Walter Matthau

Walter Matthau
Matthau in 1952
Born	Walter John Matthow (1920-10-01)October 1, 1920 New York City, U.S.
Died	July 1, 2000(2000-07-01) (aged 79) Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Resting place	Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
Other names	Walter Matuschanskayasky
Occupations	Actor comedian director
Years active	1948–2000
Notable work	Full list
Spouses	Grace Geraldine Johnson ​ ​ (m. 1948; div. 1958)​ Carol Marcus ​ (m. 1959)​
Children	3, including Charles
Awards	(see § Awards and nominations)
Military career
Service/branch	United States Army Air Forces
Years of service	1942–1945
Rank	Staff sergeant
Unit	Eighth Air Force 453rd Bombardment Group
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of the Bulge
Awards	Air Medal Army Good Conduct Medal American Campaign Medal European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal World War II Victory Medal

Walter Matthau (/ˈmæθaʊ/;^[1] born Walter John Matthow; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, comedian and film director. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the Billy Wilder film The Fortune Cookie (1966).

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 Fortune Cookie (1966), The Odd Couple (1968) and its sequel The Odd Couple II (1998), The Front Page (1974), Buddy Buddy (1981) JFK (1991), Grumpy Old Men (1993) and its sequel Grumpier Old Men (1995), The Grass Harp (1995), and Out to Sea (1997). The New York Times called this "one of Hollywood's most successful pairings."^[2]

Matthau is also known for his performances in Stanley Donen's romance Charade (1963), Fail Safe (1964), Gene Kelly's musical Hello, Dolly! (1969), Elaine May's screwball comedy A New Leaf (1971), and Herbert Ross's ensemble comedy California Suite (1978). He also starred in Plaza Suite, Kotch (both 1971); Charley Varrick (1973), The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), The Sunshine Boys (1975), House Calls (1978), Hopscotch (1980), and Dennis the Menace (1993).

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.