Peter Falk
Highest Rated: 98% The Player (1992)
Lowest Rated: 5% Vibes (1988)
Birthday: Sep 16, 1927
Birthplace: New York City, New York, USA
Best known as the rumpled television detective Columbo, character actor Peter Falk also enjoyed a successful film career, often in association with the groundbreaking independent filmmaker John Cassavetes. Born September 16, 1927, in New York City, Falk lost an eye at the age of three, resulting in the odd, squinting gaze which later became his trademark. He initially pursued a career in public administration, serving as an efficiency expert with the Connecticut Budget Bureau, but in the early '50s, boredom with his work sparked an interest in acting. By 1955, Falk had turned professional, and an appearance in a New York production of The Iceman Cometh earned him much attention. He soon graduated to Broadway and in 1958 made his feature debut in the Nicholas Ray/Budd Schulberg drama Wind Across the Everglades.A diminutive, stocky, and unkempt presence, Falk's early screen roles often portrayed him as a blue-collar type or as a thug; it was as the latter in 1960's Murder Inc. that he earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination, a major career boost. He was nominated in the same category the following year as well, this time as a sarcastic bodyguard in Frank Capra's Pocketful of Miracles. In 1962, Falk won an Emmy for his work in the television film The Price of Tomatoes, a presentation of the Dick Powell Theater series. The steady stream of accolades made him a hot property, and he next starred in the 1962 feature Pressure Point. A cameo in Stanley Kramer's 1963 smash It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World preceded Falk's appearance in the Rat Pack outing Robin and the Seven Hoods, but the film stardom many predicted for him always seemed just out of reach, despite lead roles in 1965's The Great Race and 1967's Luv.In 1968, Falk first assumed the role of Columbo, the disheveled police lieutenant whose seemingly slow and inept investigative manner masked a steel-trap mind; debuting in the TV movie Prescription: Murder, the character was an immediate hit, and after a second telefilm, Ransom for a Dead Man, a regular Columbo series premiered as part of the revolving NBC Mystery Movie anthology in the fall of 1971, running for seven years and earning Falk a second Emmy in the process. In the meantime, he also continued his film career, most notably with Cassavetes; in 1970, Falk starred in the director's Husbands, and in 1974 they reunited for the brilliant A Woman Under the Influence. In between the two pictures, Falk also returned to Broadway, where he won a Tony award for his performance in the 1972 Neil Simon comedy The Prisoner of Second Avenue. In 1976, Cassavetes joined him in front of the camera to co-star in Elaine May's Mikey and Nicky, and directed him again in 1977's Opening Night.After Columbo ceased production in 1978, Falk starred in the Simon-penned mystery spoof The Cheap Detective, followed by the William Friedkin caper comedy The Brink's Job (1978). After 1979's The In-Laws, he starred two years later in ...All the Marbles, but was then virtually absent from the screen for the next half decade. Cassavetes' 1986 effort Big Trouble brought Falk back to the screen (albeit on a poor note; Cassavetes later practically disowned the embarrassing film) and and in 1987 he starred in Happy New Year along with the Rob Reiner cult favorite The Princess Bride. An appearance as himself in Wim Wenders' masterful Wings of Desire in 1988 preceded his 1989 resumption of the Columbo character for another regular series; the program was to remain Falk's focus well into the next decade, with only a handful of film appearances in pictures including 1990's Tune in Tomorrow and a cameo in Robert Altman's The Player. After the cancellation of Columbo, he next turned up in Wenders' Desire sequel Far Away, So Close before starring in the 1995 comedy Roommates. Falk continued to work in both film and television for the next decade and a half, starring in various Columbo specials through 2003, appearing with Woody Allen in the made-for-TV The S
Photos
Highest Rated Movies
Filmography
Movies
| Credit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Score Yet | Char-ac-ter | Actor | — | 2012 |
| No Score Yet | American Cowslip | Father Randolph | — | 2009 |
| No Score Yet | Character | Actor | — | 2009 |
| 28% | Next | Irv | $18M | 2007 |
| No Score Yet | Three Days to Vegas | Gus Fitzgerald | — | 2007 |
