Peter Falk Biography, Wife, Daughter, Height, Net worth, Is He Dead or Still Alive?

Legendary Hollywood actor Peter Falk is best remembered in the hit crime series starring the title character Lieutenant Columbo Columbo which ran from 1968 to 2003. In addition to his impressive work on the small screen, he also had notable assets on the big screen, particularly in the comedy genre. Some of his most memorable film credits include Murder , Inc. , Pocketful of Miracles, Anzio, A Woman Under the Influence Murder By Death and The Cheap Detective

Falk has received critical acclaim over his five decade career as an actor, earning him 2 Academy Award nominations, 5 Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. Back in 1961, he made history as the first actor to be nominated for an Oscar and an Emmy in the same year, a feat he repeated the following year. In 2013, the famous actor was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Peter Falk Bio

Peter Michael Falk was born in September 1927 in Ossining, a village in Westchester County, New York. His mother Madeline (née Hochhauser) and father Michael Peter Falk were both Jewish. He attended Ossining High School and studied literature and political science at the New School for Social Research in New York City for his college education. He also earned a master’s degree in public administration from Syracuse University.

Before beginning his acting career, Peter Falk worked with the Connecticut State Budget Bureau in Hartford. During his time, he joined a local theater company where he performed plays and also enrolled in an acting class. After a few months he quit his job and moved to Greenwich Village, New York to pursue acting. He was signed to an agency and began his career as a stage actor.

Movies and TV Shows

He marked his screen debut with a small role in the film Wind Over the Everglades (1958) followed by similar small roles in Bloody Brood (1959) and Handsome Boy Floyd (1960). He landed his breakout role in the gangster film Murder, Inc. (1960), portraying supporting character Abe Reles. Falk’s performance in the film earned him an Oscar nomination and also turned him into a fine movie star.

His next starring role was in the comedy Pocketful of Miracles (1961), for which he received a second Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Falk was also in the star-studded comedy It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) and he also starred in Robin and the Seven Toques (1964) and The Great Race (1965).

Peter Falk’s television career began around the same time as his film career. In 1961, he received his first Emmy nomination for guest starring on the short-lived series The Law and Mr. Jones In 1962 he won his first Primetime Emmy Award for his performance in the series The Dick Powell Theater (1962-63). He also portrayed the title character in the series The Trials of O’Brien (1965-66).

In 1968, the talented actor landed his career-defining role as Lt. Columbo in the crime series Columbo (1968-2003). His performance here earned him much recognition, including 4 Primetime Emmy Awards (1972, 1975, 1976 and 1990) and 1 Golden Globe Award (1973). This iconic role was undoubtedly the pinnacle of Falk’s showbiz career.

The actor also appeared in several television films as well as feature films Anzio (1968), A Woman Under the Influence (1974), Murder by Death (1976), The Cheap Detective (1978), Inlaws (1979), Cookie (1989), Happy Birthday New Year (1987), Corky Romano (2001), Shark Tale (2004) and The Thing About My People (2005). His last role was in the film Cowslip (2009).

His capital

Peter Falk’s Hollywood career was nothing short of successful. In addition to his starring role on Columbo, which spanned almost two decades, he also took on countless film credits. The actor was also not known to have made any major financial blunders during his career and hence he was able to make a fortune of $14 million.

wife and daughters

Peter Falk was married to former actress Shera Danese for 34 years. The duo met on the set of Falk Columbo ‘s hit show in which Danese made several guest appearances. They married on December 7, 1977 and their union lasted until his death.

Prior to the aforementioned union, Falk was married to Alyce Mayo, his college sweetheart. They married on April 17, 1960 and adopted 2 daughters. Her first daughter Catherine is known as a private investigator, however not much is known about her second daughter Jackie.

Height and other body values

Peter Falk had an average stature when he was 5 feet 6 inches (168 cm) in height. He also maintained a relatively fit physique throughout his career. The actor was known to have a prominent squint in his right eye, which was due to the fact that he was wearing an artificial eye. His right right eye was surgically removed when he was three years old after suffering from a retinoblastoma.

Is he dead or still alive?

The Hollywood cult actor is no more. His death occurred on June 23, 2011 at his Beverly Hills home. Pneumonia was the leading cause of death associated with complications of Alzheimer’s disease. His remains were interred at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in LA, California.