The actor Peter Falk, who gained international fame as the television detective Columbo, died in his home yesterday at the age of 83. Born in New York, Falk didn't start acting until he was nearly 30 but quickly made a name for himself. In his career he won a Tony on Broadway, was nominated for two Oscars, and won five Emmys for his television work, four of them for playing Lt. Columbo.
Falk was born in Manhattan, was raised in Ossining and served as a cook in the Merchant Marines for 18 months as a young man after WWII. He studied at Hamilton College, finished his B.A. in political science at the New School for Social Research in 1951 and his M.A. in public administration at Syracuse before applying to work for the CIA. When the Agency rejected him he started to work for the State of Connecticut, where he got the acting bug.
From there he moved to New York to study acting and had a string of successful roles. Though "he was discouraged from seeking employment in the movies due to his glass eye, the result of the removal of his real eye at the age of 3 due to a malignant tumor," he went out west anyway and worked steadily from 1958 on, earning Oscar nods for his roles in Murder, Inc. and Pocketful of Miracles.
His recurring role in NBC's Columbo mysteries, however, are what brought him international recognition. Though he occasionally tried to push back against the character and the fame it brought him, he kept coming back (the paychecks didn't hurt). The last Columbo movie was 2003's Columbo: Columbo Likes the Night Life.
Falk had been suffering from Alzheimer's since at least 2007. He is survived by his wife of 34 years, actress Shera Falk, and two daughters from a previous marriage.
There are far too many great Falk movies to choose from (oh, The Princess Bride), but his performance as Sam Diamond in Murder By Death has always been a favorite:
