Peter Falk facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Peter Falk
Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo in 1973
Born	Peter Michael Falk (1927-09-16)September 16, 1927 The Bronx, New York, U.S.
Died	June 23, 2011(2011-06-23) (aged 83) Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Resting place	Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
Education	Hamilton College New School (BA) Syracuse University (MPA)
Occupation	Actor, comedian
Years active	1956–2009
Spouse(s)	Alyce Mayo ​ ​ (m. 1960; div. 1976)​ Shera Danese ​ ​ (m. 1977)​
Children	2
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Peter Michael Falk (born September 16, 1927 – died June 23, 2011) was an American actor. He was famous for playing Lieutenant Columbo in the TV series Columbo. This show ran for many years, from 1968 to 1978, and then again from 1989 to 2003. For his role as Columbo, he won four Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award.

In 1996, TV Guide magazine listed Falk as one of the 50 greatest TV stars ever. After he passed away, he received a special star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013.

Peter Falk first played Columbo in two TV pilot movies. The series then became part of The NBC Mystery Movie and later moved to ABC. He also appeared in many movies like It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), The Great Race (1965), and The Princess Bride (1987). He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor twice.

Falk also worked often with his friend, filmmaker John Cassavetes. They made movies together like Husbands (1970) and Mikey and Nicky (1976).

Early Life and Education

Falk as a senior in high school, 1945

Peter Falk was born in The Bronx, New York City. His father, Michael Peter Falk, owned a clothing store, and his mother, Madeline, was an accountant. His family had roots in Poland, Russia, and Hungary. Peter grew up in Ossining, New York.

When he was three years old, Peter had surgery to remove his right eye because of a type of cancer called retinoblastoma. For most of his life, he wore an artificial eye. This artificial eye gave him his unique squint. Even with this, he played sports like baseball and basketball as a boy. He once told a funny story about taking out his glass eye during a high school baseball game and handing it to the umpire!

Peter Falk first acted on stage at age 12 in a play called The Pirates of Penzance. He went to Ossining High School, where he was a great athlete and president of his senior class. He graduated in 1945.

After high school, Falk briefly attended Hamilton College. He tried to join the military during World War II, but he was not accepted because of his missing eye. Instead, he joined the United States Merchant Marine and worked as a cook. He said that on a ship, "they don't care if you're blind or not."

After his time in the Merchant Marine, Falk went back to college. He studied at The New School for Social Research in New York City, earning a degree in literature and political science in 1951. He also traveled in Europe. Later, he earned a Master's degree in Public Administration from Syracuse University in 1953. He later said he had "no interest in and no aptitude for" a career in government.

Acting Career Begins

First Steps in Acting

Peter Falk first tried to get a job with the CIA, but he was turned down. Then, he worked as a management analyst for the state of Connecticut. He joked that he was such an "efficiency expert" that he couldn't even find his own office on the first day!

While working in Hartford, Falk joined a local theater group. He also took acting classes from Eva Le Gallienne, a famous actress. Falk recalled that he "lied his way" into her class, which was meant for professional actors. One day, when he was late, Le Gallienne asked him why. When he explained he drove from Hartford, she asked what he did there, saying there was no theater. Falk admitted he wasn't a professional actor. Le Gallienne then told him, "Well, you should be." This inspired him to quit his job and move to Greenwich Village in New York City in 1956 to become a full-time actor.

Falk's first role in New York was in a play that closed after just one performance. But his next role was much better, in a play called The Iceman Cometh. In 1956, he made his first appearance on Broadway.

Early Movies and TV Shows

Peter Falk in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)

With Natalie Wood in Penelope (1966)

Even though he was doing well on stage, an agent told Falk that his artificial eye might make it hard for him to get movie roles. A studio boss even told him, "For the same price I can get an actor with two eyes."

However, his performance in the film Murder, Inc. (1960) changed everything. Falk said this role was a "miracle" that "made my career." He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for it.

In 1961, famous director Frank Capra cast Falk in the comedy Pocketful of Miracles. Capra loved Falk's acting, and Falk was nominated for another Oscar for this role. Falk said Capra was a director who truly enjoyed actors.

Throughout the 1960s, Falk had many supporting roles in movies. These included the big comedy It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) and The Great Race (1965).

In Decoy (1959)

Peter Falk and Joanna Barnes from The Trials of O'Brien in 1966

Peter Falk first appeared on television in 1957. He acted in many popular shows of the time, often playing tough characters. He appeared in The Twilight Zone and two of Alfred Hitchcock's TV series.

