“He can break your heart and make you laugh,” the famous director William Fridkin defined the dramatic range of this actor. World movie star Peter Falk is better known to the Russian audience on the television series about the meticulous and charming lieutenant Colombo. However, the actor starred for his long life in art in more than one hundred and ninety projects, has significant awards and millions of fans.
Peter Falk. Biography, the beginning
He was born on September 16, 1927 in America, but his great-grandfather emigrated here from Russia at the end of the 19th century. The father of the future actor was a haberdasher, mom was an accountant. Peter did not seriously think about the stage career, despite the fact that he took part in children's plays at school. The boy’s interests were diverse: he was fond of not only art, but also sports. After college, Peter Falk tried to join the US Armed Forces, but because of the artificial eye he was not accepted there.
Life before the scene
The actor lost his right eye at the age of three. The teacher in the kindergarten drew attention to the fact that the boy turns his head strangely, looking at something, the child was checked by an optometrist, and it turned out that the baby suffers from retinoblastoma - a malignant tumor of the retina. The eye was removed and first covered with a black blindfold, and later a glass organ was "mounted". Later, it was replaced with a plastic one. The prosthesis did not prevent the leadership of the navy from accepting the young Falk onto the ship. On this occasion, the actor once joked: "No one bothered whether you were blind or not. The only one who should see perfectly is the captain, although in the case of the Titanic he did not see very well either."
After serving a year and a half in the Navy, Peter Falk returned to New York and entered the university to study literature and politics. In 1951, after graduating from the Institute of Social Research, the young man became the owner of a bachelor's degree in political science. In 1953, he received a master's degree in public administration. Falk is trying to get a job at the CIA, but, having failed, goes to work at the State Budget Bureau as an analyst. At the same time, Falk learned the basics of acting at special courses.
Success
The first professional work of Peter Falk was the role of the servant of Don Juan in the play of Moliere, then the actor was already about thirty years old. At the same time, he began to play on Broadway, and in 1957 he was seen by a television audience.
In 1960, the actor decided to leave the stage for the sake of cinema and moved to Los Angeles, closer to Hollywood. The first full-length film starring Peter Falk was the tape “Murder Incorporated,” for his role in the actor was nominated for an Academy Award. He was also declared for the Emmy Award for the image created in the film "Law and Mr. Jones." And again, the actor became a contender for the Oscar, starring in the film A Fistful of Miracles, and the owner of an Emmy after the film The Price of Tomato Juice. Such a rapid success in such a short time is not surprising: the actor was not to occupy the skill and charm.
Television career
The actor chose roles in television projects very deliberately. Refusing a number of offers not interesting to him, Falk agreed to participate in a comedy detective series called The O'Brien Case. Despite the fact that the plot and production were at a high level, and the series was positively evaluated by critics, the film did not score much. The genius of comedy was shown in him by Peter Falk, whose filmography soon shone with another television role, which made the actor famous throughout the world.
My name is colombo
That is what the series was called in the Russian version. The character was so finely and subtly played by the actor that he became strongly associated with many perceptive detectives in an always crumpled light cloak. Colombo lived on the screen for more than 35 years and during this time he collected 4 statues “Emmy” for the best male role. Repeatedly, the film was nominated for the Golden Globe Award. The first episode was aired in 1968, it was called “Prescription:“ Murder, ”then, in 1971, the second episode of the project“ Etude in Black Tones ”appeared. The series was not slow to enter the top five on the NBC Mystery Wheel channel. Since 1978 There was a break in the production of the series until 1988, then the show resumed and continued until 2003. Despite the fact that for thirty-five years the public did not recognize the name of Lieutenant Colobmo, this figure became truly cult. Peter Falk-Colombo was different from other cinema detectives and looks, and demeanor. simplicity and naivete hid a sharp deductive mind, and behind apparent absent-mindedness - utmost concentration and the strictest logic. the work of the mind of a beloved detective with a characteristic squint and a constant cigar.Today, loyal fans around the world are united in Colombo fan clubs and painstakingly collect information about their idol.
Theatrical career
In 1971, the actor was again invited to Broadway, in the production of Neil Simon's "Prisoner of Second Avenue." For this work, he received the Tony Award. The next theatrical triumph was the role in the production of Arthur Miller's “Mr. Peter’s Connections”. In 2000, the actor played in the Los Angeles Theater Geffen Playhouse in the play Defiled. But still, cinema was for Peter a more fertile place than the theater stage.
Film career
Friendly relations with the director Neil Simon led to the fact that Falk starred in several of his films - "Murder by Death", "Solar Boys", where he starred with Woody Allen, and "Cheap Detective." The comedic gift of Falk was especially pronounced in the movie "Wedding Party" by Arthur Hiller, which tells about the robbery of a banking machine. Here, too, the detective story favorite by the actor is involved, which is played out with great humor.
Together with actor Joe Mantena, Peter starred in the movie "Americans", which received the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in 1986 . Unforgettable was the actor’s game in the 1999 film "Summer Thunderstorm" by Robert Wise, scripted by Rod Serling. The joint work with Joe Mantena in The Americans led to the fact that Joe invited Peter Falk to his directorial debut - the film The Boat, where Falk starred with John Tarturo and Andy Garcia.
The closest friend of the actor was a talented actor, screenwriter and director John Cassavetes. He and Falk were very much alike. With a friend, Peter Falk starred in three films: Husbands, A Woman Under the Influence, and Mickey and Nikki.
In the romantic film "Princess Bride" by Bob Reiner, Peter Falk created a funny and touching image of his grandfather, who came to visit his sick grandson and read him a book about the princess.
In “Sky above Berlin,” Falk excellently played a cameo, representing himself in the form of an angel. This work brought the actor high marks from critics. With the same enthusiasm they were met by the roles of Peter Falk in the films Excitement of Fortune, Listen to Tomorrow, So Far, So Close, Roommates, Money Kings.
At the beginning of the new millennium
In the days of his trip to New Zealand, Falk starred in a two-part film adaptation of Conan Doyle's novel "The Lost World" (2001). In the same year, the actor starred in the fairy tale "City Without Christmas", which took the highest place in the CBS rating. The year 2002 in the career of the actor was marked by a role in the film "Non-negotiable." In early 2003, Falk appears in the movie "Colombo likes nightlife," and in April of this year he received the award "For Personal Contribution to Cinema." From 2003 to 2004, the actor voiced the character of Don Bizi in the animated film Underwater Brothers. In the 2004 film, based on the theatrical play "Freeing Up Space," Peter Falk again played the role of the head of the family, who declared himself dying to raise a family, again. Films with his participation pleased the audience until 2009, when the actor starred in the role of Randolph's father in the film "American Primrose".
Personal life and favorite activities
The actor has been fond of chess and drawing all his life. A love of painting arose when during breaks on the set he made talented sketches. In America, repeatedly held exhibitions of his works. Peter Falk (a photo of his paintings is on his website) painted with charcoal and watercolor. In addition, the artist was no stranger to literature and wrote an autobiographical book, in the title of which he used the phrase that Colombo often said: "One more thing: Stories from my life."
The actor was twice married. The first time was at classmate Alice Mayo, with whom they adopted two girls. One of them became a private detective, and the other a psychologist. The second time Falk married actress Shere Denise, who played with him in the television series "Colombo". The couple lived in concert for more than 25 years in a house in Beverly Hills.
Peter Falk died on June 23, 2011 at the age of 83 and is buried in Westwood Cemetery in the west of Los Angeles.