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Walter Matthau
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), E…
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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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BODY OF WORK
Walter Matthau's Filmography
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'Fail-Safe' and the Cold War
as Self (archive footage)
Last of the Independents: Don Siegel and the Making of 'Charley Varrick'
as Self (archive footage)
Hanging Up
as Lou Mozell
The Marriage Fool
as Frank Walsh
The Odd Couple II
as Oscar Madison
Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy
as Narrator
Out to Sea
as Charlie
Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough
as Self
I'm Not Rappaport
as Nat Moyer
Jack Lemmon: America's Everyman
as Self
The Grass Harp
as Judge Charlie Cool
Grumpier Old Men
as Max Goldman
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
as Self
I.Q.
as Albert Einstein
Incident in a Small Town
as Harmon Cobb
Grumpy Old Men
as Max Goldman
Dennis the Menace
as Mr. Wilson
Beyond JFK: The Question of Conspiracy
as Self
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
as Narrator (voice)
Laurel and Hardy: A Tribute to the Boys
as Self
Against Her Will: An Incident in Baltimore
as Harmon Cobb
JFK
as Senator Long
Mrs. Lambert Remembers Love
as Clifford Pepperman
The Incident
as Harmon Cobb
No Poster
Broadway's Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre
as Self (voice)
The Little Devil
as Padre Maurizio
The Couch Trip
as Donald Becker
A Beverly Hills Christmas
as Self
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
as Self
Pirates
as Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red
Kraft Salutes the George Burns 90th Birthday Special
as Self
Movers & Shakers
as Joe Mulholland
The Stars Salute the U.S. Olympic Team
as Self - Performer
The Survivors
as Sonny Paluso
Portrait of a '60% Perfect Man': Billy Wilder
as Self
Hollywood: The Gift of Laughter
as Self
I Ought to Be in Pictures
as Herbert Tucker
I Love Liberty
as Self
First Monday in October
as Dan Snow
Buddy Buddy
as Trabucco
Hopscotch
as Miles Kendig
Little Miss Marker
as Sorrowful Jones
The Stingiest Man in Town
as Ebenezer Scrooge (voice)
No Poster
Funny Business
as Self - Host
California Suite
as Marvin Michaels
House Calls
as Dr. Charley Nichols
Actor
as Boris Thomashevsky
Casey's Shadow
as Lloyd Bourdelle
The Gentleman Tramp
as Self / Narrator
The Bad News Bears
as Morris Buttermaker
The Sunshine Boys
as Willy Clark
No Poster
The Lion Roars Again
as Self
The Making of Pelham One Two Three
as Self
Earthquake
as Drunk
The Front Page
as Walter Burns
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
as Lieutenant Garber
The Laughing Policeman
as Sgt. Jake Martin SFPD
Charley Varrick
as Charley Varrick
Pete 'n' Tillie
as Pete Seltzer
Awake and Sing!
as Moe Axelrod
Kotch
as Joseph P. Kotcher
Plaza Suite
as Sam Nash / Jesse Kiplinger / Roy Hubley
A New Leaf
as Henry Graham
Cactus Flower
as Dr. Julian Winston
Hello, Dolly!
as Horace Vandergelder
Candy
as Gen. R.A. Smight
Jack Benny's Bag
as Self
The Secret Life of an American Wife
as The Movie Star
The Odd Couple
as Oscar Madison
Carol Channing and 101 Men
as Self
A Guide for the Married Man
as Paul Manning
The Fortune Cookie
as Willie Gingrich
Mirage
as Ted Caselle
Goodbye Charlie
as Leo Sartori
Fail Safe
as Prof. Groeteschele
Ensign Pulver
as Doc
Charade
as Hamilton Bartholemew
Island of Love
as Tony Dallas
Who's Got the Action?
as Tony Gagouts
No Poster
Big Deal in Laredo
as Meredith
Lonely are the Brave
as Sheriff Morey Johnson
Two by Saroyan: 'Once Around the Block' and 'My Heart's in the Highlands'
as Ben Alexander / Philip Judah
Strangers When We Meet
as Felix Anders
Gangster Story
as Jack Martin
Ride a Crooked Trail
as Judge Kyle
Onionhead
as 'Red' Wildoe
Voice in the Mirror
as Dr. Karnes
King Creole
as Maxie Fields
Slaughter on 10th Avenue
as Al Dahlke
A Face in the Crowd
as Mel Miller
Bigger Than Life
as Wally Gibbs
The Indian Fighter
as Wes Todd
The Kentuckian
as Stan Bodine
Atomic Attack
as Dr. Spinelli