Walter Matthau

Walter Matthau (; born Walter John Matthow; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, comedian and film director. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the Billy Wilder film ''The Fortune Cookie'' (1966).

He is best known for his film roles in ''A Face in the Crowd'' (1957), ''King Creole'' (1958), and as a coach of a hapless little league team in the baseball comedy ''The Bad News Bears'' (1976). He also starred in 10 films alongside Jack Lemmon, including The Fortune Cookie (1966), ''The Odd Couple'' (1968) and its sequel ''The Odd Couple II'' (1998), ''The Front Page'' (1974), ''Buddy Buddy'' (1981) ''JFK'' (1991), ''Grumpy Old Men'' (1993) and its sequel ''Grumpier Old Men'' (1995), ''The Grass Harp'' (1995), and ''Out to Sea'' (1997). ''The New York Times'' called this "one of Hollywood's most successful pairings."

Matthau is also known for his performances in Stanley Donen's romance ''Charade'' (1963), ''Fail Safe'' (1964), Gene Kelly's musical ''Hello, Dolly!'' (1969), Elaine May's screwball comedy ''A New Leaf'' (1971), and Herbert Ross's ensemble comedy ''California Suite'' (1978). He also starred in ''Plaza Suite'', ''Kotch'' (both 1971); ''Charley Varrick'' (1973), ''The Taking of Pelham One Two Three'' (1974), ''The Sunshine Boys'' (1975), ''House Calls'' (1978), ''Hopscotch'' (1980), and ''Dennis the Menace'' (1993).

On Broadway, Matthau originated the role of Oscar Madison in ''The Odd Couple'' by playwright Neil Simon, for which he received a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1965, his second after ''A Shot in the Dark'' in 1962. Matthau also received two British Academy Film Awards and a Golden Globe Award. In 1963, he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his performance in ''The DuPont Show of the Week''. In 1982, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Provided by Wikipedia