Peter Falk, RIP

Actor Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo.

Peter Falk passed away on June 23 at 83 after suffering from Alzheimer's, which may have been precipitated by anesthesia given him during dental work years before. This brilliant Emmy-Award-winning actor created the character, Lieutenant Columbo in the series "Columbo," and made him his own during 69 episodes produced and aired from 1968-2003. He wore a trademark dirty raincoat, had street sass, and that air of dilapidated forgetfulness masking deep smarts. Reading his biography I found out a lot I had never known about the man behind the character. For example, that this right eye had been surgically removed when he was three because of a retinoblastoma, causing him to wear a glass eye for most of his life. That added to his character, didn't it? He was in the Merchant Marines, attended the New School for Social Research in New York, and got a BA in literature and political science. He also received a Masters of Public Administration at the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. All this long before he became a professional actor. The CIA rejected his job application because he had briefly been a union man - in the Marine Cooks and Stewards Union (being in the union was a requirement of the job) during his stint with the Merchant Marines. He finally got work as an efficiency expert in Hartford, at the Connecticut State Budget Bureau. I imagine he must have been bored out of his skull then, because it was during that time that he discovered community theater.

See this fun clip - Peter Falk Roasts Frank Sinatra: http://youtu.be/qvm4Gfbs_E8

Falk was married twice (to Alyce Mayo and Sheila Danese) and had two adopted daughters, one of whom became a private investigator. Falk's first stage appearance? At age 12 in "The Pirates of Penzance" at Camp High Point in upstate New York. For Peter Falk's impressive film and TV credits, here's the Wiki list:

Filmography

Film
Year	Film	Role	Notes
1959	The Bloody Brood	Nico
1960	Murder Inc.	Abe Reles	Nominated for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
	The Secret of the Purple Reef	Tom Weber
1961	Pocketful of Miracles	Joy Boy	Nominated again for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
1962	Pressure Point	Young Psychiatrist
1963	The Balcony	Police Chief
	It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World	Cab Driver
1964	Robin and the 7 Hoods	Guy Gisborne
	Attack and Retreat (Italiani brava gente)	Medic	Italian production
1965	The Great Race	Max
1966	Penelope	Lieutenant Horatio Bixbee
	Too Many Thieves	Danny
1967	Luv	Milt Manville
1968	Anzio	Corporal Jack Rabinoff	Alternative titles: The Battle of Anzio, Lo Sbarco di Anzio (Italian)
1969	Machine Gun McCain	Charlie Adamo	Alternative titles: For a Price, Gli intoccabili (Italian)
	Castle Keep	Sergeant Rossi
1970	Husbands	Archie Black	Directed by John Cassavetes
1974	A Woman Under the Influence	Nick Longhetti	Directed by John Cassavetes
1976	Murder by Death	Sam Diamond
	Mikey and Nicky	Mikey
	Griffin and Phoenix: A Love Story	Geoffrey Griffin
1977	Opening Night	Cameo appearance	Directed by John Cassavetes
1978	The Brink's Job	Tony Pino
	The Cheap Detective	Lou Peckinpaugh	Alternative title: Neil Simon's The Cheap Detective
	Scared Straight!	Himself – Host	Documentary; directed by Arnold Shapiro
1979	The In-Laws	Vincent J. Ricardo
1981	...All the Marbles	Harry Sears	Alternative title: The California Dolls
	The Great Muppet Caper	Tramp	(uncredited)
1986	Big Trouble	Steve Rickey	Directed by John Cassavetes
1987	The Princess Bride	Grandfather/Narrator
	Happy New Year	Nick	Directed by John G. Avildsen
	Wings of Desire	Himself	Directed by Wim Wenders
1988	Vibes	Harry Buscafusco	Alternative title: Vibes: The Secret of the Golden Pyramids
1989	Cookie	Dominick "Dino" Capisco
1990	Tune in Tomorrow	Pedro Carmichael	Alternative title: Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter
1993	Faraway, So Close!	Himself	Directed by Wim Wenders
1995	Roommates	Rocky Holzcek
1998	Money Kings	Vinnie Glynn
2001	Made	Max
	Corky Romano	Francis A. "Pops" Romano	Alternative title: Corky Romano: 'Special' Agent
2002	Undisputed	Mendy Ripstein
2004	Shark Tale	Don Feinberg	Voice
2005	The Thing About My Folks	Sam Kleinman
2005	Checking Out	Morris Applebaum
2007	Next	Irv
2008	American Cowslip	Father Randolph
Television
Year	Show	Role	Notes
1958	Kraft Suspense Theatre	Izzy	1 episode
1959	Decoy	Fred Dana	1 episode
1960	Have Gun–Will Travel	Waller	1 episode
	The Untouchables	Duke Mullen	1 episode, "The Underworld Bank"
1961	The Twilight Zone	Ramos Clemente	1 episode "The Mirror"
	The Barbara Stanwyck Show	Joe	1 episode, "The Assassin"
1962	The New Breed	Lopez	1 episode
1963	Wagon Train	Gus Morgan	1 episode
1964	Ben Casey	Dr. Jimmy Reynolds	2 episodes
1965–1966	The Trials of O'Brien	Daniel O'Brien	22 episodes
1968	A Hatful of Rain	Polo Pope	1 episode
1968–2003	Columbo	Lieutenant Columbo	69 episodes
1971	The Name of the Game	Lewis Corbett	1 episode
1978	Dean Martin Celebrity Roast (comedy)	Guest appearance	with Frank Sinatra — Watch
1995	The Sunshine Boys	Willie Clark	Television movie
2001	The Lost World	Reverend Theo Kerr	Television movie
2001	A Town Without Christmas	Max	Television Movie
2003	Finding John Christmas	Max	Television movie
2004	When Angels Come To Town	Max	Television Movie