In 1961, Falk was nominated for an Emmy Award for a TV show called The Law and Mr. Jones. He won his first Emmy in 1962 for a drama called The Price of Tomatoes on The Dick Powell Show. He was the first actor to be nominated for both an Oscar and an Emmy in the same year, and he did it twice!

In 1965, Falk got his first main role in a TV series called The Trials of O'Brien. He played a lawyer who solved mysteries.

Becoming Lieutenant Columbo

As Lt. Columbo, 1973

Lieutenant Columbo is Peter Falk's most famous role. Columbo was a messy, seemingly forgetful police detective who drove an old car. His famous saying was, Just one more thing.

The show Columbo was different from other detective shows. Instead of a "whodunit" (where you don't know who the killer is), Columbo usually showed the murderer at the beginning. The fun was watching how Columbo, with his clever questions and observations, would slowly figure out the crime and catch the killer.

As Lt. Columbo with Martin Landau in episode "Double Shock" where Landau played a dual role as twin brothers, 1973

As Lt. Columbo with Richard Kiley in episode "A Friend In Deed" aired on May 5, 1974

The character of Columbo was first played by other actors before Falk. Peter Falk first played Columbo in a TV movie in 1968. From 1971 to 1978, Columbo was a regular part of the NBC Mystery Movie. The episodes were like TV movies, lasting 90 or 120 minutes. The show came back on ABC in 1989 and aired until 2003. Peter Falk won four Emmys for playing Columbo.

Columbo was very popular around the world. Falk said that even in small villages in Africa, kids would run up to him shouting, "Columbo, Columbo!" Singer Johnny Cash, who acted in one episode, said Peter Falk was very helpful to him as he was not an experienced actor. The first episode of the Columbo series was directed by a young Steven Spielberg, who was only 24 at the time.

Lieutenant Columbo had a Basset Hound dog named Dog. Peter Falk initially didn't want the dog in the show, but once he met the dog, he felt it was "exactly the type of dog that Columbo would own." So, Dog became part of the show in 1972.

Columbo's messy clothes, including his famous shabby raincoat, were actually Peter Falk's own clothes! Falk would often make up small actions for his character on the spot, like fumbling in his pockets or getting distracted. He felt this made the other actors' reactions to Columbo's odd behavior more real. The famous phrase "just one more thing" was created when the writers needed to make a scene longer after Columbo had already left. They just had him come back and say it!

The show also had an unofficial theme song, the children's tune "This Old Man". Peter Falk personally enjoyed this melody, and it became a part of his character.

Peter Falk loved playing Columbo and wanted to do one more episode before he passed away. However, he was diagnosed with dementia in late 2007. Peter Falk died on June 23, 2011, at the age of 83. His death was caused by pneumonia, with complications from Alzheimer's disease. He is buried in Los Angeles, California.

Many famous people shared their sadness after his death. Steven Spielberg said he learned a lot about acting from Peter Falk.

Later Career and Personal Life

John Cassavetes and Peter Falk in 1971

Peter Falk remained good friends with independent film director John Cassavetes. He appeared in several of Cassavetes' films, and Cassavetes even acted in an episode of Columbo.

Falk continued to act in movies, including the comedy The In-Laws, where he played a funny ex-CIA officer. He also appeared in The Great Muppet Caper, The Princess Bride (where he played the grandfather/narrator), and Wings of Desire, a German film where he played a version of himself. In Wings of Desire, he played a character who was once an angel but gave up his immortality to experience life as a human.

In the early 2000s, Falk starred in a series of holiday TV movies where he played Max, a kind guardian angel who helped people. In 2007, he appeared with Nicolas Cage in the thriller Next.

Peter Falk wrote an autobiography called Just One More Thing, which was published in 2006.

Peter Falk in 2007

Peter Falk married Alyce Mayo in 1960, and they adopted two daughters, Catherine and Jackie. They divorced in 1976. In 1977, he married actress Shera Danese, who appeared in more Columbo episodes than any other actress.

Falk was also a talented artist. He had an exhibition of his drawings in 2006. He also enjoyed playing chess.

Statue of Falk as Columbo with his dog in Budapest, Hungary

After Peter Falk's death, his daughter Catherine supported a new law in New York state called "Peter Falk's Law." This law helps protect children from being cut off from their parents if their parents become sick or need a guardian. It ensures they can get information and visit their parents. As of 2020, many states have similar laws.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and Nominations

Academy Awards

Primetime Emmy Awards

Golden Globe Awards

Images for kids

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  On the television game show You Don't Say! in 1967

See also

In Spanish: Peter Falk para niños