Biography
Walter Matthau (born Walter John Matthow; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, comedian and film director. 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 Odd Couple (1968), The Front Page (1974) and Grumpy Old Men (1993). Matthau won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor fo...
Known For
Complete Filmography

'Fail-Safe' and the Cold War
2020
as Self (archive footage)
Film critic J. Hoberman discusses the best-selling 1962 novel by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler on which "Fail-Safe" is based, along with the perva...

Last of the Independents: Don Siegel and the Making of 'Charley Varrick'
2015
as Self (archive footage)
Don Siegel’s classic crime thriller "Charley Varrick," made in 1972 in the wake of the immensely successful "Dirty Harry," stars Walter Matthau in wh...

And the Oscar Goes To...
2014
as Self (archive footage)
The story of the gold-plated statuette that became the film industry's most coveted prize, AND THE OSCAR GOES TO... traces the history of the Academy ...

The Kid Stays in the Picture
2002
as Self (archive footage)
Documentary about legendary Paramount producer Robert Evans, based on his famous 1994 autobiography.

Revisiting 'Fail-Safe'
2000
as Self (archive footage)
Documentary featuring interviews with director Sidney Lumet, "Fail-Safe" (2000) producer George Clooney, star Dan O’Herlihy and screenwriter Walter Be...

Hanging Up
2000
as Lou Mozell
Three sisters - Georgia, Eve, and Maddy - do what they do best with life, love, and lunacy on the telephone lines that bind - when their curmudgeonly ...

The Marriage Fool
1998
as Frank Walsh
Recently widowed after 41 years of marriage, Frank Walsh meets the outgoing Florence, sparking joy back into his life again. However, there is clear d...
Private Screenings: Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau
1998
as Self
Robert Osborne hosts this TCM original featuring an exclusive interview with the original Odd Couple.

The Odd Couple II
1998
as Oscar Madison
Brucey, the son of Oscar, calls his father to invite him to his wedding to Felix's daughter next Sunday in California. Oscar and Felix meet again at L...

Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy
1998
as Self
A profile of writer-director Billy Wilder

Out to Sea
1997
as Charlie Gordon
Care-free Charlie cons his widower brother-in-law Herb into an expenses-paid luxury cruise in search of rich, lonely ladies. The catch is that they ar...

Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough
1997
as Self
A profile of the life of actor Walter Matthau.

I'm Not Rappaport
1996
as Nat Moyer
Old Nat Moyer is a talker, a philosopher, and a troublemaker with a fanciful imagination. His companion is Midge Carter, who is half-blind, but still ...

Jack Lemmon: America's Everyman
1996
as Self
Jack Lemmon made over 60 films and received numerous awards, including eight Academy Award Nominations and two Oscars. Later in life, his achievement ...

The Grass Harp
1996
as Judge Charlie Cool
Based on the novel by Truman Capote, this often-witty coming-of-age drama looks at a young man growing up with an unusual family in the Deep South in ...

Grumpier Old Men
1995
as Max Goldman
A family wedding reignites the ancient feud between next-door neighbors and fishing buddies John and Max. Meanwhile, a sultry Italian divorcée opens a...

The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
1995
as Self
Based on the first centenary of the largest exporter of films in the world, that is Hollywood, is the story told by its protagonists, actors and write...

I.Q.
1994
as Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein helps a young man who's in love with Einstein's niece to catch her attention by pretending temporarily to be a great physicist.

Incident in a Small Town
1994
as Harmon Cobb
Lily and her son John live alone in a small town as her husband has been killed fighting the war in France. Or at least that is what she told John, bu...

Grumpy Old Men
1993
as Max Goldman
For decades, next-door neighbors and former friends John and Max have feuded, trading insults and wicked pranks. When an attractive widow moves in nea...

Dennis the Menace
1993
as George Wilson
Mr. Wilson's ever-present annoyance comes in the form of one mischievous kid named Dennis. But he'll need Dennis's tricks to uncover a collection of g...

Beyond JFK: The Question of Conspiracy
1993
as Self
This spellbinding documentary re-examines the issues raised by Oliver Stone's JFK, and explores the late Jim Garrison's contention that there was a "s...

How The Grinch Stole Christmas!
1992
as Narrator (voice)
This short video features illustrations from the Dr Seuss story book with narration by Walter Matthau. A hermit known as the Grinch hates Christmas an...

