Walter Matthau

Walter John Matthau (; ; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, known for his "hangdog face" and for playing world-weary characters. He starred in 10 films alongside his real-life friend Jack Lemmon, including ''The Odd Couple'' (1968) and ''Grumpy Old Men'' (1993). ''The New York Times'' called this "one of Hollywood's most successful pairings". Among other accolades, Matthau won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, and two Tony Awards.

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 Leading Actor in a Play in 1965, his second after ''A Shot in the Dark'' in 1962. Matthau won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the Billy Wilder film ''The Fortune Cookie'' (1966), with further Best Actor nominations for ''Kotch'' (1971) and ''The Sunshine Boys'' (1975). He gained further recognition for his portrayal of the coach of a hapless little league team in the baseball comedy ''The Bad News Bears'' (1976).

Matthau is also known for his performances in Elia Kazan's ''A Face in the Crowd'' (1957), the Elvis Presley vehicle ''King Creole'' (1958), 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'' (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).

In 1982, Matthau received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Provided by Wikipedia