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.
Personal Details
Also Known As
Movies (50)
Elvis: A Life in Music
as Self (archive footage)
2026
'Fail-Safe' and the Cold War
as Self (archive footage)
2020
Last of the Independents: Don Siegel and the Making of 'Charley Varrick'
as Self (archive footage)
2015
Revisiting 'Fail-Safe'
as Self (archive footage)
2000
Hanging Up
as Lou Mozell
2000
The Marriage Fool
as Frank Walsh
1998
Private Screenings: Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau
as Self
1998
The Odd Couple II
as Oscar Madison
1998
Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy
as Self
1998
Out to Sea
as Charlie Gordon
1997
Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough
as Self
1997
I'm Not Rappaport
as Nat Moyer
1996
Jack Lemmon: America's Everyman
as Self
1996
The Grass Harp
as Judge Charlie Cool
1996
Grumpier Old Men
as Max Goldman
1995
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
as Self
1995
I.Q.
as Albert Einstein
1994
Incident in a Small Town
as Harmon Cobb
1994
Grumpy Old Men
as Max Goldman
1993
Dennis the Menace
as George Wilson
1993
Beyond JFK: The Question of Conspiracy
as Self
1993
Chaplin
as Self (archive footage)
1992
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
as Narrator (voice)
1992
Laurel and Hardy: A Tribute to the Boys
as Self
1992
Against Her Will: An Incident in Baltimore
as Harmon Cobb
1992
JFK
as Senator Long
1991
Mrs. Lambert Remembers Love
as Clifford Pepperman
1991
The Incident
as Harmon Cobb
1990
Broadway's Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre
as Self (voice)
1989
The Little Devil
as Padre Maurizio
1988
The Couch Trip
as Donald Becker
1988
A Beverly Hills Christmas
as Self
1987
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
as Self
1987
Pirates
as Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red
1986
Kraft Salutes the George Burns 90th Birthday Special
as Self
1986
Movers & Shakers
as Joe Mulholland
1985
The Stars Salute the U.S. Olympic Team
as Self - Performer
1984
The Survivors
as Sonny Paluso
1983
Portrait of a '60% Perfect Man': Billy Wilder
as Self
1982
Hollywood: The Gift of Laughter
as Self
1982
I Ought to Be in Pictures
as Herbert Tucker
1982
I Love Liberty
as Self
1982
First Monday in October
as Dan Snow
1981
Buddy Buddy
as Trabucco
1981
Hopscotch
as Miles Kendig
1980
Little Miss Marker
as Sorrowful Jones
1980
The Stingiest Man in Town
as Ebenezer Scrooge (voice)
1978
Funny Business
as Self - Host
1978
California Suite
as Marvin Michaels
1978
House Calls
as Dr. Charley Nichols
1978