The Little Devil | Actor | Padre Maurizio | 62 Fair |
| 1988 | The Couch Trip | Actor | Donald Becker | 58 Average |
| 1987 | A Beverly Hills Christmas | Actor | Self | N/A N/A |
| 1986 | Pirates | Actor | Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red | 60 Fair |
| 1986 | Kraft Salutes the George Burns 90th Birthday Special | Actor | Self | N/A N/A |
| 1985 | Movers & Shakers | Actor | Joe Mulholland | 58 Average |
| 1983 | The Survivors | Actor | Sonny Paluso | 58 Average |
| 1982 | Portrait of a '60% Perfect Man': Billy Wilder | Actor | Self | 59 Average |
| 1982 | Hollywood: The Gift of Laughter | Actor | Self | N/A N/A |
| 1982 | I Ought to Be in Pictures | Actor | Herbert Tucker | 59 Average |
| 1982 | I Love Liberty | Actor | Self | N/A N/A |
| 1981 | First Monday in October | Actor | Dan Snow | 59 Average |
| 1981 | Buddy Buddy | Actor | Trabucco | 59 Average |
| 1980 | Hopscotch | Actor | Miles Kendig | 61 Fair |
| 1980 | Little Miss Marker | Actor | Sorrowful Jones | 59 Average |
| 1978 | The Stingiest Man in Town | Actor | Ebenezer Scrooge (voice) | 58 Average |
| 1978 | California Suite | Actor | Marvin Michaels | 58 Average |
| 1978 | House Calls | Actor | Dr. Charley Nichols | 59 Average |
| 1978 | Actor | Actor | Boris Thomashevsky | N/A N/A |
| 1978 | Casey's Shadow | Actor | Lloyd Bourdelle | 59 Average |
| 1976 | The Gentleman Tramp | Actor | Self / Narrator | 59 Average |
| 1976 | The Bad News Bears | Actor | Coach Morris Buttermaker | 62 Fair |
| 1975 | The Sunshine Boys | Actor | Willy Clark | 60 Fair |
| 1975 | The Lion Roars Again | Actor | Self | N/A N/A |
| 1974 | Earthquake | Actor | Drunk | 59 Average |
| 1974 | The Front Page | Actor | Walter Burns | 64 Fair |
| 1974 | The Taking of Pelham One Two Three | Actor | Lt. Garber | 67 Fair |
| 1973 | The Laughing Policeman | Actor | Sgt. Jake Martin SFPD | 59 Average |
| 1973 | Charley Varrick | Actor | Charley Varrick | 63 Fair |
| 1972 | Pete 'n' Tillie | Actor | Pete Seltzer | 58 Average |
| 1972 | Awake and Sing! | Actor | Moe Axelrod | N/A N/A |
| 1971 | Kotch | Actor | Joseph P. Kotcher | 59 Average |
| 1971 | Plaza Suite | Actor | Roy Hubley / Jesse Kiplinger / Sam Nash | 59 Average |
| 1971 | A New Leaf | Actor | Henry Graham | 62 Fair |
| 1969 | Cactus Flower | Actor | Dr. Julian Winston | 62 Fair |
| 1969 | Hello, Dolly! | Actor | Horace Vandergelder | 63 Fair |
| 1968 | Candy | Actor | Gen. R.A. Smight | 57 Average |
| 1968 | The Secret Life of an American Wife | Actor | The Movie Star | 58 Average |
| 1968 | The Odd Couple | Actor | Oscar Madison | 67 Fair |
| 1968 | Carol Channing and 101 Men | Actor | Self | N/A N/A |
| 1967 | A Guide for the Married Man | Actor | Paul Manning | 59 Average |
| 1966 | The Fortune Cookie | Actor | Willie Gingrich | 63 Fair |
| 1965 | Mirage | Actor | Ted Caselle | 60 Fair |
| 1964 | Goodbye Charlie | Actor | Leo Sartori | 58 Average |
| 1964 | Fail Safe | Actor | Prof. Groeteschele | 67 Fair |
| 1964 | Ensign Pulver | Actor | Doc | 59 Average |
| 1963 | Charade | Actor | Hamilton Bartholemew | 72 Good |
| 1963 | Island of Love | Actor | Tony Dallas | 58 Average |
| 1962 | Who's Got the Action? | Actor | Tony Gagouts | 58 Average |
| 1962 | Big Deal in Laredo | Actor | Meredith | N/A N/A |
| 1962 | Lonely are the Brave | Actor | Sheriff Morey Johnson | 62 Fair |
| 1961 | Tallahassee 7000 | Actor | Lex Rogers | N/A N/A |
| 1960 | Two by Saroyan: 'Once Around the Block' and 'My Heart's in the Highlands' | Actor | Ben Alexander / Philip Judah | N/A N/A |
| 1960 | Strangers When We Meet | Actor | Felix Anders | 59 Average |
| 1959 | Gangster Story | Actor | Jack Martin | 58 Average |
| 1958 | Ride a Crooked Trail | Actor | Judge Kyle | 59 Average |
| 1958 | Onionhead | Actor | 'Red' Wildoe | 59 Average |
| 1958 | Voice in the Mirror | Actor | Dr. Karnes | 59 Average |
| 1958 | King Creole | Actor | Maxie Fields | 59 Average |
| 1957 | Slaughter on 10th Avenue | Actor | Al Dahlke | 58 Average |
| 1957 | A Face in the Crowd | Actor | Mel Miller | 64 Fair |
| 1956 | Bigger Than Life | Actor | Wally Gibbs | 62 Fair |
| 1955 | The Indian Fighter | Actor | Wes Todd | 59 Average |
| 1955 | The Kentuckian | Actor | Stan Bodine | 58 Average |
| 1954 | Atomic Attack | Actor | Dr. Spinelli | 59 Average |
| Funny Business | Actor | Self - Host | N/A N/A |
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Directing |
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| 1959 | Gangster Story | Directing | Director | 58 Average |
Production |
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| 1980 | Little Miss Marker | Production | Executive Producer | 59 Average |