Walter Matthau profile
Actor profile

Walter Matthau

1st October 1920 New York City, New York, USA Acting

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.

89 Movies 31 TV Shows 133 Credits
Filmography

Movies & TV Shows

I.Q. poster
I.Q. 24th December 1994 as Albert Einstein
JFK poster
JFK 20th December 1991 as Senator Long
Pirates poster
Pirates 8th May 1986 as Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red
Actor poster
Actor 21st February 1978 as Boris Thomashevsky
Kotch poster
Kotch 17th September 1971 as Joseph P. Kotcher
Plaza Suite poster
Plaza Suite 12th May 1971 as Sam Nash / Jesse Kiplinger / Roy Hubley
Candy poster
Candy 17th December 1968 as Gen. R.A. Smight
Mirage poster
Mirage 29th October 1965 as Ted Caselle
Fail Safe poster
Fail Safe 7th October 1964 as Prof. Groeteschele
Charade poster
Charade 1st December 1963 as Hamilton Bartholemew
Climax! poster
Climax! 7th October 1954 as Charlie Mapes
Suspense poster
Suspense 6th January 1949 as Lawrence Stevens