Acting
Walter 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). 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.
Movies with Walter Matthau
Dennis the Menace
1993
Candy
1968
JFK
1991
Hello, Dolly!
1969
Chaplin
1992
Grumpy Old Men
1993
Charade
1963
Pirates
1986
The Odd Couple
1968
Earthquake
1974
Fail Safe
1964
Grumpier Old Men
1995
The Fortune Cookie
1966
The Odd Couple II
1998
Charley Varrick
1973
I.Q.
1994
The Front Page
1974
King Creole
1958
Hanging Up
2000
The Bad News Bears
1976
California Suite
1978
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
1974
The Grass Harp
1996
Cactus Flower
1969
The Indian Fighter
1955
Bigger Than Life
1956
Onionhead
1958
A Face in the Crowd
1957
The Couch Trip
1988
The Kentuckian
1955
The Survivors
1983
A Guide for the Married Man
1967
A New Leaf
1971
Out to Sea
1997
Goodbye Charlie
1964
Buddy Buddy
1981
Lonely are the Brave
1962
Mirage
1965
Little Miss Marker
1980
The Incident
1990
The Sunshine Boys
1975
Pete 'n' Tillie
1972
I Love Liberty
1982
The Little Devil
1988
I'm Not Rappaport
1996
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
1995
Who's Got the Action?
1962
I Ought to Be in Pictures
1982
Actor
1978
Plaza Suite
1971
Funny Business
1978
Elvis: A Life in Music
2026
House Calls
1978
Movers & Shakers
1985
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
1987
Ride a Crooked Trail
1958
Ensign Pulver
1964
Jack Benny's Bag
1968
Awake and Sing!
1972
Casey's Shadow
1978
Strangers When We Meet
1960
Hopscotch
1980
The Laughing Policeman
1973
Island of Love
1963
The Marriage Fool
1998
Broadway's Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre
1989
Beyond JFK: The Question of Conspiracy
1993
Mrs. Lambert Remembers Love
1991
Laurel and Hardy: A Tribute to the Boys
1992
First Monday in October
1981
The Lion Roars Again
1975
Gangster Story
1959
The Stingiest Man in Town
1978
The Secret Life of an American Wife
1968
Kotch
1971
Kraft Salutes the George Burns 90th Birthday Special
1986
Against Her Will: An Incident in Baltimore
1992
Portrait of a '60% Perfect Man': Billy Wilder
1982
Slaughter on 10th Avenue
1957
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
1992
Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy
1998
Incident in a Small Town
1994
Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough
1997
Jack Lemmon: America's Everyman
1996
The Stars Salute the U.S. Olympic Team
1984
The Gentleman Tramp
1976
Big Deal in Laredo
1962
Voice in the Mirror
1958
Atomic Attack
1954
Carol Channing and 101 Men
1968
'Fail-Safe' and the Cold War
2020
Hollywood: The Gift of Laughter
1982
Private Screenings: Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau
1998
Last of the Independents: Don Siegel and the Making of 'Charley Varrick'
2015
Two by Saroyan: 'Once Around the Block' and 'My Heart's in the Highlands'
1960
A Beverly Hills Christmas
1987
TV Shows with Walter Matthau
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962
Robert Montgomery Presents
1950
Saturday Night Live
1975
The Mike Douglas Show
1961
Golden Globe Awards
1944
Great Performances
1971
The Philco Television Playhouse
1948
The Merv Griffin Show
1962
Climax!
1954
Tony Awards
1956
The Dick Cavett Show
1968
Dr. Kildare
1961
Studio One
1948
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
1963
Naked City
1958
Suspense
1949
Route 66
1960
The Oscars
1953
Film '72
1971
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1955
Lux Video Theatre
1950
Target: The Corruptors!
1961
Profiles in Courage
1964
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
1973
Tallahassee 7000
1961
General Electric Theater
1953