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Walter Matthau

Personal Information

Known ForActing
GenderMale
Born / DiedOct 1, 1920 (Died at 80)
Zodiac Sign♎Libra
Place of BirthNew York City, New York, USA
Career Span1944 – 2000
Known Credits114 Titles
Official Links
ActingPopularity Score 2.3

Walter Matthau

Also known as:Walter John Matthau
Total Works

114

91 movies • 23 shows

Avg Rating

6.5 / 10

across rated releases

Box Office

—

worldwide gross

Global Reach

#2

TMDB star index

Biography

Walter Matthau (born Walter John Matthow; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, comedian and film director. He is best known for his film roles in A Face in the Crowd (1957), King Creole (1958) and as a coach of a hapless little league team in the baseball comedy The Bad News Bears (1976). He also starred in 10 films alongside Jack Lemmon, including The Odd Couple (1968), The Front Page (1974) and Grumpy Old Men (1993). Matthau won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the Billy Wilder film The Fortune Cookie (1966). Matthau is also known for his performances in Stanley Donen's romance Charade (1963), Gene Kelly's musical Hello, Dolly! (1969), Elaine May's screwball comedy A New Leaf (1971) and Herbert Ross' ensemble comedy California Suite (1978). He also starred in Plaza Suite, Kotch (both 1971), Charley Varrick (1973), The Sunshine Boys (1975), and Hopscotch (1980). On Broadway, Matthau originated the role of Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple by playwright Neil Simon, for which he received a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1965, his second after A Shot in the Dark in 1962. Matthau also received two British Academy Film Awards and a Golden Globe Award. In 1963, he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his performance in The DuPont Show of the Week. In 1982, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Signature Roles & Milestones

JFK
7.6
JFK
1991•movie
as Senator Long
Charade
7.7
Charade
1963•movie
as Hamilton Bartholemew
Grumpy Old Men
6.7
Grumpy Old Men
1993•movie
as Max Goldman
The Odd Couple
7.4
The Odd Couple
1968•movie
as Oscar Madison

Full Filmography & Credits

Showing 114 titles featuring Walter Matthau

JFK
7.6
JFK
1991•movie

as Senator Long

Dennis the Menace
5.9
Dennis the Menace
1993•movie

as Mr. Wilson

Charade
7.7
Charade
1963•movie

as Hamilton Bartholemew

Grumpy Old Men
6.7
Grumpy Old Men
1993•movie

as Max Goldman

The Odd Couple
7.4
The Odd Couple
1968•movie

as Oscar Madison

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
7.5

as Lieutenant Garber

Saturday Night Live
6.9
1 eps
Saturday Night Live
1975•series

as Self - Host

I.Q.
6.0
I.Q.
1994•movie

as Albert Einstein

Fail Safe
7.8
Fail Safe
1964•movie

as Prof. Groeteschele

Grumpier Old Men
6.5
Grumpier Old Men
1995•movie

as Max Goldman

The Little Devil
6.7
The Little Devil
1988•movie

as Padre Maurizio

Hello, Dolly!
7.0
Hello, Dolly!
1969•movie

as Horace Vandergelder

The Front Page
7.3
The Front Page
1974•movie

as Walter Burns

Earthquake
6.1
Earthquake
1974•movie

as Drunk

The Fortune Cookie
7.2
The Fortune Cookie
1966•movie

as Willie Gingrich

The Bad News Bears
6.9
The Bad News Bears
1976•movie

as Morris Buttermaker

Pirates
6.3
Pirates
1986•movie

as Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red

Charley Varrick
7.4
Charley Varrick
1973•movie

as Charley Varrick

A Face in the Crowd
7.6

as Mel Miller

Alfred Hitchcock Presents
7.8
1 eps

as Off. Pete Chandler

Cactus Flower
7.2
Cactus Flower
1969•movie

as Dr. Julian Winston

A New Leaf
7.3
A New Leaf
1971•movie

as Henry Graham

Hanging Up
5.3
Hanging Up
2000•movie

as Lou Mozell

Hopscotch
7.0
Hopscotch
1980•movie

as Miles Kendig

Bigger Than Life
7.2
Bigger Than Life
1956•movie

as Wally Gibbs

Lonely are the Brave
7.4

as Sheriff Morey Johnson

The Odd Couple II
6.3
The Odd Couple II
1998•movie

as Oscar Madison

California Suite
5.9
California Suite
1978•movie

as Marvin Michaels

Out to Sea
5.8
Out to Sea
1997•movie

as Charlie

The Couch Trip
5.5
The Couch Trip
1988•movie

as Donald Becker

Mirage
7.1
Mirage
1965•movie

as Ted Caselle

The Survivors
5.7
The Survivors
1983•movie

as Sonny Paluso

Buddy Buddy
6.1
Buddy Buddy
1981•movie

as Trabucco

The Sunshine Boys
6.9
The Sunshine Boys
1975•movie

as Willy Clark

King Creole
6.4
King Creole
1958•movie

as Maxie Fields

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
7.6
5 eps
The Oscars
7.1
6 eps
The Oscars
1953•series

