Father Geek here with sad duty once again... A great comic and dramatic actor is gone...WALTER MATTHAU has died today...Father Geek 1st noticed him in Elvis' KING CREOLE almost half a century ago, and ever since he has been a favorite of mine in FRONT PAGE, CHARADE, CACTUS FLOWER, FAIL-SAFE (the original), A SHOT IN THE DARK, PLAZA SUITE...as Senator Long in Oliver Stone's JFK, and in my opinion one of the all time thrillers THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE, TWO, THREE... I will never forget him... and it appears you won't either...
I'm sure you've heard; but if not, it is my distasteful duty to
inform you that the GREAT Walter Matthau is no longer with us.
Kip
Here's the AP Release:
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) - Walter Matthau, the foghorn-voiced movie villain
who became a master of crotchety comedy with his Oscar-winning ``The Fortune
Cookie'' and followed with ``The Odd Couple,'' ``Grumpy Old Men'' and many
other hits, died Saturday morning of a heart attack. He was 79.
Matthau was pronounced dead at 1:42 a.m., shortly after being brought into
St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, said hospital spokeswoman Lindi
Funston.
Often cast as a would-be con man foiled by life's travails, Matthau bellowed
complaints against his tormentors and moved his lean, 6-foot-3 frame in
surprising ways.
Said his frequent costar, Jack Lemmon: ``Walter walks like a child's windup
toy.
Matthau's performance as the shyster brother-in-law of Lemmon in ``The
Fortune Cookie'' won him the Academy Award as best supporting actor of 1966.
He was twice nominated for best actor: as the cantankerous oldster in
``Kotch,'' 1971 (directed by Lemmon); and as the feuding vaudeville partner
of George Burns in ``The Sunshine Boys,'' 1975.
``The Odd Couple'' provided the role that established Matthau's stardom. In
1965 he appeared in New York as the slobby sportswriter Oscar Madison in
Neil Simon's play. Art Carney was the fastidious photographer, Felix Unger,
who shared an apartment with Madison after both had been divorced.
Matthau repeated the role in the 1968 film, with Lemmon as Felix. They
reprised their roles 30 years later in the 1998 film ``Odd Couple II.''
``Every actor looks all his life for a part that will combine his talents
with his personality,'' Matthau told Time magazine in 1971. ''`The Odd
Couple' was mine. That was the plutonium I needed. It all started happening
after that.''
The actor could be as whimsically eccentric in interviews as he was on the
screen. Reporters had to exercise caution in separating fact from his
flights of fancy.
In responding to a form for Current Biography, he reported that his father
had been an Eastern Orthodox priest in czarist Russia who ran afoul with
church authorities by preaching the infallibility of the pope. His father
was actually a Kiev pedlar.
Matthau declared that he had married the former Carol Wellington-Smythe
Marcus. His wife was really Carol Marcus, who had been twice married to
playwright William Saroyan.
``That's my defense mechanism against pompous and ludicrous questions,''
Matthau explained. When he filled out his Social Security form in 1937, he
listed his middle name as Foghorn. He never corrected it.
Some of the facts about the actor's early life seem accurate. He was born
Walter Matuchanskayasky on Oct. 1, 1920, in New York City to impoverished
Russian-Jewish immigrants.
The father left home when Walter was 3. Walter and his older brother, Henry,
lived with their mother, a garment worker, in a series of cold water flats
on the lower East Side.
Young Walter showed a dramatic bent early, reading Shakespeare at 7 and
reciting poems in school assemblies at 8. He was introduced to Yiddish plays
at 11, when he sold soft drinks at 2nd Avenue theaters. He made occasional
appearances onstage at 50 cents a performance.
He was already 6 feet tall at 10 and weighed 90 pounds. ``When I drank
cherry soda, I looked like a thermometer,'' he once cracked.
Graduating from Seward Park High School during the Depression, he took
government jobs - as a forester in Montana, gym instructor for the WPA,
boxing coach for policemen. In World War II, he enlisted in the Army Air
Corps and served as radio cryptographer in a heavy bomber unit in Europe.
Matthau ended the war a sergeant with six battle stars and a fistful of
money from poker winnings. Legends of his gambling followed him throughout
his life. While making a TV series in Florida before his movie stardom, he
lost $183,000 betting on spring-training baseball games.
The actor himself made no effort to quash the legends and even contributed
to them. In middle age he estimated his lifetime gambling losses at $5
million.
After release from the Air Corps in October 1945, Matthau enrolled in the
dramatic workshop at New York's New School. Among his fellow students: Gene
Saks, Rod Steiger, Harry Guardino, Tony Curtis. He stayed three years,
living on the GI Bill and playing in regional stock during the summer.
Matthau's first Broadway role came at the age of 28 when he was hired as
understudy for the role of an 83-year-old English bishop in ``Anne of the
Thousand Days,'' starring Rex Harrison.
When the aged English actor playing the role became ill, Matthau went
onstage without a rehearsal. He liked to tell the story of how the surprised
Harrison looked at him and uttered an expletive. Matthau related: ``People
in the audience began muttering to each other: `Did he say ``Oh, spit!''?'''
A series of flop plays followed, then Matthau hit a lucky streak with ``Will
Success Spoil Rock Hunter?,'' ``Once More with Feeling'' and ``A Shot in the
Dark.'' Hollywood took notice.