Laurel and Hardy: A Tribute to the Boys
1992
as Self
Modern comedians share their thoughts about Laurel and Hardy. Also includes archival footage of contemporary comedians. Hosted by Dom DeLuise.

Against Her Will: An Incident in Baltimore
1992
as Harmon Cobb
In the second dramatic case for lawyer Harmon Cobb, he defends an incarcerated woman who is wrongly imprisoned and refused release from a mental insti...

JFK
1991
as Senator Long
Follows the investigation into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy led by New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison.

Mrs. Lambert Remembers Love
1991
as Clifford Pepperman
Longtime singles Lillian Lambert and Clifford Pepperman enjoy a romance late in their lives.

The Incident
1990
as Harmon Cobb
Small town lawyer, Harmon Cobb, defends a Nazi prisoner of war against murder charges. Set during World War II, Cobb has to contend with the difficult...
Broadway's Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre
1989
as Himself
A study of the Group Theatre, a company that changed the face of American drama. The Group was founded in 1931 by Cheryl Crawford, Harold Clurman and ...

The Little Devil
1988
as Padre Maurizio
Father Maurice, a priest living in a residential college for priests in Rome, is called out one day to "exorcise" the devil from someone. The devil tu...

The Couch Trip
1988
as Donald Becker
The escaped mental patient and delinquent John W. Burns Jr. replaces Dr. Maitlin on a radio show, saying he's the psychiatrist Lawrence Baird.

A Beverly Hills Christmas
1987
as Self
An evening of Christmas music from stars living in Beverly Hills, California.

James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
1987
as Self
Documentary about James Stewart's long career as an actor and positive personal life.

Pirates
1986
as Captain Thomas Bartholomew Red
The adventures of pirate Captain Red and his first mate Frog.

Kraft Salutes the George Burns 90th Birthday Special
1986
as Self
An all-star cast celebrates George Burn's 90th birthday and showcases highlights in Burns' career.

Movers & Shakers
1985
as Joe Mulholland
Studio head Joe Mulholland promises his dying producer and mentor, Saul Gritz, to adapt a popular sex manual into a film, despite his better judgment....

The Stars Salute the U.S. Olympic Team
1984
Star studded show

The Survivors
1983
as Sonny Paluso
Having both lost their jobs, two strangers become unlikely friends after a run in with a would be robber, who is actually a hitman with a grudge again...

Portrait of a '60% Perfect Man': Billy Wilder
1982
as Self
French film critic Michel Ciment interviews Billy Wilder about his life and filmmaking.

Hollywood: The Gift of Laughter
1982
as Self
A retrospective look at 60 years of great moments in film comedy, from the 1920s to 1982.

I Ought to Be in Pictures
1982
as Herbert Tucker
Grandmother has nothing to say when Libby tells her that she is off to LA to look up Dad, a Hollywood screenwriter. Grandmother has been in a New York...

I Love Liberty
1982
as Self
An all-star variety special saluting America.

First Monday in October
1981
as Dan Snow
For the first time in history a woman is appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, where she becomes a friendly rival to a liberal associate.

Buddy Buddy
1981
as Trabucco
During a high profile Mafia testimony case, a contract killer checks-in a hotel room near the courthouse while his next door depressed neighbor wants ...

Hopscotch
1980
as Miles Kendig
When CIA operative Miles Kendig deliberately lets KGB agent Yaskov get away, his boss threatens to retire him. Kendig beats him to it, however, destro...

Little Miss Marker
1980
as Sorrowful Jones
Sorrowful Jones is a cheap bookie in the 1930s. When a gambler leaves his daughter as a marker for a bet, he gets stuck with her. His life will change...

Little Miss Marker
1980
Executive Producer
Sorrowful Jones is a cheap bookie in the 1930s. When a gambler leaves his daughter as a marker for a bet, he gets stuck with her. His life will change...

The Stingiest Man in Town
1978
as Ebenezer Scrooge (voice)
This cartoon version of A Christmas Carol hails from the production house of Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass--the team that brought you just about ev...

California Suite
1978
as Marvin Michaels
The misadventures of four groups of guests at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Funny Business
1978
as Self - Host
A documentary hosted by Walter Matthau, which discussed and showed examples from cinematic comedy classics. Long portions of the documentary were devo...

