PETER FALK
Date of Birth: September 16, 1927
This native of the Big Apple is best known for the beloved, bumbling
Lieutenant Columbo featured in 30 years of television films. As a child of
three, Falk lost his right eye to a tumor, and had it replaced by a glass
prosthesis, giving him a slightly cross-eyed look. Before acting, Falk
worked as an efficiency expert for the Budget Bureau of the State of
Connecticut. He then decided to take up the art of acting and studied with
Eva Le Galliene and Sanford Meisner
He started his acting career on the New York stage, performing in such plays
as Don Juan and The Iceman Cometh.
In 1960, Falk made took his first major role in the feature, Murder, Inc.
The role not only put him in the limelight, it also garnered him his first
Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He proved the nomination was no
fluke when he was nominated once again for the golden statuette the
following year for his supporting role in A Pocketful of Miracles.
For the next decade, Falk made a number of other memorable showings in such
films as It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), Robin and the Seven
Hoods (1964) and the zany comedy The Great Race (1965).
In 1969, the television film, Prescription: Murder was released. Starring
Falk as the rumpled but cagey police detective, Lieutenant Columbo, the
character would soon become a signature role for him as he would star again
and again in more than 65 hour and a half episodes. The films became so
popular, they began to be shown worldwide, and earned Falk six Emmy award
nominations (winning three), and nine Golden Globes nominations (winning
one).
In the late '80s, Falk began producing all the Columbo films and even
took a stab at both directing a couple of episodes and writing one (Columbo:
It's All in the Game). Although he continued his work in the Columbo
franchise, he did take time off during the '80s and '90s to work on
feature films like The Princess Bride (1987), Tune in Tomorrow (1990), Faraway, So Close (1993), and Roommates (1995). He continues to work in the 2000s, both in TV movies (including a new Columbo in 2003) and feature films such as Shark Tale (2004). In 2000 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival; in 2003 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Method Fest; and 2004 he won a Special David award at the David di Donatello Awards.
Falk has been married twice and has two adopted daughters. He is presently
married to actress Shera Danese.
FILMOGRAPHY:
Next (2007)
Three Days to Vegas (2007)
The Thing About My Folks (2005)
Checking Out (2005)
Shark Tale (2004) (voice)
Undisputed (2002)
Corky Romano (2001)
Made (2001)
3 Days of Rain (2000)
Lakeboat (2000)
Enemies of Laughter (2000)
Vig (1998) (V)
Anything for John (1995)
Cops n Roberts (1995)
Roommates (1995)
In weiter Ferne, so nah! (1993)
Player, The (1992)
In the Spirit (1990)
Tune in Tomorrow... (1990)
Motion & Emotion (1990)
Cookie (1989)
Vibes (1988)
Happy New Year (1987)
The Princess Bride (1987)
Der Himmel über Berlin (1987)
Big Trouble (1985)
Sanford Meisner: The American Theatre's Best Kept Secret (1984)
The Great Muppet Caper (1981)
The In-Laws (1979)
The Brink's Job (1978)
Scared Straight! (1978) (voice)
The Cheap Detective (1978)
Opening Night (1977) (uncredited)
Mikey and Nicky (1976)
Murder by Death (1976)
A Woman Under the Influence (1974)
Husbands (1970)
Rosolino Paternò: Soldato... (1970)
Castle Keep (1969)
Intoccabili, Gli (1968)
Anzio (1968)
Luv (1967)
Too Many Thieves (1966)
Penelope (1966)
Italiani brava gente (1965)
The Great Race (1965)
Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964)
The Balcony (1963)
It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
Pressure Point (1962)
Pocketful of Miracles (1961)
Murder, Inc. (1960)
Pretty Boy Floyd (1960)
The Secret of the Purple Reef (1960)
The Bloody Brood (1959)
Wind Across the Everglades (1958)