Walter Matthau
74 movies · 14 TV shows
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- Oct 1, 1920
- Died
- Jul 1, 2000 (age 79)
- Place of birth
- New York City, New York, USA
- Also known as
- Walter John 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).
Read the full biography
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.
Profiles IMDb
Known for
Walter Matthau: movies and TV shows
Acting (88)
- Upcoming
- 2000 Hanging Up
as Lou Mozell
- 1998 The Marriage Fool
as Frank Walsh
- 1998 The Odd Couple II
as Oscar Madison
- 1998 Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy
as Narrator
- 1997 Out to Sea
as Charlie
- 1996 I'm Not Rappaport
as Nat Moyer
- 1996 The Grass Harp
as Judge Charlie Cool
- 1995 Grumpier Old Men
as Max Goldman
- 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 Mr. Wilson
- 1992 How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
as Narrator (voice)
- 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
- 1988 The Little Devil
as Padre Maurizio
- 1988 The Couch Trip
as Donald Becker
- 1986 Pirates
as Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red
- 1985 Movers & Shakers
as Joe Mulholland
- 1983 The Survivors
as Sonny Paluso
- 1982 I Ought to Be in Pictures
as Herbert Tucker
- 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 Bad News Bears
as Morris Buttermaker
- 1975 The Sunshine Boys
as Willy Clark
- 1974 Earthquake
as Drunk
- 1974 The Front Page
as Walter Burns
- 1974 The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
as Lieutenant Garber
- 1973 The Laughing Policeman
as Sgt. Jake Martin SFPD
- 1973 Charley Varrick
as Charley Varrick
- 1972 Pete 'n' Tillie
as Pete Seltzer
- 1972 Awake and Sing!
as Moe Axelrod
- 1971 Kotch
as Joseph P. Kotcher
- 1971 Plaza Suite
as Sam Nash / Jesse Kiplinger / Roy Hubley
- 1971 A New Leaf
as Henry Graham
- 1969 Cactus Flower
as Dr. Julian Winston
- 1969 Hello, Dolly!
as Horace Vandergelder
- 1968 Candy
as Gen. R.A. Smight
- 1968 The Secret Life of an American Wife
as The Movie Star
- 1968 The Odd Couple
as Oscar Madison
- 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
- 1964 Fail Safe
as Prof. Groeteschele
- 1964 Ensign Pulver
as Doc
- 1963 Charade
as Hamilton Bartholemew
- 1963 Island of Love
as Tony Dallas
- 1962 Who's Got the Action?
as Tony Gagouts
- 1962 Big Deal in Laredo
as Meredith
- 1962 Lonely are the Brave
as Sheriff Morey Johnson
- 1961
- 1961
- 1961
- 1960 Two by Saroyan: 'Once Around the Block' and 'My Heart's in the Highlands'
as Ben Alexander / Philip Judah
- 1960
- 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
- 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
- 1955 The Indian Fighter
as Wes Todd
- 1955
- 1955 The Kentuckian
as Stan Bodine
- 1954
- 1954 Atomic Attack
as Dr. Spinelli
- 1953
- 1950
- 1950
- 1949
- 1948
- 1948
Behind the camera (2)
- 1980 Little Miss Marker
Executive Producer
- 1959 Gangster Story
Director
Talk shows and appearances (32)
- 2020
- 2015
- 1997
- 1996
- 1995
- 1993
- 1992
- 1989
- 1987
- 1987
- 1986
- 1984
- 1982
- 1982
- 1982
- 1978
- 1976
- 1975 Saturday Night Live
1 episode
- 1975
- 1973
- 1971 Film '72
1 episode
- 1971 Great Performances
1 episode
- 1968
- 1968 The Dick Cavett Show
2 episodes
- 1968
- 1963 Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
1 episode
- 1962 The Merv Griffin Show
1 episode
- 1962 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
5 episodes
- 1961 The Mike Douglas Show
2 episodes
- 1956 Tony Awards
1 episode
- 1953 The Oscars
6 episodes
- 1944 Golden Globe Awards
1 episode