| 40% | Three Days of Rain | Waldo | — | 2005 |
| 45% | The Thing About My Folks | Sam Kleinman | $0.8M | 2005 |
| 43% | Checking Out | Morris Applebaum | — | 2005 |
| No Score Yet | When Angels Come to Town | Max | — | 2004 |
| 36% | Shark Tale | Don Feinberg | $160.8M | 2004 |
| No Score Yet | Finding John Christmas | Max | — | 2003 |
| No Score Yet | Wilder Days | James `Pop Up' Morse | — | 2003 |
| 57% | Enemies of Laughter | Paul's Father | — | 2003 |
| No Score Yet | Columbo: Columbo Likes the Nightlife | Lt. Columbo Executive Producer | — | 2003 |
| 48% | Undisputed | Mendy Ripstein | — | 2002 |
| No Score Yet | The Lost World | Rev. Theo Kerr | — | 2001 |
| No Score Yet | A Town Without Christmas | Max | — | 2001 |
| 7% | Corky Romano | Pops Romano | — | 2001 |
| 71% | Made | Max | $3.7M | 2001 |
| 83% | Lakeboat | Pierman | — | 2000 |
| No Score Yet | A Storm in Summer | Abel Shaddick | — | 2000 |
| No Score Yet | Money Kings | Vinnie | — | 1998 |
| No Score Yet | Columbo: Ashes to Ashes | Actor | — | 1998 |
| No Score Yet | Vig | Actor | — | 1998 |
| No Score Yet | Pronto | Harry Arno | — | 1997 |
| No Score Yet | The Sunshine Boys | Willie Clark | — | 1997 |
| 29% | Roommates | Rocky Holeczek | — | 1995 |
| 58% | Faraway, So Close! (In weiter Ferne, so nah!) | Himself | — | 1993 |
| No Score Yet | Columbo | Actor | — | 1993 |
| 98% | The Player | Himself | — | 1992 |
| No Score Yet | Columbo: No Time to Die | Lt. Columbo | — | 1992 |
| No Score Yet | Columbo | Lt. Columbo | — | 1991 |
| No Score Yet | Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health | Lt. Columbo | — | 1991 |
| 50% | Tune in Tomorrow... (Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter) | Pedro Carmichael | — | 1990 |
| No Score Yet | In The Spirit | Roger Flan | — | 1990 |
| 15% | Cookie | Dominick Capisco | — | 1989 |
| No Score Yet | Columbo: Murder, A Self-Portrait | Lt. Columbo | — | 1989 |
| 5% | Vibes | Harry Buscafusco | — | 1988 |
| 97% | The Princess Bride | Grandpa | — | 1987 |
| No Score Yet | Happy New Year | Nick | — | 1987 |
| 98% | Wings of Desire | Himself | — | 1987 |
| 17% | Big Trouble | Steve Rickey | — | 1986 |
| No Score Yet | I'm Almost Not Crazy: John Cassavetes | Actor | — | 1984 |
| No Score Yet | ... All the Marbles | Harry | — | 1981 |
| 76% | The Great Muppet Caper | Tramp | — | 1981 |
| 87% | The In-Laws | Vincent J. Ricardo | — | 1979 |
| 75% | The Brink's Job | Tony Pino | — | 1978 |
| 47% | The Cheap Detective | Lou Peckinpaugh | — | 1978 |
| No Score Yet | Scared Straight! | Host | — | 1978 |
| 96% | Opening Night | Himself | — | 1977 |
| No Score Yet | Columbo: The Bye-Bye Sky High I.Q. Murder Case | Actor | — | 1977 |
| 84% | Mikey and Nicky | Mikey | — | 1976 |
| 63% | Murder by Death | Sam Diamond | — | 1976 |
| No Score Yet | Griffin and Phoenix: A Love Story | ''Geoffrey Griffin'' | — | 1976 |
| 93% | A Woman Under the Influence | Nick Longhetti | — | 1975 |
| No Score Yet | Columbo: Double Shock | Actor | — | 1973 |
| No Score Yet | Columbo | Lt. Columbo | — | 1973 |
| No Score Yet | Columbo: Requiem for a Falling Star | Actor | — | 1973 |
| No Score Yet | Columbo: Dagger of the Mind | Actor | — | 1972 |
| No Score Yet | Columbo: The Most Crucial Game | Actor | — | 1972 |
| No Score Yet | Columbo: The Greenhouse Jungle | Actor | — | 1972 |
| No Score Yet | Columbo: Étude in Black | Actor Director | — | 1972 |
| No Score Yet | Columbo: Blueprint for Murder | Director Actor | — | 1972 |
| No Score Yet | Columbo: Short Fuse | Actor | — | 1972 |
| No Score Yet | Columbo: Lady in Waiting | Actor | — | 1971 |
| No Score Yet | Suitable for Framing | Actor | — | 1971 |
| No Score Yet | Columbo: Dead Weight | Actor | — | 1971 |
| No Score Yet | Columbo: Death Lends a Hand | Actor | — | 1971 |
| No Score Yet | Columbo: Murder by the Book | Actor | — | 1971 |
| No Score Yet | Ransom for a Dead Man | Actor | — | 1971 |
| 67% | Husbands | Archie Black | — | 1970 |
| No Score Yet | Machine Gun McCain | Charlie Adamo | — | 1970 |
| 38% | Castle Keep | Sgt. Orlando Rossi | — | 1969 |
| 67% | Anzio (Lo sbarco di Anzio) | Corporal Jack Rabinoff | — | 1968 |
| No Score Yet | Luv | Milt Manville | — | 1967 |
| No Score Yet | Columbo: Prescription Murder | Actor | — | 1967 |
| No Score Yet | Penelope | Lieutenant Horatio Bixbee | — | 1966 |
| 74% | The Great Race | Max | — | 1965 |
| No Score Yet | Italiani brava gente (Attack and Retreat) | Medic Captain | — | 1965 |
| 44% | Robin and the Seven Hoods | Guy Gisborne | — | 1964 |