as Self

The Indian Fighter
6.3
The Indian Fighter
1955•movie

as Wes Todd

Candy
5.1
Candy
1968•movie

as Gen. R.A. Smight

The Laughing Policeman
6.2

as Sgt. Jake Martin SFPD

The Kentuckian
5.8
The Kentuckian
1955•movie

as Stan Bodine

Plaza Suite
6.2
Plaza Suite
1971•movie

as Sam Nash / Jesse Kiplinger / Roy Hubley

Little Miss Marker
6.6
Little Miss Marker
1980•movie

as Sorrowful Jones

A Guide for the Married Man
6.0

as Paul Manning

Strangers When We Meet
6.4

as Felix Anders

Kotch
6.6
Kotch
1971•movie

as Joseph P. Kotcher

The Grass Harp
5.9
The Grass Harp
1996•movie

as Judge Charlie Cool

I'm Not Rappaport
5.7
I'm Not Rappaport
1996•movie

as Nat Moyer

Goodbye Charlie
5.8
Goodbye Charlie
1964•movie

as Leo Sartori

First Monday in October
6.2

as Dan Snow

Ride a Crooked Trail
6.5

as Judge Kyle

Great Performances
6.1
1 eps
Great Performances
1971•series

as Self

House Calls
6.4
House Calls
1978•movie

as Dr. Charley Nichols

Pete 'n' Tillie
5.8
Pete 'n' Tillie
1972•movie

as Pete Seltzer

The Dick Cavett Show
6.8
2 eps

as Self - Guest

Golden Globe Awards
7.0
1 eps
Golden Globe Awards
1944•series

as Self - Nominee / Presenter

Ensign Pulver
6.5
Ensign Pulver
1964•movie

as Doc

Route 66
6.7
1 eps
Route 66
1960•series
Dr. Kildare
5.7
1 eps
Dr. Kildare
1961•series

as Franklin Gaer

The Stingiest Man in Town
5.6

as Ebenezer Scrooge (voice)

The Incident
6.3
The Incident
1990•movie

as Harmon Cobb

Movers & Shakers
3.9
Movers & Shakers
1985•movie

as Joe Mulholland

Gangster Story
4.9
Gangster Story
1959•movie

as Jack Martin

I Ought to Be in Pictures
6.9

as Herbert Tucker

Casey's Shadow
6.5
Casey's Shadow
1978•movie

as Lloyd Bourdelle

Who's Got the Action?
5.2

as Tony Gagouts

Naked City
5.7
1 eps
Naked City
1958•series

as Peter Kanopolis

Studio One
5.4
1 eps
Studio One
1948•series

as Jacobs

The Merv Griffin Show
6.8
1 eps

as Self

Climax!
3.8
1 eps
Climax!
1954•series

as Charlie Mapes

Suspense
5.1
1 eps
Suspense
1949•series

as Lawrence Stevens

The Mike Douglas Show
5.8
2 eps

as Self

How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
7.7

as Narrator (voice)

Slaughter on 10th Avenue
5.8

as Al Dahlke

Incident in a Small Town
7.1

as Harmon Cobb

Onionhead
5.5
Onionhead
1958•movie

as 'Red' Wildoe

Against Her Will: An Incident in Baltimore
6.1
The Philco Television Playhouse
6.6
5 eps
Robert Montgomery Presents
6.0
2 eps
Island of Love
5.8
Island of Love
1963•movie

as Tony Dallas

Lux Video Theatre
6.7
1 eps
Lux Video Theatre
1950•series

as Coastguardsman

Voice in the Mirror
6.5

as Dr. Karnes

Mrs. Lambert Remembers Love
5.1

as Clifford Pepperman

General Electric Theater
6.8
2 eps
The Gentleman Tramp
7.1

as Self / Narrator

The Marriage Fool
6.9
The Marriage Fool
1998•movie

as Frank Walsh

Target: The Corruptors!
5.7
2 eps
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
6.3
1 eps
A Beverly Hills Christmas
3.5

as Self

The Secret Life of an American Wife
6.0

as The Movie Star

Atomic Attack
7.5
Atomic Attack
1954•movie

as Dr. Spinelli

James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
6.5
Jack Lemmon: America's Everyman
7.5
Tallahassee 7000
8.5
26 eps
Tallahassee 7000
1961•series

as Lex Rogers

Awake and Sing!
10.0
Awake and Sing!
1972•movie

as Moe Axelrod

Actor
7.0
Actor
1978•movie

as Boris Thomashevsky

Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy
6.0

as Narrator

I Love Liberty
I Love Liberty
1982•movie

as Self

'Fail-Safe' and the Cold War

as Self (archive footage)

Carol Channing and 101 Men

as Self

Jack Benny's Bag
Jack Benny's Bag
1968•movie

as Self

The Stars Salute the U.S. Olympic Team

as Self - Performer

Tony Awards
1 eps
Tony Awards
1956•series

as Self - Host