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Walter Matthau
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Biography
Height
6' 3"
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Mini biography
Born to Russian Jewish immigrants, he was often cast as a would be con man. His father, a peddler from Kiev, left home when he was 3 years old. He lived with his older brother, Henry, and their mother, a garment worker, on the Lower East Side of New York. During World War II, he served in the Army Air Corps and returned home a sergeant with six battle stars. In 1948, his first Broadway role was when he was hired as an understudy for the role of an 83 year old English bishop in Anne of the Thousand Days starring Rex Harrison. His fame came with Fortune Cookie, The (1966) and Odd Couple, The (1968). While making the former, he suffered a serious heart attack. This was due to heavy smoking and chronic gambling. In 1976, he had heart bypass surgery. In 1993, he was hospitalized for double pneumonia. In 1995, he had a benign colon tumor removed. In 1999, he was hospitalized again for pneumonia. His ill health was due to his eating habits. He had two children to Grace Johnson, David and Jenny.
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Spouse
Carol Grace (1959 - 1 July 2000) (his death)
'Grace Geraldine Johnson' (1948 - 1958)
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Trivia
Big break came when understudying the actor who played the Archbishop in "Anne Of The Thusand Days" starring Rex Harrison
Buried at Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park
Marilyn Monroe, Truman Capote, Natalie Wood, Donna Reed, among other stars are buried at this cemetery.
People were never sure if he was joking or saying things seriously, either on-screen or out-screen.
He hated to be identified as a comedic actor.
His father was a street salesman in Kiev, Ukraine.
He once claimed that his father was an Orthodox priest in the Czarist Russia, who was removed after he claimed that the Pope was infalible.
Once claimed that his wife's name was Carol Wellington-Smythe Marcus, just to give it a more "aristocratic" sound.
When he inscribed himself formally to the U.S. Social Security in 1937, he included "Foghorn" as his middle name. He never changed it.
At the age of 28, he replaced an old British actor in a play in Broadway, to represent an 83-year-old bishop. He performed the role without rehearsing it previously.
He suffered his first heart attack during the shooting of The Odd Couple (1968).
Brought to the St. John's Health Center after suffering a heart attack by ambulance and was pronounced dead shortly afterward at 1:42 a.m.
Studied in the dramatic workshop at New York's New School with Gene Saks, Rod Steiger, Harry Guardino and Tony Curtis.
Served in the Army Air Corps with James Stewart
He once estimated his lifetime gambling losses at $5 million.
Two children, Jennie and David, by his first wife, Grace Geraldine Johnson, and a son, Charles Matthau, by his second wife, Carol Marcus.
After World War II, when he served in the Army Air Corps, he returned a sergeant with six battle stars.
While making a TV series in Florida before his movie stardom, he lost $183,000 betting on spring-training baseball games.
In middle age he estimated his lifetime gambling losses at $5 million.
Had a heart attack in 1966.
After filming "Grumpy Old Men" in 1993 in freezing weather in Minnesota, he was hospitalized for double pneumonia.
Uncle of Juliette Gruber.
Reports are that he made up "Matuschanskayasky" as a joke and that his real "real" name is Matthow. The existence of Michelle Matthow would seem to confirm this...
According to his son, Charlie Matthau, on Larry King Live, July 14, 2000, his real name was Walter Matthow, and he changed it to be more exotic. The name Walter Matuschanskayasky was one he made up to retaliate for being "tricked" into appearing in the movie Earthquake (1974) with a much larger part than he expected.
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Personal quotes
Matthau said, "I think doing comedy is more difficult ... than doing noncomedic or tragic or whatever you want to call it.". "Because it's difficult to make all kinds of different audiences understand what you're doing, and moving you to laughter." 1971 Comment: "Every actor looks all his life for a part that will combine his talents with his personality, " Matthau told Time magazine in 1971. "'The Odd Couple' was mine. That was the plutonium I needed. It all started happening after that."
"I never mind my wife having the last word. In fact, I'm delighted when she gets to it."
"I have lost someone I loved as a brother, as a closest friend and a remarkable human being. We have also lost one of the best damn actors we'll ever see." - Jack Lemmon after Matthau's death |  |
