Walter Matthau

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

132

Gender

Male

Birthday

1920-10-01

Deathday

2000-07-01 (79 years old)

Place of Birth

New York City, New York, USA

Also Known As

  • Walter Matuschanskayasky
  • Уолтер Мэттау
  • Walter John Matthau
  • والتر ماتائو

Walter Matthau

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.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Walter Matthau, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

JFK
7.6%

JFK

Dec 20, 1991

Dennis the Menace
5.9%

Dennis the Menace

Jun 9, 1993

Charade
7.7%

Charade

Dec 1, 1963

Grumpy Old Men
6.6%

Grumpy Old Men

Dec 25, 1993

The Odd Couple
7.5%

The Odd Couple

May 16, 1968

I.Q.
6.0%

I.Q.

Dec 24, 1994

Saturday Night Live
6.9%

Saturday Night Live

Oct 11, 1975

Fail Safe
7.8%

Fail Safe

Oct 7, 1964

The Little Devil
6.7%

The Little Devil

Jul 1, 1988

Grumpier Old Men
6.5%

Grumpier Old Men

Dec 22, 1995

Hello, Dolly!
7.0%

Hello, Dolly!

Dec 12, 1969

    • View by:
    • Media type:
    • Department:

Acting

Funny Business as Self - Host
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)
2014
And the Oscar Goes To... as Self (archive footage)
2002
The Kid Stays in the Picture as Self (archive footage)
2000
Revisiting 'Fail-Safe' as Self (archive footage)
2000
Hanging Up as Lou Mozell
1998
The Marriage Fool as Frank Walsh
1998
Private Screenings: Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau as Self
1998
The Odd Couple II as Oscar Madison
1998
Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy as Self
1997
Out to Sea as Charlie Gordon
1997
Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough as Self
1996
I'm Not Rappaport as Nat Moyer
1996
Jack Lemmon: America's Everyman as Self
1995
Grumpier Old Men as Max Goldman
1995
The Grass Harp as Judge Charlie Cool
1995
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies as Self
1994
I.Q. as Albert Einstein
1994
Incident in a Small Town as Harmon Cobb
1993
Grumpy Old Men as Max Goldman
1993
Dennis the Menace as George Wilson
1993
Beyond JFK: The Question of Conspiracy as Self
1992
How The Grinch Stole Christmas! as Narrator (voice)
1992
Laurel and Hardy: A Tribute to the Boys as Self
1992
Against Her Will: An Incident in Baltimore as Harmon Cobb
1991
JFK as Senator Long
1991
Mrs. Lambert Remembers Love as Clifford Pepperman
1990
The Incident as Harmon Cobb
1989
Broadway's Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre as Himself
1988
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life as Self
1988
The Little Devil as Padre Maurizio
1988
The Couch Trip as Donald Becker
1987
A Beverly Hills Christmas as Self
1986
Pirates as Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red
1986
Kraft Salutes the George Burns 90th Birthday Special as Self
1985
Movers & Shakers as Joe Mulholland
1983
The Survivors as Sonny Paluso
1982
Portrait of a '60% Perfect Man': Billy Wilder as Self
1982
Hollywood: The Gift of Laughter as Self
1982
I Ought to Be in Pictures as Herbert Tucker
1982
I Love Liberty as Self
1981
First Monday in October as Dan Snow
1981
Buddy Buddy as Trabucco
1980
Hopscotch as Miles Kendig
1980
Little Miss Marker as Sorrowful Jones
1978
The Stingiest Man in Town as Ebenezer Scrooge (voice)
1978
California Suite as Marvin Michaels
1978
House Calls as Dr. Charley Nichols
1978
Actor as Boris Thomashevsky
1978
Casey's Shadow as Lloyd Bourdelle
1976
The Gentleman Tramp as Self / Narrator
1976
The Bad News Bears as Coach Morris Buttermaker
1975
The Sunshine Boys as Willy Clark
1975
Saturday Night Live as Self - Host
1975
The Lion Roars Again as Self
1974
Earthquake as Drunk
1974
The Front Page as Walter Burns
1974
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three as Lt. Garber
1973
The Laughing Policeman as Sgt. Jake Martin SFPD
1973
Charley Varrick as Charley Varrick
1973
The American Film Institute Salute to ... as Self
1972
Pete 'n' Tillie as Pete Seltzer
1972
Awake and Sing! as Moe Axelrod
1971
Kotch as Joseph P. Kotcher
1971
Plaza Suite as Roy Hubley / Jesse Kiplinger / Sam Nash
1971
A New Leaf as Henry Graham
1971
Great Performances as Self
1969
Cactus Flower as Dr. Julian Winston
1969
Hello, Dolly! as Horace Vandergelder
1968
Candy as Gen. R.A. Smight
1968
Jack Benny's Bag as Self
1968
The Secret Life of an American Wife as The Movie Star
1968
The Dick Cavett Show as Self - Guest
1968
The Odd Couple as Oscar Madison
1968
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
Goodbye Charlie as Leo Sartori
1964
Profiles in Courage as Gov. John Slaton
1964
Profiles in Courage as Andrew Johnson
1964
Fail Safe as Prof. Groeteschele
1964
Ensign Pulver as Doc
1963
Charade as Hamilton Bartholemew
1963
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
1963
Island of Love as Tony Dallas
1962
Who's Got the Action? as Tony Gagouts
1962
Big Deal in Laredo as Meredith
1962
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as Self
1962
The Merv Griffin Show as Self
1962
Lonely are the Brave as Sheriff Morey Johnson
1961
The Mike Douglas Show as Self
1961
Target: The Corruptors!
1961
Dr. Kildare as Franklin Gaer
1961
Tallahassee 7000 as Lex Rogers
1960
Two by Saroyan: 'Once Around the Block' and 'My Heart's in the Highlands' as Ben Alexander / Philip Judah
1960
Route 66
1960
Strangers When We Meet as Felix Anders
1959
Gangster Story as Jack Martin
1958
Ride a Crooked Trail as Judge Kyle
1958
Onionhead as 'Red' Wildoe
1958
Naked City as Peter Kanopolis
1958
Naked City as Dr. Max Lewine
1958
Voice in the Mirror as Dr. Karnes
1958
King Creole as Maxie Fields
1957
Slaughter on 10th Avenue as Al Dahlke
1957
A Face in the Crowd as Mel Miller
1956
Bigger Than Life as Wally Gibbs
1956
Tony Awards as Self - Host
1955
The Indian Fighter as Wes Todd
1955
Alfred Hitchcock Presents as Off. Pete Chandler
1955
Alfred Hitchcock Presents as Moran
1955
Alfred Hitchcock Presents as Harry Wade
1955
Alfred Hitchcock Presents as Phil
1955
The Kentuckian as Stan Bodine
1954
Climax! as Charlie Mapes
1954
Atomic Attack as Dr. Spinelli
1953
The Oscars as Self
1953
General Electric Theater
1953
General Electric Theater as Tom Dutton
1950
Lux Video Theatre as Coastguardsman
1950
Lux Video Theatre as Inspector
1950
Lux Video Theatre as Craig
1950
Robert Montgomery Presents
1950
Robert Montgomery Presents as The Bartender
1949
Suspense as Lawrence Stevens
1948
Studio One as Jacobs
1948
Studio One as Olsen
1948
The Philco Television Playhouse
1948
The Philco Television Playhouse as Iago
1948
The Philco Television Playhouse as Stuart Benson

Directing

1959
Gangster Story as Director

Production

1980
Little Miss Marker as Executive Producer
Movies
TV Shows
People
Search
Walter Matthau