Once described by a British critic as looking like "a bloodhound with a head cold", the magnificently... (Learn more)
Top Projects: Dennis the Menace, Grumpier Old Men, Hello, Dolly! (View All)
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Walter Matthau’s Milestones
| Appeared in 18 plays on Broadway | |
| Played bit parts in local Yiddish theater productions as child | |
| 1931 | Professional stage debut at age 11 in "The Dishwasher", a musical comedy (date approximate) |
| 1942 - 1945 | Served in US Army Air Force as radio operator and cryptographer; stationed in England, France and Germany |
| 1945 | Upon Army discharge went to Reno, Nevada, to work for Railway Express; eventually moved back to NYC |
| 1946 | Appeared in summer stock with Erie County Playhouse (Pennsylvania) in "Ten Nights in a Bar Room" |
| 1947 | Was stock player with Orange County Playhouse (New York) |
| 1948 | Hired as an understudy for the Broadway production of "Anne of the Thousand Days"; eventually made Broadway debut as the 85-year-old Bishop Fisher |
| 1950 | TV debut in "Last Cruise", an episode of "Studio One" (CBS) |
| 1953 | Played Iago in "Philco Television Playhouse" (NBC) presentation of "Othello" |
| 1955 | Appeared in first hit show, as co-star of Broadway production of "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?" |
| 1955 | Film acting debut as an evil saloon keeper in "The Kentuckian", directed by and co-starring Burt Lancaster |
| 1956 | Played James Mason's family friend in the underrated "Bigger Than Life", a forceful, realistic tale exposing both the good and bad of the wonder drug cortisone; produced by Mason |
| 1957 | Played a cynical newsman investigating Andy Griffith's character in "A Face in the Crowd" |
| 1957 | Starred in short-lived syndicated TV series, "Tallahassee 7000" |
| 1958 | Portrayed evil crime boss in Michael Curtiz's "King Creole", starring Elvis Presley |
| 1959 | Sole film as director, "The Gangster Story"; also co-starred |
| 1963 | Turned in another fine, villainous turn in Stanley Donen's "Charade", starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn |
| 1965 | Originated role of Oscar Madison on Broadway in Neil Simon's "The Odd Couple" opposite Art Carney as Felix Unger |
| 1965 | Slowed down by a serious heart attack; would have a quadruple by-pass operation in 1977 |
| 1966 | First film with Jack Lemmon and first collaboration with writer-director Billy Wilder, "The Fortune Cookie"; won Best Supporting Actor Oscar |
| 1967 | Reteamed with Carney in Gene Kelly's "A Guide for the Married Man" |
| 1968 | Reprised "Odd Couple" role opposite Lemmon's Felix in film version directed by Gene Saks |
| 1969 | Played romantic lead in Kelly's film version of the musical "Hello, Dolly!"; Barbra Streisand played Dolly Levi |
| 1969 | Reteamed with Saks for "Cactus Flower", acting opposite Ingrid Bergman and Goldie Hawn (who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar in her first significant film role) |
| 1971 | Portrayed "gold digger" with murder on his mind in Elaine May's "A New Leaf" |
| 1971 | Second film version of a Neil Simon play, "Plaza Suite" |
| 1971 | Starred as "Kotch", directed by Lemmon; earned first Oscar nomination as Best Actor |
| 1972 | Acted opposite Carol Burnett in Martin Ritt's "Pete 'n' Tillie" |
| 1972 | Made rare TV appearance in "Awake and Sing" (PBS) |
| 1974 | Billed as Walter Matuschanskavasky for his cameo in "Earthquake", adding fuel to a flame he had fanned by jokingly telling a writer a few years before that it was his "real" name |
| 1974 | First stage appearance in almost a decade (and to date last stage role), "Juno and the Paycock" in Los Angeles |
| 1974 | Reunited with Wilder, Lemmon and Burnett for the uneven remake of "The Front Page" |
| 1975 | First of three films directed by Herbert Ross and scripted by Simon from his plays, "The Sunshine Boys", co-starring George Burns; earned another Oscar nod as Best Actor |
| 1976 | Made a fine, irascible coach of "The Bad News Bears", directed by Michael Ritchie |
| 1978 | "House Calls", his first film with Glenda Jackson, teamed him again with Carney who offered an hysterical turn as the addle-brained head of surgery at Matthau's hospital; also acted in Ritt's "Casey's Shadow" |
| 1978 | Reteamed with Ross, Simon and Elaine May on "California Suite" |
| 1980 | Executive produced and starred in Walter Bernstein's remake of "Little Miss Marker" |
| 1980 | Reteamed with Jackson on "Hopscotch" |
| 1981 | Reunited with Ross and Simon for "I Ought to be in Pictures"; first film with Ann-Margret |
| 1981 | Third and last collaboration with Wilder, "Buddy Buddy", co-starring Lemmon |
| 1983 | Reteamed with Ritchie on "The Survivors", co-starring Robin Williams |
| 1986 | Played peg-leg Captain Red in Roman Polanski's "Pirates" |
| 1988 | Again collaborated with Ritchie on "The Couch Trip"; also played a priest who exorcises the devil out of a woman in Roberto Begnini's "The Little Devil" (never released in USA) |
| 1990 | Returned to the small screen as star of "The Incident" (CBS), directed by Joseph Sargent; appeared in two sequels, "Against Her Will: An Incident in Baltimore" (1992) and "Incident in a Small Town" (1994), both helmed by Delbert Mann |
| 1991 | Acted in "Mrs. Lambert Remembers Love" (CBS), directed by son Charles Matthau |
| 1993 | Co-starred with Jack Lemmon in "Grumpy Old Men", which reteamed him with Ann-Margret |
| 1993 | Portrayed the original grumpy old man, Mr. Wilson, in feature version of "Dennis the Menace" |
| 1994 | Essayed Albert Einstein for Fred Schepisi's "I.Q.", which reteamed him with Gene Saks playing one of his cronies |
| 1995 | Reprised role opposite Lemmon in sequel, "Grumpier Old Men", which again featured Ann-Margret; also co-starred Sophia Loren |
| 1995 | Reteamed with son, acting in Charles' sophomore feature as director, "The Grass Harp", based on the novel by Truman Capote; in addition to Lemmon, Roddy McDowell, Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie and Joe Don Baker acted in film |
| 1996 | Played angry, aging Jewish radical in Herb Gardner's film version of his play "I'm Not Rappaport"; co-starred Ossie Davis |
| 1997 | Twelfth acting collaboration with Lemmon, "Out to Sea" |
| 1998 | Reprised role of Oscar to Lemmon's Felix in the ill-advised "The Odd Couple II", scripted by Simon |
| 1998 | Starred opposite Burnett in "The Marriage Fool" (CBS), directed by son Charles |
| 2000 | Cast as the ailing father in Diane Keaton's "Hanging Up", scripted by Delia and Nora Ephron; when a case of pneumonia forced him to leave the production early, son Charles stepped in and played his father's character in a few flashback scenes |
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