Peter Falk (Peter Falk): filmography and biography of the actor (photo)

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

"He can break your heart and make you laugh," was how famed director William Friedkin defined this actor's dramatic range. World cinema star Peter Falk is better known to the Russian audience for the television series about the meticulous and charming Lieutenant Colombo. However, the actor has starred in more than one hundred and ninety projects for his long life in art, has solid awards and millions of fans.

Peter Falk. Biography, beginning

He was born on September 16, 1927 in America, but his great-grandfather emigrated here from Russia at the end of the 19th century. The father of the future actor was a haberdasher, his mother was an accountant. Peter did not seriously think about a stage career, despite the fact that at school he took part in children's performances. The boy's interests were versatile: he was fond of not only art, but also sports. After graduating from college, Peter Falk tried to join the U. S. military, but was rejected due to an artificial eye.

Life before the stage

The actor's right eye lost inthree years of age. The kindergarten teacher noticed that the boy was turning his head strangely, looking at something, the child was checked by an ophthalmologist, and it turned out that the baby was suffering from retinoblastoma, a malignant tumor of the retina. The eye was removed and first covered with a black bandage, and later a glass organ was "mounted". Later it was replaced with a plastic one. The prosthesis did not prevent the leadership of the navy from accepting the young Falk on the ship as a spinner. On this occasion, the actor once joked: "No one bothered whether you were blind or not. The only one who should see perfectly is the captain, although in the case of the Titanic, he did not see very well."

After a year and a half in the Navy, Peter Falk returned to New York and entered the university to study literature and politics. In 1951, after graduating from the Institute of Social Research, the young man became the owner of a bachelor's degree in political science. In 1953 he received a master's degree in public administration. Falk tries to get a job at the CIA, but after failing, he goes to work for the State Budget Bureau as an analyst. At the same time, Falk learned the basics of acting in special courses.

Success

The first professional work of Peter Falk was the role of the servant of Don Juan in the play by Moliere, then the actor was already about thirty years old. At the same time, he began to play on Broadway, and in 1957 he was seen by the television public.

In 1960, the actor decided to leave the stage for the cinema and moved to Los Angeles, closer to Hollywood. FirstPeter Falk's feature film was Murder, Incorporated, for which the actor was nominated for an Oscar. He was also nominated for an Emmy Award for his portrayal in The Law and Mr. Jones. And again, the actor became an Oscar contender, starring in the film A Fistful of Miracles, and the owner of an Emmy after the film The Price of Tomato Juice. Such a rapid success in such a short time is not surprising: the actor had a lot of skill and charm.

Television career

The actor chose roles in television projects very deliberately. Turning down a number of uninteresting offers, Falk agreed to participate in a comedy detective series called The O'Brien Case. Despite the fact that the plot and production were at a high level, and the series was positively evaluated by critics, the film did not gain a large rating. Peter Falk showed himself as a comedy genius in it, whose filmography soon shone with another television role that glorified the actor all over the world.

My name is Colombo

That was the name of the series in the Russian version. The character was so accurately and subtly played by the actor that many viewers strongly associated him with a shrewd detective in an eternally wrinkled light raincoat. Colombo lived on the screen for more than 35 years and during this time he collected 4 statuettes "Emmy" for the best male role. The film has also been nominated for the Golden Globe award several times. The first episode aired onIn 1968, it was called "Prescription: Murder", then, in 1971, the second series of the project "Study in Black" appeared. The series was not slow to enter the top five on the NBC Mystery Wheel channel. From 1978 to 1988 in the production of the series there was a break, then the show resumed and continued until 2003. Despite the fact that for thirty-five years the public did not recognize the name of Lieutenant Colobmo, this figure became truly iconic. behavior. Behind the seeming simplicity and naivety of his was a sharp deductive mind, and behind his apparent absent-mindedness - the utmost concentration and the strictest logic. The stories about Colombo also differed from all others in that it was not the mystery of the solution that held the viewer's attention - the audience saw it from the very first frames of the film - but the intriguing work of the mind of a beloved detective with a characteristic squint and an unchanged cigar. Today, loyal fans around the world are united in the Colombo fan clubs and cro sweatingly collecting information about their idol.

Theatrical career

In 1971, the actor was again invited to Broadway, in Neil Simon's production of Prisoner of Second Avenue. For this work, he received a Tony Award. The next theatrical triumph was the role in Arthur Miller's production of Mr. Peter's Connection. In 2000, the actor played in the Los Angeles Geffen Playhouse in the play Defiled. Still, the cinema was a more fertile place for Peter than the theater stage.

Film career

Friendship with director Neil Simone led Falk to star in several of his films - Murder by Death, The Sunshine Boys, where he starred with Woody Allen, and Cheap Detective. Falk's comedic gift was especially evident in the film "The Wedding Party" by Arthur Hiller, which tells about the robbery of a bank car. Here, too, the detective story, which is beloved by the actor, is played out with great humor.

Together with actor Joe Mantena, Peter also starred in The Americans, which won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in 1986. Unforgettable was the actor's performance in the 1999 film "Summer Thunderstorm" by Robert Wise, written by Rod Serling. Collaboration with Joe Mantena in "The Americans" resulted in the fact that Joe invited Peter Falk in his directorial debut - the picture "The Boat", where Falk starred with John Tarturo and Andy Garcia.

The closest friend of the actor was a talented actor, screenwriter and director John Cassavetes. She and Falk were alike in many ways. With a friend, Peter Falk starred in three films: "Husbands", "Woman Under the Influence" and "Mickey and Nikki".

In Bob Reiner's romantic film The Princess Bride, Peter Falk created a funny and touching image of a grandfather who came to visit his sick grandson and read him a book about the princess.

In "The Sky Over Berlin" Falk did an excellent cameo, appearing as an angel. This workbrought the actor high marks from critics. With the same enthusiasm, they met the roles of Peter Falk in the films "Excitement of Fortune", "Listen Tomorrow", "So Far, So Close", "Roommates", "Money Kings".

At the start of the new millennium

During his New Zealand travel days, Falk starred in a two-part film adaptation of Conan Doyle's The Lost World (2001). In the same year, the actor starred in the fairy tale "The City Without Christmas", which took the highest place in the CBS rating. 2002 in the career of an actor was marked by a role in the film "Negotiable". In early 2003, Falk appeared in the film "Colombo Loves the Night", and in April of this year he received the "For Personal Contribution to Cinema" award. From 2003 to 2004, the actor voiced the character of Don Busy in the animated film "Shark Tale". In the 2004 film, based on the theatrical play "Making Room", the role of the head of the family, who declared himself dying in order to gather a family, was once again played by Peter Falk with talent and recklessness. Films with his participation delighted the public until 2009, when the artist starred as Father Randolph in the film "American Primrose".

Personal life and favorite activities

The actor has been fond of chess and drawing all his life. The love for painting arose when, during breaks on the set, he made talented sketches. In America, exhibitions of his works were repeatedly held. Peter Falk (photos of his paintings are on hiswebsite) painted with charcoal and watercolor. In addition, the artist was no stranger to literature and wrote an autobiographical book, in the title of which he used a phrase that Colombo often said: "One more thing: Stories from my life."

The actor was married twice. The first time was with classmate Alice Mayo, with whom they adopted two girls. One of them became a private detective, and the other - a psychologist. The second time Falk married actress Shera Deniz, who played with him in the television series "Colombo". The couple have lived in harmony for over 25 years in a home in Beverly Hills.

Peter Falk died on June 23, 2011 at the age of 83 and is buried at Westwood Cemetery in West Los Angeles.