Walter Matthau Overview:

Legendary actor, Walter Matthau, was born Walter John Matthow on Oct 1, 1920 in New York City, NY. Matthau appeared in over 100 film and TV roles. His best known films include A Face in the Crowd (as Mel Miller), Charade (as Hamilton Bartholemew), Fail-Safe (as Groeteschele), The Fortune Cookie (as Willie Gingrich), Cactus Flower (as Dr. Julian Winston), Hello, Dolly (as Horace Vandergelder) and of course The Odd Couple (as Oscar Madison)!. Matthau died at the age of 79 on Jul 1, 2000 in Santa Monica, CA and was laid to rest in Westwood Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, CA.

MINI BIO:

Bloodhounded-faced, growly and phlegmatic, Walter Matthau's mastery of comic timing and crumpled features were at first hidden behind conventional villain roles. From 1962 to 1965 he stole too many films from the stars to be denied leading parts -- and an Oscar for The Fortune Cookie clinched his position as an unconventional superstar.

(Source: available at Amazon Quinlan's Film Stars).

HONORS and AWARDS:

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Walter Matthau was nominated for two Academy Awards, winning one for Best Supporting Actor for The Fortune Cookie (as Willie Gingrich) in 1966.

Academy Awards

YearAwardFilm nameRoleResult
1966Best Supporting ActorThe Fortune Cookie (1966)Willie GingrichWon
1971Best ActorKotch (1971)Joseph P. KotcherNominated
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He was honored with one star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the category of Motion Pictures. Walter Matthau's handprints and footprints were 'set in stone' at Grauman's Chinese Theater during imprint ceremony #170 on Apr 2, 1998.

Walter Matthau BlogHub Articles:

The Five Best Walter Matthau Performances

By Rick29 on Apr 13, 2020 From Classic Film & TV Cafe

1. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) - Four men hijack a New York subway and hold the passengers for ransom, demanding that $1 million be delivered within an hour. One passenger will be executed for every minute that the money is late. As the unlikely hero of this tense suspense film, Matth... Read full article


Walter Matthau Plays Hopscotch

By Rick29 on Jan 21, 2019 From Classic Film & TV Cafe

When CIA operative Miles Kendig (Walter Matthau) lets a Soviet spy get away, his new boss is most displeased. Kendig explains the logic behind his actions, but his explanation is abruptly dismissed. He is banished to a desk job until his retirement. The veteran spy has no intention of complying with... Read full article


Walter Matthau Makes House Calls With Glenda Jackson

By Rick29 on Sep 27, 2018 From Classic Film & TV Cafe

Walter Matthau as a widower. Relationship comedies were all the rage in the late 1970s. Jill Clayburgh played a woman who becomes suddenly single when her husband of 16 years leaves her in An Unmarried Woman (1978). Burt Reynolds was a divorced man struggling to get over his ex-wife in Starting Ove... Read full article


Interview with Jacqueline Scott: The Classic TV Actress Discusses Raymond Burr, Walter Matthau, and Curly Hair

By Rick29 on Mar 31, 2016 From Classic Film & TV Cafe

Jacqueline Scott and David Janssen in The Fugitive.. With over 100 credits, actress Jacqueline Scott has forged a remarkable career in film and television. She has worked with legendary directors such as Steven Spielberg, Don Siegel (multiple times), and William Castle. She made her biggest impact,... Read full article


Seven Things to Know About Walter Matthau

By Rick29 on Dec 21, 2014 From Classic Film & TV Cafe

Carol Grace and Walter Matthau. 1. Walter Matthau met his second wife, Carol Grace, when they both appeared in the 1955-56 Broadway hit Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? She was previously married--twice--to playwright and author William Saroyan (The Human Comedy). In her 1992 memoir, Among The Porcu... Read full article


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Walter Matthau Quotes:

Murray: I'm telling you, I'm worried. I know Felix. He's going to try something crazy.
Vinnie: You mean you just threw him out?
Oscar Madison: That's right, I threw him out. It was my decision. All right, I admit it. Let it be on my head.
Vinnie: Let what be on your head?
Oscar Madison: How should I know? Felix put it there. Ask him.
Speed: He's out there somewhere.
Oscar Madison: Listen, he was driving us all crazy with his napkins and his ashtrays and his bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches. All of you said so.
Roy: We didn't say kick him out, Oscar.
Oscar Madison: Well, who do you think I did it for? I did it for us!
Roy: Us?
Oscar Madison: Yes, that's right. Do you know what he was planning for next Friday night's poker game as a change of pace? Do you have any idea?
Vinnie: What?
Oscar Madison: A luau! A Hawaiian luau! Roast pork, fried rice, spareribs - they don't play poker like that in Honolulu!


Felix Ungar: In other words, you're throwin' me out.
Oscar Madison: Not in other words. Those are the perfect ones!


Sheriff Morey Johnson: You'd think we're chasing a ghost... an invisible horse and an invisible cowboy. Harry, throw me that canteen. I haven't got enough spit left to wet a stick of gum.


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Walter Matthau Facts
Served in the US Army Air Force, 8th Air Force, 453rd Bombardment Group in England with James Stewart.

After filming Grumpy Old Men (1993) in 1993 in freezing weather in Minnesota, he was hospitalized for double pneumonia.

Dan Castellaneta has said that his original voice for Homer Simpson was simply an impression of Matthau.

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