Acting
Walter Matthau
EN, HU, IT cinema · 94 credits
Born
1 October 1920
Died
1 July 2000 (aged 79)
Birthplace
New York City, New York, USA
Also known as Walter John Matthau
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.
Known for
Filmography
'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 Odd Couple II
as Oscar Madison
Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy
as Narrator
The Marriage Fool
as Frank Walsh
Out to Sea
as Charlie
I'm Not Rappaport
as Nat Moyer
The Grass Harp
as Judge Charlie Cool
Grumpier Old Men
as Max Goldman
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
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
as Narrator (voice)
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
Broadway's Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre
1989
Broadway's Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre
as Self (voice)
The Couch Trip
as Donald Becker
The Little Devil
as Padre Maurizio
Pirates
as Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red
Movers & Shakers
as Joe Mulholland
The Stars Salute the U.S. Olympic Team
as Self - Performer
The Survivors
as Sonny Paluso
I Ought to Be in Pictures
as Herbert Tucker
Buddy Buddy
as Trabucco
First Monday in October
as Dan Snow
Hopscotch
as Miles Kendig
Little Miss Marker
as Sorrowful Jones, Executive Producer
California Suite
as Marvin Michaels
House Calls
as Dr. Charley Nichols
Casey's Shadow
as Lloyd Bourdelle
The Stingiest Man in Town
as Ebenezer Scrooge (voice)
Funny Business
1978
Funny Business
as Self - Host
Actor
as Boris Thomashevsky
The Bad News Bears
as Morris Buttermaker
The Gentleman Tramp
as Self / Narrator
The Sunshine Boys
as Willy Clark
The Front Page
as Walter Burns
Earthquake
as Drunk
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
as Lieutenant Garber
Charley Varrick
as Charley Varrick
The Laughing Policeman
as Sgt. Jake Martin SFPD
Pete 'n' Tillie
as Pete Seltzer
Awake and Sing!
as Moe Axelrod
Plaza Suite
as Sam Nash / Jesse Kiplinger / Roy Hubley
A New Leaf
as Henry Graham
Kotch
as Joseph P. Kotcher
Cactus Flower
as Dr. Julian Winston
Hello, Dolly!
as Horace Vandergelder
The Odd Couple
as Oscar Madison
Candy
as Gen. R.A. Smight
The Secret Life of an American Wife
as The Movie Star
A Guide for the Married Man
as Paul Manning
The Fortune Cookie
as Willie Gingrich
Mirage
as Ted Caselle
Fail Safe
as Prof. Groeteschele
Goodbye Charlie
as Leo Sartori
Charade
as Hamilton Bartholemew
Island of Love
as Tony Dallas
Lonely are the Brave
as Sheriff Morey Johnson
Who's Got the Action?
as Tony Gagouts
Strangers When We Meet
as Felix Anders
Two by Saroyan: 'Once Around the Block' and 'My Heart's in the Highlands'
as Ben Alexander / Philip Judah
Gangster Story
as Jack Martin, Director
Ride a Crooked Trail
as Judge Kyle
King Creole
as Maxie Fields
Voice in the Mirror
as Dr. Karnes
Onionhead
as 'Red' Wildoe
A Face in the Crowd
as Mel Miller
Slaughter on 10th Avenue
as Al Dahlke
Bigger Than Life
as Wally Gibbs
The Kentuckian
as Stan Bodine
The Indian Fighter
as Wes Todd
Atomic Attack
as Dr. Spinelli