| 69% | It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World | Cab Driver | — | 1963 |
| 60% | The Balcony | Police Chief | — | 1963 |
| No Score Yet | Pressure Point | Young psychiatrist | — | 1962 |
| 56% | Pocketful of Miracles | Joy Boy | — | 1961 |
| No Score Yet | The Secret of the Purple Reef | Tom Weber | — | 1960 |
| No Score Yet | Murder, Inc. | Abe Kid Twist Reles | — | 1960 |
| No Score Yet | Pretty Boy Floyd | Shorty Walters | — | 1960 |
| No Score Yet | The Bloody Brood | Nico | — | 1959 |
| No Score Yet | Wind Across the Everglades | Writer | — | 1958 |
TV
| Credit | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No Score Yet |
The Ellen DeGeneres Show 2003 |
Guest |
2005 2004 2003 |
| No Score Yet |
Columbo 1968-2003 |
Director Columbo Lieutenant Inspector Columbo Lt. Columbo Screenwriter Executive Producer |
2003 2001 1998 1997 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1968 |
| 100% |
The Larry Sanders Show 1992-1998 |
1992 |
|
| No Score Yet |
Alfred Hitchcock Presents 1955-1962 |
Meyer Fine |
1961 |
| 80% |
The Twilight Zone 1959-1964 |
Ramos Clemente |
1961 |
QUOTES FROM Peter Falk CHARACTERS
Sam Diamond says: Stop that. Stop that, I said.
Dick Charleston says: What is it, Diamond?
Sam Diamond says: The nurse is giving my palm the finger, the dirty old broad.
Max says: Here comes the marines!
Max says: Here come the Marines!
Max says: [talking to Fate] Would you like me to feed you?
Max says: Would you like me to feed you?
Max says: Rise and shine, Professor.
Prof. Fate says: You rise! You shine!
Vince Ricardo says: Shell! SERPENTINE Shell!
Iris says: I hate your guts Harry, I hate everything about you. I can't stand the sight of you any more. You're fired so get the hell out. Get the hell out of my life. You're a lousy lover, you're a lousy manager, you're a lousy human being!
Harry says: Now that really hurts. I am not a lousy manager.
Harry says: Lousy no good son of a bitch!
Iris says: You quoting Roger and Odets again? Who's a lousy no good son of a bitch?
Harry says: Never mind. What can you expect from a a day that starts with getting up in the morning?
Harry says: They're the hottest tag team in the state, they're like rock stars, and beautiful. Face facts we both know most lady wrestlers are dogs. So now they expect a pekingese and out come Marilyn Monroe, they go wild.
Iris says: You're playing around with the wrong guy.
Molly says: Come on Harry, don't do it. Harry don't you dare.
Iris says: You're not... (Harry smashes Eddies Mecedes up with a baseball bat.
Iris says: You're not... [Harry smashes Eddies Mecedes up with a baseball bat]
Molly says: What was that all about?
Harry says: I was thinking about buying a Mercedes, but first I had to give it a stress test.
Molly says: Stress test?
Harry says: Didn't pass.
Sam Diamond says: You're good, Charleston. You're not my kind of cop, but you're smart and you smell good.
Sam Diamond says: I owe Miss Skeffington here two years and three months back pay.
Tess Skeffington says: I don't care about the money, Sam.
Sam Diamond says: Neither do I.
Tess Skeffington says: First kiss me, Sam.
Sam Diamond says: I don't kiss.
Tess Skeffington says: Just this once.
Sam Diamond says: I don't like kissing. Now leave me alone.
Sam Diamond says: The last time I trusted a dame was in Paris in 1940. She said she was going out to get a bottle of wine. Two hours later, the Germans marched into France.
Prof. Fate says: What's next?
Max says: Car number five, the engine falls out!
Prof. Fate says: Car number five! Ha ha ha ha! [beat] Er, Max... *we're* number five.
Harry Buscafusco says: "Maybe she bounced, like, out of the hotel. Women are soft."
Harry Buscafusco says: Maybe she bounced, like, out of the hotel. Women are soft.
Sam Diamond says: That can only mean one thing...and I don't know what it is.
Tess Skeffington says: ...He was my uncle. He was very good to me; he used to take me to the circus and give me candy. We stopped going when I was...about twenty-six
Tess Skeffington says: He was my uncle. He was very good to me, he used to take me to the circus and give me candy. We stopped going when I was...about twenty-six.
Sam Diamond says: Twenty-six? What the hell kind of circus was it?
The Grandfather says: Okay.... Alright....Okay....Alright
The Grandfather says: Okay... Alright... Okay... Alright.
Tess Skeffington says: Twain picked up Sam in a gay bar.
Sam Diamond says: I was working on a case! Working.
Tess Skeffington says: Every night for six months?
The Grandfather says: As you wish.
Max says: Who's Texas JACK?!