Karl Malden Dead at 97

I was trying to get a number of other posts up yesterday, and I completely forgot to mention the passing of Oscar and Emmy-winning actor Karl Malden. Malden passed away at his home on Wednesday from natural causes. He was 97. While he played a wide range of roles during his career, most people will either remember him from the TV series Streets of San Francisco (with Michael Douglas) or a series of American Express commercials urging viewers “Don‘t leave home without them.”

Born Mladen Sekulovich, Malden grew up in Gary, Indiana. While playing basketball in high school, he received several injuries to his face, thus resulting in the bulbous nose he was well-known for throughout his career. He attended college on a basketball scholarship, but he dropped out when the coach wouldn’t allow him to participate in the school’s theatre program.

He would later attend the Goodman Theater Dramatic School. Malden would be encouraged by his father, who was once an actor and director in his native Serbia. Malden met his future bride, Mona Greenberg, at the school, and the couple were wed in 1938. In December of 2008, they celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary.

Malden won a Best Supporting Oscar in 1951 for the big screen adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire. This led to even bigger roles, and another Oscar nomination would come for On The Waterfront.

He played a police detective in Streets of San Francisco from 1972 to 1977, and he received Emmy nominations in each of the show’s five seasons. While he didn’t win, he would later be awarded an Emmy for the 1984 miniseries Fatal Vision.

In addition to his numerous achievements in front of the camera, Malden was active in the acting community. He served on the board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, and he also sat on the board of the Screen Actors Guild (they presented him a lifetime achievement award in 2004).

Karl Malden is survived by his wife of 70 years, two daughters, three granddaughters, and four great-grandchildren. He will be missed.

If you’re looking to get all nostalgic and watch some of Karl Malden’s best performances, check out this selected filmography:

Kiss of Death (1947)
The Gunfighter (1950)
Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)
Halls of Montezuma (1951)
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
Operation Secret (1952)
Ruby Gentry (1952)
On the Waterfront (1954)
Baby Doll (1956)
Pollyanna (1960)
One-Eyed Jacks (1961)
Parrish (1961)
Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
How the West Was Won (1962)
Cheyenne Autumn (1964)
The Cincinnati Kid (1965)
Nevada Smith (1966)
Hotel (1967)
Patton (1970)
Fatal Vision (1984) (television miniseries)

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 2nd, 2009 at 11:41 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

«

»

Leave a Reply