Walter Matthau
Known for: Acting
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.
Filmography
Series
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self
1962
Series
Saturday Night Live
Self - Host
1975
Series
The Mike Douglas Show
Self
1961
Series
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Nominee / Presenter
1944
Series
Great Performances
Self
1971
Series
Tony Awards
Self - Host
1956
Series
The Merv Griffin Show
Self
1962
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
Tom Gregory
1963
Series
The Dick Cavett Show
Self - Guest
1968
Series
Robert Montgomery Presents
1950
Series
Robert Montgomery Presents
The Bartender
1950
Series
Dr. Kildare
Franklin Gaer
1961
Series
The Philco Television Playhouse
1948
Series
The Philco Television Playhouse
Iago
1948
Series
The Philco Television Playhouse
Stuart Benson
1948
Series
Climax!
Charlie Mapes
1954
Series
Naked City
Peter Kanopolis
1958
Series
Naked City
Dr. Max Lewine
1958
Series
Route 66
1960
Series
Studio One
Jacobs
1948
Series
Studio One
Olsen
1948
Film '72
Self
1971
Series
The Oscars
Self
1953
Series
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Off. Pete Chandler
1955
Series
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Moran
1955
Series
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Harry Wade
1955
Series
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Phil
1955
Series
Suspense
Lawrence Stevens
1949
Film
Candy
Gen. R.A. Smight
1968
Film
Dennis the Menace
Mr. Wilson
1993
Film
JFK
Senator Long
1991
Lux Video Theatre
Coastguardsman
1950
Lux Video Theatre
Inspector
1950
Lux Video Theatre
Craig
1950
Film
Charade
Hamilton Bartholemew
1963
Series
Target: The Corruptors!
1961
Film
Grumpy Old Men
Max Goldman
1993
Film
Hello, Dolly!
Horace Vandergelder
1969
Profiles in Courage
Gov. John Slaton
1964
Profiles in Courage
Andrew Johnson
1964
Series
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
Self
1973
Film
Earthquake
Drunk
1974
Film
The Odd Couple
Oscar Madison
1968
Film
Grumpier Old Men
Max Goldman
1995
Film
Fail Safe
Prof. Groeteschele
1964
Film
The Bad News Bears
Morris Buttermaker
1976
Film
Hanging Up
Lou Mozell
2000
Film
The Front Page
Walter Burns
1974
Film
Cactus Flower
Julian Winston
1969
Film
Pirates
Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red
1986
Film
Hopscotch
Miles Kendig
1980
Film
Charley Varrick
Charley Varrick
1973
Film
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
Lieutenant Garber
1974
Film
The Odd Couple II
Oscar Madison
1998
Film
I.Q.
Albert Einstein
1994
Film
Out to Sea
Charlie Gordon
1997
Film
The Indian Fighter
Wes Todd
1955
Film
California Suite
Marvin Michaels
1978
Film
Lonely are the Brave
Sheriff Morey Johnson
1962
Film
The Survivors
Sonny Paluso
1983
Film
The Fortune Cookie
Willie Gingrich
1966
Film
The Couch Trip
Donald Becker
1988
Film
Buddy Buddy
Trabucco
1981
Film
The Grass Harp
Judge Charlie Cool
1996
Series
Tallahassee 7000
Lex Rogers
1961
Film
King Creole
Maxie Fields
1958
Film
A New Leaf
Henry Graham
1971
Film
A Guide for the Married Man
Paul Manning
1967
Film
Mirage
Ted Caselle
1965
Film
A Face in the Crowd
Mel Miller
1957
Film
The Sunshine Boys
Willy Clark
1975
Film
Onionhead
'Red' Wildoe
1958
Film
Bigger Than Life
Wally Gibbs
1956
Film
Little Miss Marker
Sorrowful Jones
1980
Series
General Electric Theater
1953
Series
General Electric Theater
Tom Dutton
1953
Film
Ride a Crooked Trail
Judge Kyle
1958
Film
The Laughing Policeman
Sgt. Jake Martin SFPD
1973
Film
The Little Devil
Padre Maurizio
1988
Film
Plaza Suite
Sam Nash / Jesse Kiplinger / Roy Hubley
1971
Film
The Kentuckian
Stan Bodine
1955
Film
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
Self
1987
Film
I'm Not Rappaport
Nat Moyer
1996
Film
The Marriage Fool
Frank Walsh
1998
Film
I Ought to Be in Pictures
Herbert Tucker
1982
Film
House Calls
Dr. Charley Nichols
1978
Film
Goodbye Charlie
Leo Sartori
1964
Film
Beyond JFK: The Question of Conspiracy
Self
1993
Film
Who's Got the Action?
Tony Gagouts
1962
Film
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
Self
1995
Film
I Love Liberty
Self
1982
Film
Kotch
Joseph P. Kotcher
1971
Film
The Incident
Harmon Cobb
1990
Film
Ensign Pulver
Doc
1964
Broadway's Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre
Self (voice)
1989
Film
Carol Channing and 101 Men
Self
1968
Film
Strangers When We Meet
Felix Anders
1960
Film
Actor
Boris Thomashevsky
1978
Film
Slaughter on 10th Avenue
Al Dahlke
1957
Film
Elvis: A Life in Music
Self (archive footage)
2026
Film
Mrs. Lambert Remembers Love
Clifford Pepperman
1991
Film
First Monday in October
Dan Snow
1981
Film
Island of Love
Tony Dallas
1963
The Lion Roars Again
Self
1975
Film
Movers & Shakers
Joe Mulholland
1985
Film
Laurel and Hardy: A Tribute to the Boys
Self
1992
Film
Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough
Self
1997
Film
Against Her Will: An Incident in Baltimore
Harmon Cobb
1992
Film
Pete 'n' Tillie
Pete Seltzer
1972
Film
The Stingiest Man in Town
Ebenezer Scrooge (voice)
1978
Film
The Gentleman Tramp
Self / Narrator
1976
Film
Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy
Narrator
1998
Film
'Fail-Safe' and the Cold War
Self (archive footage)
2020
Film
The Stars Salute the U.S. Olympic Team
Self - Performer
1984
Funny Business
Self - Host
1978
Film
Hollywood: The Gift of Laughter
Self
1982
Film
Kraft Salutes the George Burns 90th Birthday Special
Self
1986
Film
Casey's Shadow
Lloyd Bourdelle
1978
Film
Awake and Sing!
Moe Axelrod
1972
Film
Incident in a Small Town
Harmon Cobb
1994
Film
Jack Lemmon: America's Everyman
Self
1996
Film
A Beverly Hills Christmas
Self
1987
Film
Atomic Attack
Dr. Spinelli
1954
Film
Two by Saroyan: 'Once Around the Block' and 'My Heart's in the Highlands'
Ben Alexander / Philip Judah
1960
Film
Voice in the Mirror
Dr. Karnes
1958
Film
Gangster Story
Jack Martin
1959
Film
The Secret Life of an American Wife
The Movie Star
1968
Big Deal in Laredo
Meredith
1962
Private Screenings: Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau
Self
1998
Film
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
Narrator (voice)
1992
Jack Benny's Bag
Self
1968
Film
Last of the Independents: Don Siegel and the Making of 'Charley Varrick'
Self (archive footage)
2015
Film
Portrait of a '60% Perfect Man': Billy Wilder
Self
1982