Hungarian-Russian American actor Peter Michael Falk, who was best known as meticulous detective Lt. Columbo in the 1960s TV series Columbo passed away on June 23, 2011 at the age of 84.
Read all about him from Wikipedia.
Peter Michael Falk (September 16, 1927 – June 23, 2011) was an American actor, best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo in the television series Columbo.
He appeared in numerous films and television guest roles and was nominated for an Academy Award twice (for 1960's Murder Inc. and 1961's Pocketful Of Miracles), and won the Emmy Award on five occasions (four for Columbo) and the Golden Globe Award once.
Falk's right eye was surgically removed when he was three because of a serious ailment. He wore a glass eye for most of his life.
Despite this, Falk participated in team sports, mainly baseball and basketball, as a boy.
Falk's first stage appearance was at the age of 12 in The Pirates Of Penzance at Camp High Point in New York.
There he met fellow actor Ross Martin of Wild Wild West fame.
They would later act in The Great Race and Columbo.
Falk attended Ossining High School in Westchester County, New York, where he was a star athlete.
Falk obtained a Masters of Public Administration degree at Syracuse University in 1953.
In 1956, he left his job with the Budget Bureau and moved to Greenwich Village to pursue an acting career.
His first New York stage role was in Dom Juan at the Fourth Street Theatre in 1956.
His first film performances were in small roles in Wind Across The Everglades (1958), The Bloody Brood (1959) and Pretty Boy Floyd (1960).
Falk's performance in Murder Inc. (1960) was a turning point in his career.
He was cast in the supporting role of killer Abe Reles, in a film based on the real-life murder gang of that name, that had terrorised New York in the 1930s.
Falk also starred in holiday television movies as A Town Without Christmas (2001), Finding John Christmas (2003) and When Angels Come To Town (2004).
In 2005, he starred in The Thing About My Folks.
Falk married Alyce Mayo, whom he had met when they were both students at Syracuse University, on April 17, 1960.
On December 7, 1977, Falk married actress Shera Danese.
Falk was an accomplished artist. In October 2006 he had an exhibition of his artwork at the Butler Institute Of American Art.
Falk was also a chess aficionado and was a spectator at the American Open in Santa Monica, California, 1972.