House Calls
1978
as Dr. Charley Nichols
Charley is a surgeon who's recently lost his wife; he embarks on a tragicomic romantic quest with one woman after another until he meets up with Ann, ...

Actor
1978
as Boris Thomashevsky
A musical play based on the early years of actor Paul Muni.

Casey's Shadow
1978
as Lloyd Bourdelle
Young Casey comes from a family of racehorse trainers, and his best friend, a foal called Casey's Shadow, may just be a champion.

The Gentleman Tramp
1976
as Self / Narrator
A film about the life and work of the master comedy filmmaker, Charles Chaplin.

The Bad News Bears
1976
as Coach Morris Buttermaker
An aging, down-on-his-luck ex-minor leaguer coaches a team of misfits in an ultra-competitive California little league.

The Sunshine Boys
1975
as Willy Clark
Lewis and Clark, aka The Sunshine Boys, were famous comedians during the vaudeville era, but off-stage they couldn't stand each other and haven't spok...
The Lion Roars Again
1975
as Self
A chronicle of the 1975 International Press Conclave hosted by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer over two days in May 1975.

Earthquake
1974
as Drunk
Various interconnected people struggle to survive when an earthquake of unimaginable magnitude hits Los Angeles, California.

The Front Page
1974
as Walter Burns
A journalist suffering from burn-out wants to finally say goodbye to his office – but his boss doesn’t like the idea one bit.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
1974
as Lt. Garber
In New York, armed men hijack a subway car and demand a ransom for the passengers. Even if it's paid, how could they get away?

The Laughing Policeman
1973
as Sgt. Jake Martin SFPD
When a gunman opens fire on a crowded city bus in San Francisco, Detective Dave Evans is killed, along with the man he'd been following in relation to...

Charley Varrick
1973
as Charley Varrick
Charley Varrick robs a bank in a small town with his friends, but instead of obtaining a small amount of money, they discover they stole a very large ...

Pete 'n' Tillie
1972
as Pete Seltzer
A fun-loving bachelor woos and weds a secretary, but the bonds of this marriage aren't strong enough to stop his philandering from continuing.

Awake and Sing!
1972
as Moe Axelrod
The Bergers, a blue-collar Jewish family living in an overstuffed tenement and undone by the Depression, struggle through hard times and dream of a be...

Kotch
1971
as Joseph P. Kotcher
When retired salesman Joseph Kotcher begins to feel pressure to move out of the house he shares with the family of his son, he opts to embark on a roa...

Plaza Suite
1971
as Roy Hubley / Jesse Kiplinger / Sam Nash
Film version of the Neil Simon play has three separate acts set in the same hotel suite in New York's Plaza Hotel with Walter Matthau in a triple role...

A New Leaf
1971
as Henry Graham
After running out of funds, Henry Graham, a carefree playboy, plots to marry and murder wealthy botanist Henrietta Lowell.

Cactus Flower
1969
as Dr. Julian Winston
Distraught when her middle-aged lover breaks a date with her, 21-year-old Toni Simmons attempts suicide. Impressed by her action, her lover, dentist J...

Hello, Dolly!
1969
as Horace Vandergelder
Dolly Levi is a strong-willed matchmaker who travels to Yonkers, New York in order to see the miserly "well-known unmarried half-a-millionaire" Horace...

Candy
1968
as Gen. R.A. Smight
A high school girl encounters a variety of kookie characters and humorous sexual situations while searching for the meaning of life.
Jack Benny's Bag
1968
as Self
Jack Benny's 1968 TV specials features topical references including a parody of The Graduate.

The Secret Life of an American Wife
1968
as The Movie Star
A bored housewife poses as a call girl for a movie star sex-symbol, hoping she can prove to her husband, the star's agent, that she is still desirable...

The Odd Couple
1968
as Oscar Madison
In New York, Felix, a neurotic news writer who just broke up with his wife, is urged by his chaotic friend Oscar, a sports journalist, to move in with...

Carol Channing and 101 Men
1968
as Self
Carol Channing hosts musical variety special with guests Walter Matthau, George Burns, U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Chorale, The Association, Eddy Arn...

