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Peter Falk(1927-2011)

  • Actor
  • Producer
  • Director
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000166
Peter Falk at an event for Columbo: Columbo Likes the Nightlife (2003)
Character Official Trailer Distributor - Indie Rights, Ltd.
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Char·ac·ter (2009)
37 Videos
99+ Photos
Peter Michael Falk was born on September 16, 1927, in New York City, New York. At the age of 3, his right eye was surgically removed due to cancer. He graduated from Ossining High School, where he was president of his class. His early career choices involved becoming a certified public accountant, and he worked as an efficiency expert for the Budget Bureau of the state of Connecticut before becoming an actor. On choosing to change careers, he studied the acting art with Eva Le Gallienne and Sanford Meisner. His most famous role is that of the detective Columbo (1971); however, this was not his first foray into acting the role of a detective. During a high school play, he stood in for such a role when the original student actor fell sick. He has been married twice, and is the father of two children:Catherine, a private detective in real life, and Jackie. He was diagnosed with dementia in 2008, which was most likely brought on by Alzheimer's disease, from which he died on June 23, 2011.
BornSeptember 16, 1927
DiedJune 23, 2011(83)
BornSeptember 16, 1927
DiedJune 23, 2011(83)
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000166
  • Nominated for 2 Oscars
    • 21 wins & 29 nominations total

Photos304

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Known for

Peter Falk in Columbo (1971)
Columbo
8.3
TV Series
  • Columbo
Murder by Death (1976)
Murder by Death
7.2
  • Sam Diamond
  • 1976
Peter Falk and Fred Savage in The Princess Bride (1987)
The Princess Bride
8.0
  • The Grandfather
  • 1987
Ving Rhames and Wesley Snipes in Undisputed (2002)
Undisputed
6.1
  • Mendy Ripstein
  • 2002

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor



  • Val Kilmer, Peter Falk, Bruce Dern, Cloris Leachman, Rip Torn, Diane Ladd, and Ronnie Gene Blevins in American Cowslip (2009)
    American Cowslip
    4.8
    • Father Randolph
    • 2009
  • Peter Falk, George Segal, Rip Torn, and Bill Cobbs in Three Days to Vegas (2007)
    Three Days to Vegas
    4.6
    • Gus 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald
    • 2007
  • Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore, and Jessica Biel in Next (2007)
    Next
    6.2
    • Irv
    • 2007
  • The Thing About My Folks (2005)
    The Thing About My Folks
    6.4
    • Sam Kleinman
    • 2005
  • Checking Out (2005)
    Checking Out
    5.8
    • Morris Applebaum
    • 2005
  • When Angels Come to Town (2004)
    When Angels Come to Town
    6.6
    TV Movie
    • Max
    • 2004
  • Will Smith and Jack Black in Shark Tale (2004)
    Shark Tale
    6.0
    • Don Feinberg (voice)
    • 2004
  • Peter Falk, Valerie Bertinelli, David Cubitt, Jennifer Pisana, and William Russ in Finding John Christmas (2003)
    Finding John Christmas
    6.3
    TV Movie
    • Max
    • 2003
  • Peter Falk, Tim Daly, and Josh Hutcherson in Wilder Days (2003)
    Wilder Days
    5.7
    TV Movie
    • James 'Pop Up' Morse
    • 2003
  • Columbo: Columbo Likes the Nightlife (2003)
    Columbo: Columbo Likes the Nightlife
    7.1
    TV Movie
    • Columbo
    • 2003
  • Ving Rhames and Wesley Snipes in Undisputed (2002)
    Undisputed
    6.1
    • Mendy Ripstein
    • 2002
  • Three Days of Rain (2002)
    Three Days of Rain
    5.4
    • Waldo
    • 2002
  • Bob Hoskins, Elaine Cassidy, and Tom Ward in The Lost World (2001)
    The Lost World
    6.7
    TV Mini Series
    • Theo
    • 2001
  • A Town Without Christmas (2001)
    A Town Without Christmas
    6.1
    TV Movie
    • Max
    • 2001
  • Chris Kattan in Corky Romano (2001)
    Corky Romano
    4.7
    • Francis A. Romano
    • 2001

