
Biography
Peter Michael Falk (September 16, 1927 – June 23, 2011) was an American actor. He is best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo on the NBC/ABC series Columbo (1968–1978, 1989–2003), for which he won four Primetime Emmy Awards (1972, 1975, 1976, 1990) and a Golden Globe Award (1973). In 1996, TV Guide ranked Falk No. 21 on its 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time list. He received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013. He first starred as Columbo in two 2-hour "World Premiere" TV pilots; the first with Gene Barry in 1968 and the second with Lee Grant in 1971. The show then aired as part of The NBC Mystery Movie series from 1971 to 1978, and again on ABC from 1989 to 2003. Falk was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for Murder, Inc. (1960) and Pocketful of Miracles (1961), and won his first Emmy Award in 1962 for The Dick Powell Theatre. He was the first actor to be nominated for an Academy Award and an Emmy Award in the same year, achieving the feat twice (1961 and 1962). He went on to appear in such films as It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), alongside Frank Sinatra in Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964), The Great Race (1965), Anzio (1968), Murder by Death (1976), The Cheap Detective (1978), The Brink's Job (1978), The In-Laws (1979), The Princess Bride (1987), Wings of Desire (1987), The Player (1992), and Next (2007), as well as many television guest roles. Falk was also known for his collaborations with filmmaker, actor, and personal friend John Cassavetes, acting in films such as Husbands (1970), A Woman Under the Influence (1974), Big Trouble (1986), Elaine May's Mikey and Nicky (1976) and the Columbo episode "Étude in Black" (1972). He cameoed as a theatergoer in Cassavetes' 1977 film Opening Night. Description above from the Wikipedia article Peter Falk, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Awards & recognition
- Primetime Emmy Award — Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series · 1990
- Primetime Emmy Award — Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series · 1976
- Primetime Emmy Award — Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series · 1972
- Primetime Emmy Award — Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie · 1962
- Golden Globe Awards
Show all 8 awards →
- star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
- Academy Award — Best Supporting Actor · 1962 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Supporting Actor · 1961 · nominated
Filmography50+ titles

The Twilight Zone

Reading Rainbow

Columbo

Wings of Desire

A Woman Under the Influence

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

The Larry Sanders Show

The Princess Bride

Opening Night

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

Ransom for a Dead Man

The Red Skelton Show

American Masters

Pocketful of Miracles

Have Gun, Will Travel

The Player

Murder by Death

My Darling Vivian

Arthur Miller: Writer

The Great Race

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

The Great Muppet Caper

Mikey and Nicky

The Dick Cavett Show

The In-Laws

Husbands

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

Decoy

Wagon Train

Undisputed

Pressure Point

The Cheap Detective

The Brink's Job

Robin and the 7 Hoods

Next

The Lost World

...All the Marbles

Machine Gun McCain

Shark Tale

Made

Money Kings

Roommates

Happy New Year

Vibes

Castle Keep

Naked City

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

LIVE with Kelly and Mark

Anzio