Matthau, Walter (1920-2000), was an American motion-picture and stage actor known for his droll comic style. On the stage, Matthau first gained acclaim in 1965 as Oscar Madison in Neil Simon’s hit comedy The Odd Couple. Matthau won an Academy Award as best supporting actor in the satirical comedy The Fortune Cookie (1966). He was nominated for Academy Awards as best actor for Kotch (1971) and The Sunshine Boys (1975).
Matthau was born in New York City. His original name was Walter Matthow. He later changed the spelling to Matthau, which he often claimed—in jest—was a shortened form of Matuschanskavasky or Matuschanskayasky. He grew up in poverty and started taking acting classes after serving in the United States Army Air Forces from 1941 to 1945, during World War II. Matthau began appearing in supporting roles on the stage and television and made his motion-picture debut in The Kentuckian (1955). He continued to appear in supporting roles in films, often as a villain, until his appearance on Broadway in The Odd Couple made him a star.
Matthau’s major films included A Face in the Crowd (1957), Lonely Are the Brave (1962), Charade (1963), A Guide for the Married Man (1967), The Odd Couple (1968), Hello, Dolly! (1969), The Bad News Bears (1976), Hopscotch (1980), JFK (1991), Grumpy Old Men (1993), and My Fellow Americans (1997). He made 63 motion pictures between 1955 and his death.