Producer



  • Columbo: Columbo Likes the Nightlife (2003)
    Columbo: Columbo Likes the Nightlife
    7.1
    TV Movie
    • executive producer
    • 2003
  • Peter Falk, Scott Atkinson, Charles Cioffi, Billy Connolly, Hillary Danner, Richard Riehle, and Chad Willett in Columbo: Murder with Too Many Notes (2001)
    Columbo: Murder with Too Many Notes
    6.7
    TV Movie
    • executive producer
    • 2001
  • Columbo: Ashes to Ashes (1998)
    Columbo: Ashes to Ashes
    7.5
    TV Movie
    • executive producer
    • 1998
  • Peter Falk, Raye Birk, Donna Bullock, Barry Corbin, Shera Danese, and David Rasche in Columbo: A Trace of Murder (1997)
    Columbo: A Trace of Murder
    7.5
    TV Movie
    • executive producer
    • 1997
  • Columbo: Strange Bedfellows (1995)
    Columbo: Strange Bedfellows
    7.1
    TV Movie
    • executive producer
    • 1995
  • Columbo: Undercover (1994)
    Columbo: Undercover
    6.9
    TV Movie
    • executive producer
    • 1994
  • Columbo: Butterfly in Shades of Grey (1994)
    Columbo: Butterfly in Shades of Grey
    7.2
    TV Movie
    • executive producer
    • 1994
  • Columbo: It's All in the Game (1993)
    Columbo: It's All in the Game
    7.8
    TV Movie
    • executive producer
    • 1993
  • Peter Falk in Columbo: A Bird in the Hand (1992)
    Columbo: A Bird in the Hand
    7.2
    TV Movie
    • executive producer
    • 1992
  • Peter Falk in Columbo: No Time to Die (1992)
    Columbo: No Time to Die
    6.3
    TV Movie
    • executive producer
    • 1992
  • Peter Falk and Rip Torn in Columbo: Death Hits the Jackpot (1991)
    Columbo: Death Hits the Jackpot
    7.5
    TV Movie
    • executive producer
    • 1991
  • Columbo: Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star (1991)
    Columbo: Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star
    7.4
    TV Movie
    • co-executive producer
    • 1991
  • Columbo: Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health (1991)
    Columbo: Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health
    7.2
    TV Movie
    • co-executive producer
    • 1991
  • Columbo: Columbo Goes to College (1990)
    Columbo: Columbo Goes to College
    7.8
    TV Movie
    • co-executive producer
    • 1990
  • Columbo: Murder in Malibu (1990)
    Columbo: Murder in Malibu
    6.6
    TV Movie
    • co-executive producer
    • 1990

Director



  • Peter Falk in Columbo (1971)
    Columbo
    8.3
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1972

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Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative names
    • Peter M. Falk
  • Height
    • 5′ 6″ (1.68 m)
  • Born
    • September 16, 1927
    • New York City, New York, USA
  • Died
    • June 23, 2011
    • Beverly Hills, California, USA(cardiorespiratory arrest, pneumonia and Alzheimer's disease)
  • Spouses
      Shera DaneseDecember 7, 1977 - June 23, 2011 (his death)
  • Children
      Catherine Falk
  • Parents
      Michael Peter Falk
  • Other works
    Music video: Appeared in the Ray Parker Jr. video "Ghost Busters"
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Print Biography
    • 7 Articles
    • 6 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Once when he was playing in a Little League game, the umpire called him out. Falk thought that he was safe. He pulled his glass eye out of its socket and handed it to the umpire, telling him, "Here, I think you might need this.".
  • Quotes
    [upon losing to Peter Ustinov for the 1961 Oscars] When I hit the seat, I turned to the press agent and said "You're fired!" I didn't want him charging me for another day.
  • Trademarks
      As Columbo: The raincoat, the cigar, the slouch, the false exit followed by the catchphrase, "One more thing..."
  • Salaries
      Murder by the Book
      (1971)
      $350,000 per 2 hour episode

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