A Guide for the Married Man
1967
as Paul Manning
A man gives his friend a series of lessons on how to cheat on one's wife without being caught.

The Fortune Cookie
1966
as Willie Gingrich
A cameraman is knocked over during a football game. His brother-in-law, as the king of the ambulance-chasing lawyers, starts a suit while he's still k...

Mirage
1965
as Ted Caselle
In New York City, David Stillwell struggles to recover his memory before the people who are trying to kill him succeed. Who is he, who are they, and w...

Goodbye Charlie
1964
as Leo Sartori
When a cavorting Hollywood writer is killed by the angry husband of a woman he was having an affair with, he comes back as a spirit in the form of a b...

Fail Safe
1964
as Prof. Groeteschele
Because of a technical defect an American bomber team mistakenly orders the destruction of Moscow. The President of the United States has but little t...

Ensign Pulver
1964
as Doc
1945, on an old cargo ship somewhere deep in the Pacific ocean: Captain Morton strives to become commander, so he demands the maximum quality of work ...

Charade
1963
as Hamilton Bartholemew
After Regina Lampert falls for the dashing Peter Joshua on a skiing holiday in the French Alps, she discovers upon her return to Paris that her husban...

Island of Love
1963
as Tony Dallas
Con artist Steve Blair persuades Tony Dallas, a Manhattan gangster, to finance a movie about Adam and Eve by offering the female lead to Tony's stripp...

Who's Got the Action?
1962
as Tony Gagouts
A lawyer begins to win after his wife secretly becomes his bookie to save their money.
Big Deal in Laredo
1962
as Meredith
A timid man with money problems gets into a big card game with some high-rollers.

Lonely are the Brave
1962
as Sheriff Morey Johnson
A fiercely independent cowboy arranges to have himself locked up in jail in order to then escape with an old friend who has been sentenced to the peni...

Two by Saroyan: 'Once Around the Block' and 'My Heart's in the Highlands'
1960
as Ben Alexander / Philip Judah
Two plays by William Saroyan portraying writers stymied, inspired, frustrated, excited, listful, wistful, slothful, awed, unnerved, perhaps corrupted ...

Strangers When We Meet
1960
as Felix Anders
A suburban architect loves his wife but is bored with his marriage and with his work, so he takes up with the neglected, married beauty who lives down...

Gangster Story
1959
as Jack Martin
Gangster and cop killer Jack Martin is on the run from the law, and hides out in a small town. Low on funds, he engineers a clever bank robbery that y...

Gangster Story
1959
Director
Gangster and cop killer Jack Martin is on the run from the law, and hides out in a small town. Low on funds, he engineers a clever bank robbery that y...

Ride a Crooked Trail
1958
as Judge Kyle
After robbing a bank Murphy assumes the identity of his pursuer, a famous US Marshal, when he stumbles into a town and is confronted by the local judg...

Onionhead
1958
as 'Red' Wildoe
An irresponsible student enlists in the Coast Guard expecting to sit out World War II.

Voice in the Mirror
1958
as Dr. Karnes
Jim Burton, chronic alcoholic, is cared for by Ellen, his incredibly patient, sexy, hard-working wife. A doctor's warning that Jim could become mental...

King Creole
1958
as Maxie Fields
Danny Fisher, young delinquent, flunks out of high school. He quits his job as a busboy in a nightclub, and one night he gets the chance to perform. S...

Slaughter on 10th Avenue
1957
as Al Dahlke
A rookie assistant DA is assigned to investigate the murder of a longshoreman, killed for exposing gangster involvement on the piers, and meets up wit...

A Face in the Crowd
1957
as Mel Miller
The rise of a raucous hayseed named Lonesome Rhodes from itinerant Ozark guitar picker to local media rabble-rouser to TV superstar and political king...

Bigger Than Life
1956
as Wally Gibbs
A friendly, successful suburban teacher and father grows dangerously addicted to cortisone, resulting in his transformation into a household despot.

The Indian Fighter
1955
as Wes Todd
A scout leading a wagon train through hostile Indian country gets involved with a Sioux chief's daughter.

The Kentuckian
1955
as Stan Bodine
A frontiersman and his son fight to build a new home in Texas.

Atomic Attack
1954
as Dr. Spinelli
A family living 50 miles away try to flee from the fallout of an atomic bomb that fell on New York City.