His first film, ``The Kentuckian'' starring and directed by Burt Lancaster
in 1955, cast him as a villain, and more heavy roles followed. Among the
early films: ``King Creole'' (Elvis Presley), ``A Face in the Crowd'' (Andy
Griffith), ``Lonely Are the Brave'' (Kirk Douglas), ``Charade'' (Cary Grant,
Audrey Hepburn).
He also appeared on dramatic TV shows such as ``Playhouse 90'' and ``DuPont
Show of the Week,'' and starred on the short-lived series ``Tallahassee
7000.''
``The Odd Couple'' and ``The Fortune Cookie'' elevated Matthau to stardom,
and he enjoyed a wide variety of roles for more than 30 years. He appeared
in action thrillers such as ``The Taking of Pelham One Two Three'' and ``The
Laughing Policeman,'' and portrayed a U.S. Supreme Court justice in ``First
Monday in October.'' He even did a musical, ``Hello Dolly!'' costarring with
Barbra Streisand, with whom he publicly feuded.
He was always identified with comedy, something that rankled him.
``When people come up to me and say, `Aren't you that comedian who's in the
movies?' I want to throw up,'' he once complained. ``I throw up a lot.''
Matthau was often teamed with Lemmon, always as adversaries though they were
best friends offscreen. Their films included: ``The Front Page,'' ``Buddy
Buddy,'' ``Grumpier Old Men,'' ``Out to Sea.''
Among Matthau's other films: ``Cactus Flower,'' ``Plaza Suite,'' ``Pete 'n'
Tilly,'' ``Casey's Shadow,'' ``California Suite,'' ``Little Miss Marker,''
``I Ought to Be in Pictures,'' ``Pirates,'' ``Dennis the Menace.''
He was most recently on screen with Meg Ryan, Diane Keaton and Lisa Kudrow
in movie ``Hanging Up,'' released in February.
Matthau was married to Grace Geraldine Johnson from 1948 until their divorce
in 1958. They had two children, David and Jenny. He married Carol Marcus in
1959, and they had one son, Charles, who became a filmmaker and directed his
father in ``The Grass Harp'' in 1996.
The actor survived several serious health setbacks during his career. While
making ``The Fortune Cookie'' in 1966, he suffered a serious heart attack.
His doctor attributed it to smoking three packs a day and constant worry
about gambling and told him to give up both. Matthau stopped smoking.
In 1976, he underwent heart bypass surgery. After working in freezing
Minnesota weather for ``Grumpy Old Men''
in 1993, he was hospitalized for double pneumonia. In December 1995 he had a
colon tumor removed; it tested benign.
He was also hospitalized in May 1999 for more than two months after another
bout with pneumonia.
Matthau attributed his various illnesses to his eating habits: ``If you eat
only celery and lettuce, you won't get sick.... I like celery and lettuce,
but I like it with pickles, relish, corned beef, potatoes, peas. And I like
Eskimo Pies, vanilla ice cream with chocolate covering.''
Since I have not seen the news on your site, I regret to inform you that Walter Mathau has died at 79. Please take time to remeber the guy that made us laugh by just being a slob and being himself.
- Census Taker
Hey head geek - don't know if you have caught this yet or not, but Walter
Matthau of Odd Couple & Grumpy Old Men fame passed away this morning
(7/1/2000) of an apparent heart attack. What a bummer way to start the holiday weekend. Take Care
Crazy Horse
This is Brico, from the chat room. This wasn't on your site when I visited this morning, so I feel I should send it, even if you already know.
This morning, at 1:42 am, Pacific Standard Time, Walter Matthau was pronounced dead of a heart attack. He was 79.
I need to go have myself a good cry now. Another of the Great Ones has passed on. Brico, singing off...
~God rest ye merry gentlemen...~
hihi
you probably got a big old article on the way from some reporter but i still
wanted to mention this.
this morning the amazing actor walter matthau of such films as the odd
couple, iq and the drumpy old men... died at 1:42am of a heart attack shortly
after being brought in to the St. Johns' Health center in Santa Monica
California. This amazing actor was 79 years old. After his first heart attack
in 1966 quit smoking.
i just wanted to inform you guys :) or wait shouldn't that be a :(?
kimby
I was just checking my morning news today when I came across this
on Yahoo.com: Click Here
It seems that Hollywood's best loved "grumpy old man" has passed on. This is
almost up there with Jim Varney's passing, in my opinion. Walter made me
laugh my ass off in most of his movies, and he'll be sorely missed.
Jopapa
Another class act leaves.
Damn........
RobinP
I'm sure you've had a plethora of e-mails about this already, but I haven't
seen an update\eulogy to the page yet, so I figured I'd send the info along
just in case. Walter Matthau, star of stage and screen with the loveable
gruff voice, died of a heart attack this morning at 1:42 am.
While not exactly on the top of my list as favorite actors, we all know
Matthau and while we may not like some of the films he's been in, we can't
deny his charm. He will be missed.
Sincerely,
The Zauriel
I woke up today to horrible news. An actor died. One that brought a smile
to my face anytime I'd think about his. He was my little league coach
growing up anytime I'd play softball for the Bad News Bears, and made me
appreciate the eccentricities and quirks of somebody else. No matter how odd
of a couple we were. He was a great actor. He was Walter Mattau.
Flmlvr
And the wailing begins...
And another...
And here's another thought...
Here's another...
And still more...
One short, but to the point...
And another...
One final note...
And I'm sure talkback will fill up...
