Karl Malden
Highest Rated: 100% Hotel (1967)
Lowest Rated: 0% The Sting II (1983)
Birthday: Mar 22, 1912
Birthplace: Not Available
The son of Yugoslav immigrants, Karl Malden labored in the steel mills of Gary, Indiana before enrolling in Arkansas State Teachers College. While not a prime candidate for stardom with his oversized nose and bullhorn voice, Malden attended Chicago's Goodman Dramatic School, then moved to New York, where he made his Broadway bow in 1937. Three years later he made his film debut in a microscopic role in They Knew What They Wanted (1940), which also featured another star-to-be, Tom Ewell. While serving in the Army Air Force during World War II, Malden returned to films in the all-serviceman epic Winged Victory (1944), where he was billed as Corporal Karl Malden. This led to a brief contract with 20th Century-Fox -- but not to Hollywood, since Malden's subsequent film appearances were lensed on the east coast. In 1947, Malden created the role of Mitch, the erstwhile beau of Blanche Dubois, in Tennessee Williams' Broadway play A Streetcar Named Desire; he repeated the role in the 1951 film version, winning an Oscar in the process. For much of his film career, Malden has been assigned roles that called for excesses of ham; even his Oscar-nominated performance in On the Waterfront (1954) was decidedly "Armour Star" in concept and execution. In 1957, he directed the Korean War melodrama Time Limit, the only instance in which the forceful and opinionated Malden was officially credited as director. Malden was best known to TV fans of the 1970s as Lieutenant Mike Stone, the no-nonsense protagonist of the longrunning cop series The Streets of San Francisco. Still wearing his familiar Streets hat and overcoat, Malden supplemented his income with a series of ads for American Express. His commercial catchphrases "What will you do?" and "Don't leave home without it!" soon entered the lexicon of TV trivia -- and provided endless fodder for such comedians as Johnny Carson. From 1989-92, Malden served as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Highest Rated Movies

Filmography

MOVIES

CREDIT
67% Who Is Norman Lloyd? Actor — 2007
No Score Yet Brando Actor — 2007
83% Broadway: The Golden Age Actor — 2004
No Score Yet Ballad of a Gunfighter Actor — 2000
No Score Yet They've Taken Our Children: The Chowchilla Kidnapping (Vanished Without a Trace) Ed Ray — 1993
No Score Yet Hollywood Collection Actor — 1991
No Score Yet My Father, My Son Elmo Zumwalt Jr. — 1988
No Score Yet Harold Clurman: A Life of Theatre Actor — 1988
36% Nuts Arthur Kirk — 1987
No Score Yet Alice Through the Looking Glass Actor — 1987
No Score Yet Billy Galvin Jack Galvin — 1986
No Score Yet Il Mondo dell'orrore di Dario Argento (Dario Argento's World of Horror) Actor — 1985
No Score Yet Alice in Wonderland Walrus — 1985
No Score Yet Fatal Vision Freddy Kassab — 1984
No Score Yet Urge to Kill Thomas E. Nolan — 1984
0% The Sting II Macalinski — 1983
No Score Yet Miracle on Ice Herb Brooks — 1981
No Score Yet Word of Honor Mike McNeill — 1981
5% Meteor Harry Sherwood — 1979
0% Beyond the Poseidon Adventure Wilbur — 1979
No Score Yet Skag Actor — 1979
No Score Yet Ricco the Mean Machine John Kiley — 1973
No Score Yet Un verano para matar (Summertime Killer) Captain John Kiley — 1972
50% Wild Rovers Walt Buckman — 1971
81% The Cat o' Nine Tails (Il gatto a nove code) Franco Arno — 1971
No Score Yet H-Bomb Actor — 1971
96% Patton Bradley — 1970
60% Hot Millions Carlton J. Klemper — 1968
No Score Yet Blue Doc — 1968
43% The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin Judge Higgins — 1967
100% Hotel Keycase Milne — 1967
50% Billion Dollar Brain Leo Newbigen — 1967
No Score Yet Murderers' Row Julian Wall — 1966
50% Nevada Smith Tom Fitch — 1966
No Score Yet The Silencers Actor — 1966
85% The Cincinnati Kid Shooter — 1965
67% Cheyenne Autumn Capt. Wessels — 1964
100% Dead Ringer Sgt. Jim Hobbson — 1964
No Score Yet Come Fly with Me Walter Lucas — 1963
90% How the West Was Won Zebulon Prescott — 1963
84% Birdman of Alcatraz Harvey Shoemaker — 1962
No Score Yet All Fall Down Ralph Wilart — 1962
69% Gypsy Herbie — 1962
No Score Yet The Great Imposter Father Devlin — 1961
No Score Yet Parrish Judd Raike — 1961
57% One-Eyed Jacks Sheriff Dad Longworth — 1961
83% Pollyanna Reverend Paul Ford — 1960
No Score Yet The Hanging Tree Frency Plante — 1959
No Score Yet Bombers B-52 Master Sgt. Chuck V. Brennan, Line Chief — 1957
No Score Yet Time Limit Director — 1957
83% Fear Strikes Out John Piersall — 1957
100% Baby Doll Archie Lee Meighan — 1956
98% On the Waterfront Father Barry — 1954
No Score Yet Phantom of the Rue Morgue Dr. Marais — 1954
No Score Yet Take the High Ground Sgt. Laverne Holt — 1953
57% Ruby Gentry Jim Gentry — 1952
No Score Yet Diplomatic Courier Ernie — 1952
No Score Yet The Sellout Buck Maxwell — 1952
81% I Confess Insp. Larrue — 1952
No Score Yet Operation Secret Maj. Latrec — 1952
100% Decision Before Dawn Actor — 1951
98% A Streetcar Named Desire Mitch — 1951
No Score Yet A Streetcar Named Desire: Digital Restovation Actor — 1951
100% The Gunfighter Actor — 1950
100% Where the Sidewalk Ends Lt. Bill Thomas — 1950
83% Halls of Montezuma Doc — 1950
88% Kiss of Death Sgt. William Cullen — 1947
76% Boomerang! Lt. White — 1947
83% 13 Rue Madeleine Flight Sergeant — 1947
No Score Yet They Knew What They Wanted Red — 1940
No Score Yet Twilight Time Actor —

TV

CREDIT
75% The West Wing
1999-2006
Rev. Tom Cavanaugh Father Thomas Cavanaugh
  • 2000

QUOTES FROM Karl Malden CHARACTERS